Three words: I. Hate. Mongols. They ended the Sung dynasty! China's Golden Age! Okay, let me calm down and tell the story. The Mongols were a group of Nomads form the steppe region, but their military was a large group of very advanced horsemen. They invented the stirrup which allows for the rider to actually stand up on their horse and fire bow and arrow at their enemy. In the early 1200s the Mongols stopped fighting with each other and were united under the leadership of Genghis Khan. Genghis was an undeniably great ruler, but was ruthless and cruel in his quest for revenge over his childhood. With their well-trained men and cannons, they invaded northern China. They went with a policy of "Surrender now and you will be a slave, if you don't we will kill you". After they gained leadership, the Mongols were relatively just. They listened to religious ideas, respected artisans, and wouldn't bother you if you paid your taxes. Later, they conquered Russia under the leadership of Khan's nephew, Batu, in 1240. And later the Mongols sacked Baghdad in 1258 during the Abbasid Empire. Eventually, Genghis' grandson, Kublai Kahn took over and moved the army south. To the time currently of them ending the Sung Dynasty in 1279 and starting the Yuan dynasty. You can feel the uneasy mix of different cultures and Kublai naming the Dynasty with a Chinese name. He has told us of plans of wanting to expand the Grand Canal for trade and changing the architecture to something from the Steppe. I hope that this dynasty ends quickly and China will turn back to Chinese rule once more!
Zheng Tzu
Jackson, Peter. "Mongols." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras.
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