Khubilai Khan

Khubilai Khan

The founder of China's Yuan, or Mongol, Dynasty was a brilliant statesman and

military leader named Khubilai Khan. Grandson and the best-known successor of the

great Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan, Khubiliai became the first emperor of the Mongol

Empire. He completed the conquest of China that was begun by his grandfather.

Khubilai's major accomplishment was convincing China to be ruled by foreign people, the

Mongols. His achievements were first brought to the Western and European society in the

writings of Marco Polo, the Venetian traveler who lived in China for nearly 20 years.

Khubilai Khan began to play a significant part in the consolidation of Mongol rule

when his brother, Mangu Khan, became determined to complete the conquest of China in

1251. Upon the death of Mangu, only eight years later, Khubilai was proclaimed as the

Great Khan.1 Then in 1279, Khubilai defeated the Southern Song Dynasty, bringing the

remainder of China under his reign.2 This was the first time all of China was under foreign

rule. Khubilai named the dynasty Yuan, meaning "beginning" or "origin of the universe,"

to signify that this was the beginning of a long era of Mongol power.3 The Yuan Dynasty

lasted from 1279 to 1368 in China.4

Where to put the capital was a major decision for Khubilai Khan. He ended up

making two capitals: "Upper Capital," called Shang-tu, and "Central Capital," called

Ta-tu, located at present-day Beijing.5 Ta-tu soon became a sophisticated and wealthy

city. There Khubilai ruled as both the emperor of the Chinese Yuan Dynasty and the

Great Khan of the Mongols. Khubilai adapted to the Chinese way of governing. He

successfully followed the bureaucratic system through which Chin...

... middle of paper ...

...rove them out. In 1368, while the

Mongol's Empire was torn by internal dispute, the great khans in China were replaced by

the Ming Dynasty.22

Although Khubilai had many accomplishments, he favored to govern, not simply to

take advantage, of China, the largest and most populated empire in the history of the

world until that time. Through his political and economic policies, his support of culture,

his toleration of many different religions, Khubilai attempted to unify Asian lands under

Mongol rule.23 Like those of many great rulers, Khubilai's empire did not survive long

after his death. His dream for a world empire was not fulfilled, but his glory of the Yuan

Dynasty--from arts, government, agriculture, religion, to his military achievements--has

made a lasting impact on not only Chinese society, but on the European and Western

societies as well.