HIST1083 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Yuan Dynasty
Document Summary
Beijing made capital of china by kublai khan. First non chinese ruler to rule over the chinese empire. Kk greatest achievement was unification of china-->still unified to this day. Kk was very cruel-->carved out empire through battle. Kk brought large increase in public works i. e. canal system increased, intro of paper currency. Gk carve doubt largest empire in history. Mongols reiked psychological terror-->people would just surrender. Couldn"t rule the sun dynasty in the south. Kk was born in mongolia in 1215. Learned confucian teachings from an early age. Kk instituted reform that the peasants loved. Improved quality of life in ordinary people. Helped people get back on their feet through tax waivers in times of distress. Kk"s wife encouraged arts and science men to argue with kk so that he could make better decisions. Kk"s military career did not come till his brother became great khan. Kk was charged with reason after overturning mongol taxation policies.
