MMW 13 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Kublai Khan, Khagan, Hulagu Khan
19 May 2018
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Outline Lecture Three - Mongols in China: The Yuan
Dynasty
Key Questions:
1) What challenges did the nomadic Mongol rulers face in managing a
sedentary, multi-ethnic society?
2) How did they try to overcome them?
I) Khubilai Khan: From Nomad to Emperor of China
a) The Four Khanates after Genghis khan’s death in 1227
- Realm was effectively divided into 4 administrative districts (khanates)
- To alleviate administrative challenges
i) To the West—Ilkhans in Persia (Hulegu)
- One of genghis khan’s sons took over the abbasid
ii) To the Northwest—The Golden Horde in Russia (Berke)
- All the khanates are related in someway
iii) Central Asia—Khanate of Chagatai
iv) To the East—Great Khanate in the Mongolian heartland and China
(Kublai)
- China and great khanate that represented the symbolic center of the
whole empire
- Khan of this region took precedence over all the other three
- Other three also enjoyed significant amount of independence
- Efficient bureaucracy and administration
b) Kublai Rise to Power
- Contentious affair led to his rise in power
i) Election contested by another younger brother Arigh Boke
- 1260: older brother of Khubilai khan died, elected by tribal chiefs
-
Arigh boke declared himself great khan when based in mongolian
heartland (north of china) → civil war
- Split amongst other khanates
- E.g ilkhans threw support behind khubilai, but neighbors to the
north (golden horde) supported the younger brother
- Protracted civil strive among different mongol khans, costly
campaign that kublai khan had to wage in order to suppress
challenge against him
-
Decisive move: by prevailing, using control over agricultural
resources in China essentially preventing food supplies from
reaching the north → ended challenge. Slowly depriving
enemies of essential food supplies
- Victory over challenger: kublai realized that in order to maintain
authority without having to suppress future challenges
(plausible that other khanates would question his authority),
had to learn how to be an effective ruler of china
- China was bread basket of entire empire
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
- By controlling agricultural base, and stabilizing it, best
chance of staying in power
- Had to reinvent himself into a capable ruler for a sedentary
society ***genghis khan def didn’t feel this way***
-
Kublai → grandson of genghis
ii) Costly and lengthy campaigns to suppress this challenge
iii) Need to re-invent himself into a capable sovereign of a sedentary
society
- Realized he had to earn the trust of peasants
- Among peasants that remained in north, uncertainty about mongol
tensions (after incessant war between mongols and jurchens in the
north)
- Had to reassure peasants that he was behind their efforts
-
Emergency measures taken to this effect → kublai provided relief
c) Economic Recovery under Kublai
i) Devastation of northern China from previous wars
- Suspending Tax collection hardest hit by famine, alleviated the burden
-
Marco polo → shows mongol bias, but khubilai khan was quite intent in
helping the poor (other sources corroborate this)
ii) Emergency relief and restoration measures
(1) Office for the Stimulation of Agriculture in 1261
- Cabinet office (second year of his rule)
- irony : nomadic ruler that has introduced an office for the
stimulation of agriculture **mongol policies changing**
- Abolished onerous program of tax forms (established by
ogodei khan)
- State granaries for famine relief - enough surplus he could use
to help starving peasants
- ****Imposed ban on mongol herds grazing on farmland**** -
common practice among mongol warriors
(2) Autonomous village organizations called she
- Organized system of villages
- Signalled significant break from typical mongol behaviour
- Mongol ruler appreciating value of agriculture, instead of
seeing farmland/peasants as disposable
-
Persian and chinese sources → scholars not receptive to
mongol rule, but one thing that was genuinely pointed out was
that, khubilai khan was an effective manager
iii) Distributed responsibility broadly so as to avoid reliance on one group
- Willing to recruit best talent, kublai was very resourceful
- Regardless of ethnicity and faith, working for mongols in china,
come across many different cultures - able to recruit best talent
in vast realm
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Outline lecture three - mongols in china: the yuan. Realm was effectively divided into 4 administrative districts (khanates) To alleviate administrative challenges: to the west ilkhans in persia (hulegu) One of genghis khan"s sons took over the abbasid: to the northwest the golden horde in russia (berke) All the khanates are related in someway: central asia khanate of chagatai, to the east great khanate in the mongolian heartland and china (kublai) China and great khanate that represented the symbolic center of the whole empire. Khan of this region took precedence over all the other three. Other three also enjoyed significant amount of independence. Efficient bureaucracy and administration: kublai rise to power. Contentious affair led to his rise in power: election contested by another younger brother arigh boke. 1260: older brother of khubilai khan died, elected by tribal chiefs. Arigh boke declared himself great khan when based in mongolian heartland (north of china) civil war.
