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Jan 1, 1180
Rising of Ghengis Khan
In the late 1100s a very powerful Khan named Temujin began to conquer his rivals and unite the Mongols. He was intent on creating an empire and eventually conquering the world. -
Jan 1, 1200
Mongols Emerge
The nomadic Mongols emerged in the 1200s and have been recorded as one of the most brutal and efficient military forces in history. The Mongols are known for their combined superior tactics and weaponry with ruthless cunning and brutality. -
Jan 1, 1206
The Universal Ruler
In 1206 Temujin succeeded in uniting all of the Mongols and tool the title of Ghengis Khan or "universal ruler." With the Mongols under his rule Temujin planned on creating a powerful empire. -
Jan 1, 1206
Continuing domination of Mongols over Asia
Over the next 20 years after earning the title of Ghengis Khan, Temujin fought against the Chinese and the Turks. While doing so he discovered the art of siege warfare and gunpowder.
Siege Warfare: A siege refers to a large fortress/unit intent on conquering an area by means of attack or assault. -
Jan 1, 1227
Ghengis Khan dies
In 1227 Ghengis Khan dies due to unknown causes and his empire is split into four regions, each ruled by one of his heirs. -
Jan 1, 1236
Mongol Russia
In 1236, the Golden Horde led by grandson Batu took up the task of conquering Russia, and succeeded.
the Golden Horde: The Mongol army, led by descendents or Ghengis Khan, that dominated most of Europe. -
Jan 1, 1260
Kublai Khan
In 1260 Kublai Khan became the "Great Khan" of the Mongol empire. He was determined to complete the conquest of all of China. However the Song continually defended lower China.
Song Dynasty: The imperial dynasty of China from 960 to 1279. -
Jan 1, 1279
The Yuan Dynasty
In 1279 the last Song leader was defeated by the Mongols and Kublai Khan established the Yuan dynasty and declared himself emperor. -
Jan 1, 1294
Death of Kublai Khan
In 1294 Kublai Khan died and the struggle to establish a new leader weakened the Yuan Dynasty, The Yuan dynasty was also weakened at this time due to many military defeats while trying to conquer Japan.
Kamakaze:
Then: In the late 1200s the term kamakaze refered to winds that destroyed many Yuan naval ships during their battles with Japan.
Now: Now the term Kamakaze refers to when a japenese fighter pilot crashes his plane into enemy forces killing himself. -
Jan 1, 1300
*Black Death!*
In the 1300s many trade routes led from China westward. The trade routes brought more than just goods, they brought disease. Many scholars believe that Black Death, the disease that wiped out much of Europe, may have been introduced from trade at this time.
Black Death: The great epidemic of bubonic plague that wiped out much of Europe. -
Jan 1, 1300
Rebellions against Yuan Dynasty
in the 1300s many Chinese factions rebelled against their Yuan leaders due to increased taxes. -
Jan 1, 1368
Fall of the Yuan Dynasty
in 1386 a Chinese rebel army, led by a peasant by the name of Zhu Yuanzhang, defeated the Mongols and ended foreign rule in China. -
Jan 1, 1368
The Ming Dynasty
In 1368 Zhu Yuanzhang took the name Hongwu and founded the Ming Dynasty. -
Jan 1, 1400
The Forbidden City
in the 1400s the Forbidden City was constructed fot Ming China's emperor, family, court, and servants.
The Forbidden City: An area of Beijing China, that contains the former imperial palaces, to which entry was forbidden to all except imperial family members. -
Jan 1, 1402
Rule of Yonglo
In 1402 Hongwu died and his son, Yonglo, ruled from 1402 to 1424. During this time Yonglo moved the Ming capital to Beijing and bui;t the Forbidden City. -
Jan 1, 1405
Expansion of Chinese influence
In 1405, Due to Yonglo's support of expanding Chinese influence a Chinese Muslim by the name of Zheng He led seven voyages around the Indian Ocean to places as far as Africa. After 1433 a new emperor took the throne and stopped the overseas voyages as they were expensive. -
Jan 1, 1500
Isolation of the Ming Dynasty
The choice to halt the overseas voyages was to isolate Ming China from the rest of the world. The Ming leaders heavily restricted foreign trade and travel, these rules were impossible to enforce however. -
Jan 1, 1500
*Europeans
Ming leaders isolated their people because they did not want outside influences to affect their people. A reason for the Ming isolation was due to the immigration of Europeans into the area and Ming leaders did not welcome European customs and beliefs. -
Jan 1, 1580
Decline of the Ming Dynasty
In the late 1500s, due to a succession of weak rulers, the Ming Dynasty weakened. -
Matteo Ricci
In 1583 Matteo Ricci, a European, learned the Chinese language and adopted some of the Chinese customs to gain acceptance. His efforts were rewarded as he became a respected member of the Ming court and shared European concepts of mathematics and science.
At the same time, the Ming had to face the threat of the Mongols to the north, so they built the Great Wall of China as a defense.
Great Wall of China: a fortified wall in northern China, extending 1500 miles from Kansu to Beijing -
Rebellions against the Ming
In the 1600s high taxes combined with crop failures led to rebellions against the Ming Dynasty and further weakened it. -
The Qing Dynasty
The Qing dynasty ruled from 1644-1911. Under Qing rule China became a prosperous area. The Manchu leaders recieved much resistance from their Chinese subjects at first but eventually earned the respect and loyalty of their Chinese subjects. The Manchu was separated from the Chinese, and were restricted to marry Chinese. Manchu men had to wear their hair shaved in the front with a queue in the back.
Queue: A braid in the back of ones hair.
Junks: Chinese boats generally used to pass the G. Canal -
Fall of the Ming Dynasty
With Ming China weakened, a people from Manchuria (the Manchu) swept into Beijing and took the capital. -
Kangxi becomes emperor of the Qing
In 1661 Kangxi became emperor of the Qing dynasty. This man reduced taxes and expanded the empire. This intellectual ruled from 1661 to 1772. -
Qianlong rules the Qing
In 1736 Kangxi's grandson Qianlong became emperor of the Qing dynasty and took the empire to its height. During his reign China became its largest size, agricultural science improved leading to a boom in population, and the economy improved with better means of transportation and trade. -
China "Baby Boom"
In 1750 China's population exploded to 300 million due to better agricultural sciences and surplus of food. -
Lord George Macartney
With Qing China doing so well economically, the Europeans wanted to change China's trade restrictions. In 1793 a British official, Lord George Macartney, came to Qing China to discuss expanding trade. The Chinese disliked his European produsts and demanded he pay his respects to the emperor be kowtowing, he refused and was sent away.
Kowtowing: Kneeling at a Chinese emperor's feet and touching one's head to the ground nine times. -
Europeans topple the Qing
At the time China was isolated from the rest of the world and Europeans wanted to reopen Chinese society. These struggles would eventually topple Qing China.
