Kublai Khan

Kublai Khan was the grandson of Genghis Khan and the founder of the Yuan dynasty in China. He completed the conquest of China and established the Mongol rule over the whole of the country.

Early Life and Education

Kublai was born in 1215, the son of Tolui and the grandson of Genghis Khan. He was given the territory of the northern China as his appanage.

He received the education and the advisers from the Chinese and the other cultures. He gathered around him the advisers of the many faiths.

He was elected the great khan in 1260 after the death of his brother Möngke. The election was contested by his younger brother Ariq Böke and the civil war followed.

The Conquest of China

Kublai established his capital at Dadu, which is now Beijing. He adopted the Chinese institutions and the style of the government.

He completed the conquest of the Southern Song dynasty in 1279. The victory unified the whole of China under the Mongol rule.

He established the Yuan dynasty in 1271 and ruled as the emperor of China. He adopted the Chinese name for the dynasty and the Chinese system of the administration.

He attempted to invade Japan and Vietnam and Java but the expeditions failed. The invasions were costly and weakened the empire.

The Administration and the Culture

Kublai Khan promoted the trade and the communication across the empire. He established the system of the post stations and the paper currency.

He employed the foreign advisers and the administrators from the many cultures. He appointed Marco Polo and the other foreigners to the positions.

He promoted the arts and the sciences and the religions. He built the capital and the palaces and the Buddhist temples.

The period of his rule was a time of the prosperity and the cultural exchange. The contacts between China and the West were extended.

The Later Years and the Legacy

Kublai Khan suffered from the ill health and the obesity in his later years. He died in 1294 and was succeeded by his grandson Temür.

The Yuan dynasty lasted until 1368, when it was overthrown by the Ming. The Mongols withdrew to the steppe and the dynasty ended.

He is regarded as one of the greatest of the Mongol rulers. The accounts of his court by Marco Polo have shaped the European image of the East.

He is commemorated in China and in Mongolia. The legacy of the Yuan dynasty is the subject of the continuing study.

The Administration and the Reforms

Kublai Khan adopted the Chinese system of the government. He established the central administration and the provinces.

He employed the foreign advisers and the administrators. The officials were drawn from the Mongols, the Chinese, and the other peoples.

He established the paper currency and the postal system. The reforms promoted the trade and the communication.

The Failed Invasions

Kublai Khan attempted to invade Japan in 1274 and 1281. The fleets were destroyed by the typhoons that the Japanese called the kamikaze.

He invaded Vietnam and the Champa and Java. The campaigns were expensive and the results were limited.

The failures weakened the empire and the prestige of the dynasty. The military expansion came to an end.

The Founding of the Yuan

Kublai Khan established the Yuan dynasty in 1271. He adopted the Chinese name and the Chinese institutions.

He moved the capital to Dadu, which is now Beijing. The city became the centre of the administration.

He completed the conquest of the Southern Song in 1279. The victory unified the whole of China under the Mongol rule.

The Culture and the Religion

Kublai Khan promoted the religions of the empire. He supported the Buddhists, the Muslims, the Christians, and the Confucians.

He appointed Marco Polo and the other foreigners to the positions. The foreign advisers contributed to the administration.

He promoted the arts and the sciences and the literature. The period was a time of the cultural exchange and the prosperity.

The Later Years

Kublai Khan suffered from the ill health and the obesity. He died in 1294 and was succeeded by his grandson Temür.

The Yuan dynasty lasted until 1368. It was overthrown by the Ming and the Mongols withdrew to the steppe.

He is regarded as one of the greatest of the Mongol rulers. His court is described in the account of Marco Polo.

The Cultural Exchange

The court of Kublai Khan attracted the visitors from throughout the empire. The merchants and the envoys and the missionaries came to the capital.

The account of Marco Polo describes the wealth and the organisation of the court. The book shaped the European image of the East.

The period was a time of the exchange of the ideas and the technologies. The paper and the printing and the gunpowder reached the West.

See also

• Yuan dynasty
• Mongol Empire
• Marco Polo
• Beijing