Chapter 12: Mongols and Asia 1200-1500
Reading Questions:
1) Explain how the Mongols united under Genghis Khan, and discuss the factors particular to Central Asia that contributed to their rise.
2) Discuss the roles of women in Mongol society.
3) Discuss how the Mongols dominated large regions of
Eurasia. Why were they able to do it so quickly?
4) How did the Mongols rule the conquered areas?
5) What was the long-term impact of the Mongol conquest on Eurasia? How did it facilitate the rise of ‘nationalism’ and create new wealthy urban areas?
6) Explain how the Mongols transformed China into a Mongol state (what changed), how the Chinese reacted to that transformation.
7) How did the Ming Empire address the changes brought on by the Mongols?
8) How did Korea, Japan, and Vietnam develop during the Mongol period? How did this occupation influence their government policies and economic development?
9) Compare and contrast Mongol rule and legacy in eastern and western Eurasia (talk about the Middle East too). How did the affect the political, economic, religious, and social systems?
10) How did the art, science, and intellectual developments of Islamic Eurasia affect Europe? Use specific examples for each.
11) Compare and contrast the lifestyles of nomadic and sedentary peoples. How did each earn their livelihood, what was their daily life like, and how did they relate to outside groups?
12) What were the social, economic, political, and religious effects of the bubonic plague?
Vocabulary:
- Ogodei
- Genghis Khan
- Mongols
- Nomadism
- Bubonic Plague
- Il-Khan
- Golden Horde
- Yuan Empire
- Timur (Tamerlane)
- Tsar
- Ottomans
- Lama
- Zheng He
- Beijing
- Kamikaze
- Yongle
- Kubilai Khan
- Yi Kingdom
- Ming Empire
- Ashigkaga Shogunate
- Cottage Industry
- Manchuria
- Forbidden City
- Yi Empire
- Movable type
- Annam
- Champa
- Steppe
- Il-Khan
- Rashid al-Din
- Tax Farming
- Ibn Khaldun
- ‘Arabic’ Numerals
Map Exercises:
A (329) 1. What are the physical boundaries of the Mongol Empire?
2. What geographic features limited the Mongol Empire: a. Northern borders? b. Southern borders?
3. What modern states did the: a. Golden Horde rule?
b. Khanate of Jagadai? c. Il-Khans? d. Domain of the Great Khan?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR THE PRIMARY SOURCES/DOCUMENTS:
1) “Kuyuk Khan to Pope Innocent IV: A Letter to the Pope”—Why does Kuyuk Khan believe the
Magyars were presumptuous toward him? How do his ideas about the legitimacy of power differ
from those of Innocent IV? What does the passage suggest about the religious beliefs of Kuyuk
Khan? How might his Heaven differ from the God of Pope Innocent? Was this exchange of notes
a “dialogue of the deaf”? Why?
2) “The Way of the Great Buddha”—What are the key words or phrases that Shen Hui uses in
elucidating the “way” of the Great Buddha? Are those words, or any words, sufficient to describe
Buddhism? Why or why not? What are the similarities between Daoism and Buddhism? What are
the differences? What are the differences between Buddhism and Confucianism? Why did
Buddhism appeal to so many Chinese?
3) “A Confucian Wedding Ceremony”—What is “Confucian” in this Confucian wedding
ceremony? Be specific. Why did emperor believe it necessary to set down such rules or
guidelines for important ceremonies and events such as weddings? How important is ritual in the
modern world? Do we need more of it or less? Why?