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Jan 1, 1180
Temujin
In the late 1100s, a khan or leader was someone who rose to power because of their militaristic knowledge and their leading skills. The first khan who rose to power was Temujin who began to deafeat rivals and unify the Mongol clans. -
Jan 1, 1200
Mongols Emerge
The Mongols were a strong military force that were known for their brutality and weaponry. They moved in large groups of 10,000 men from Central Asia. -
Jan 1, 1200
Early Mongols
Throughout the 1200s, a large group of nomadic people burst forth and attacked much of northern China during the Song Dynasty. These people were known as the Mongols. Song Dynasty- a dynasty that ruled for about 300 years until the Mongols invaded; created many achievements which led the civilization to become the most advanced in the world at this time -
Jan 1, 1206
Genghis Khan
Temujin, the first known khan, succeeded in taking the title Genghis Khan meaning "Universal Ruler." He set out to build an empire by organizing his powerful Mongol army. These armies fought hard in battle to earn enough land for an empire. -
Jan 1, 1207
Mongols are Led to Fight
For 20 years Genghis Khan led the Mongols in war. They fought against the Chinese and Turks in Central Asia. While defeating these battles, they learned about siege warfare and how to use gunpowder. Siege Warfare- a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault -
Jan 1, 1215
Kublai Khan
From 1215-1294, the greatest ruler, next to Genghis Khan, was Kublai Khan who started the Yuan Dynasty. He was one of the first to unite all of China that hadn't been done in over 300 years. He also extended the Grand Canal and supported advances in art and science. -
Jan 1, 1227
Death of Genghis Khan
After the death of Genghis Khan, Northern China and Central Asia were conquered. The empire was divided into four regions, and each region was ruled by one of the heir of Genghis Khan. Then there was a leader, known as the Great Khan, who ruled over the entire region. -
Jan 1, 1236
Conquering of Russia
The Golden Horde conquered Russia in 1236. The Mongols, or the Tarters which were called this by the Russian, took Moscow and destroyed Kiev. They then stormed into Poland and Hungary. Golden Horde- the Tarter and Mongol army led by the descendants of Genghis Khan that overran Asia and some parts of eastern Europe -
Jan 1, 1278
Marco Polo
Marco Polo, an Italian trader, traveled to China only to receive a task of traveling on missions in and around the region for the emperor. -
Jan 1, 1294
Death of Yuan Dynasty
After the death of Kublai Khan, many Chinese factions rebelled against the Mongols and soon defeated the powerful army who then fled to Manchuria. Kamikaze- used to be the "divine wind" that the Japanese thought would help them weaken the Mongols; now we know of it as the Japanese aircrafts that were loaded with explosives and made suicidal crashes on an enemy target -
Jan 1, 1300
Mongol Peace
In the 1300s, the Mongols announced peace across the dynasty. They may have been brutal while gaining more land for the empire, but once they reached this goal, the empire was ruled peacefully. Trade routes at this time were guarded for a safe travel which increased trade through the East and West. Black Death- a disease that wiped out much of Europe during the 1300s -
Jan 1, 1344
Ming China
Ming China began in 1344 and lasted a whole 300 years until 1644. The China rulers gainged much control over Korea, Mongolia, and parts of Central and Southeast Asia. -
Jan 1, 1368
Defeat of the Mongols
A peasant named Zhu Yuanzhang and his rebel army stood up to the Mongols and in that, defeated the last Mongol emperor. After this, Zhu took the name Hongwu or "vastly martial" and called his new dynasty brilliant or otherwise known as the Ming Dynasty. -
Jan 1, 1398
Death of Hongwu
In 1398, the powerful ruler of Hongwu died. After this, a power struggle occured in the desperation of a new emperor. Yonglo, Hongwu's son, saved the day and became the next ruler. -
Jan 1, 1402
Yonglo is Ruler
From 1402-1424, Yonglo was the emperor of the Ming Dynasty. He moved the Ming Capital to Beijing and built a vast imperial city within its walls. This city was known as the Forbidden City. He also sponsored over sea voyages which impacted trade over sea instead of on land. Forbidden City- A city built in the middle of Beijing for the emperor, family, court, and servants to live in. Common people were sheltered out and could only see the gold rooftops which showed off its glories and wonders. -
Jan 1, 1405
Sea Voyages
From 1405-1433 a Chinese Muslim admirer, Zheng He, led seven voyages around the Indian Ocean. He did this to show China's power and created a large trading process overseas. Junks- the trading ships that Zheng He took in fleets of 300 -
Jan 1, 1433
No More Sailing
Sea voyages soon came to a sad stop when a new emperor came into rule. He stated that it was too expensive to pay for, and he wanted more of an isolation from the outside world. Although it saved money, officials still complained. -
Jan 1, 1500
Newcomers
In the 1500s, an arrival of European traders and Christian missionaries entered China by introducing their goods and ideas. Although this brought benefits to the Ming, they still didn't enjoy the company. -
Jan 1, 1500
No More Starving
Throughout the 1500s, an outburst of crops sprung to life. This is all because new ways of irrigation were improved, peasants brought up huge crops of rice in the southern river vallleys, and new crops from the Americas started to flow in. Since more food was being produced, the population expanded and cities grew. -
Jan 1, 1500
Mings
The 1500s brought new promises and hopes to look forward to such as a new dynasty called the Ming Dynasty. This new empire didn't allow trade and limited any contact from outside of the region. This created sneaky Chinese smugglers who began to carry out a brisk trade. Great Wall of China- a defense barrier to protect the nothern Ming frontier from the Mongols -
Jan 1, 1570
Decline of the Ming
In the late 1500s, the Ming dyasty started to decline. The rulers that would take the throne were all weak which caused corruption to increase. -
Matteo Ricci
Matteo Ricci, an Italian Jesuit priest was one of the few Europeans that the Ming culture accepted. When he first arrived in China, he adopted the customs and learned the Chinese language. Soon after, he was given entry into the Mingcourt where he slowly snuck in European learning techniques. -
The Final Days
In the 1600s, the last of the Ming rulers were desperate. They raised taxes trying to bring in money for the dynasty to survive. Crop failures began to sprout up which brought famine and hardships. Therefore, rebellions broke out frequently. -
Qing Dynasty
From 1644-1911 the Qing dynasty grew prosperous and expanded to its largest size. This was the last dynasty in 3500 years of imperial rule. -
A New Beginning of Qing
In 1644, people to the northwest of China swept into Beijing and took the captial. This scared the last Ming emperor who quickly killed himself to avoid capture. These people are known as the Manchu. They formed their own dynasty after the death of the Ming emperor and called it the Qing dynasty. -
Kangxi
From 1661-1772 Kangxi ruled the beginning of the Qing dynasty. He reduced taxes for peasants and expanded his empire into parts. He also supported arts and kept the Jesuit priest entertained who were always highly educated. Queue- the braid in the back of Chinese male hair -
Cao Zhan
In the 1700s, the Qing writer Cao Zhan wrote the novel, Dream of the Red Chamber. This novel became one of China's greatest because it focused on the decline of the upper Chinese family. -
Qianlong
From 1736-1796, the emperor Qianlong brought his dynasty to its largest size by defeating Taiwan, Mongolia, and Tibet. After this an agricultural production rose because of more innovations that had been discovered through the countries that were defeated. -
Improvements
In 1750, more than 300 million people populated the country of China. The economy thrived and transportation had improved. This made it possible for the domestic and foreign markets to expand. -
Lord George Macartney
The British official, Lord Geoge Macartney, argued that trade should be expanded. The Chinese wanted him to show respect to Emperor Qianlong since he was living in their territory. In order to respect the emperor he had to kowtow. Because he didn't do this, the Chinese sent him away from the region. Kowtowing- kneeling in front of the emperor and touching the forehead to the ground nine times -
Topple of the Cards
In the 1800s European tried to open China's closed society. Instead of helping the economy, this completely toppled the Qing dynasty.
