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A powerful khan rose to power, in the mighty nomadic Mongol tribes, named Temujim and united the Mongol clans while concquering his rivals.
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The nomadic Mongol tribes were a waring tribes that were knows as one of history's most brutal and efficient military forces. They combined superior tactics and weapondry with ruthless cunning and brutality. The came from Central Asia.
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Temujim, a powerful nomadic ruler of the Mongol tribes, succeeded in taking the title of Genghis Khan, which means Universal Ruler. He gained this title because he succeeded in untiting the Mongol Tribes
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Genghis Khan leads the Mongols in conquering much of Asia in the next 20 years. They learn the art or siege warfare and the use of gunpowder in their fights against the Turrks in Centra Asia. Siege Warfare - military operation involving the surrounding and blockading of a town, castle or fortress by an army attempting to capture it - to lay siege or to besiege.
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Genghis Khan dies. On his death bed, he challenges his sons to continue on and conquer the world. After his death, they split the empire into four khanates, or regions. One heir ruled each region and the ruler called the Great Khan ruled the whole empire
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Kublai Khan, ruler of part of the Mogol Empire, begins his conquest of China. He is determined to take all of China and his hardest target to get is the area ruled by the Song Dynasty. Song Dynasty - The dynasty located in South China, that was the last empire standing under Kublai Khan's conquest.
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Genghis Khan's grandson, Batu, lead the Golden Horde in the task of conquering Russia (They were also called the Tartar's by the Russians). They planned to invade Western Europe but turned back suddenly at the nows of the Great Khan's death. Golden Horde - a Mongol khanate that was established in the 12th century and formed the north-western sector of the Mongol Empire.
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Kublai Khan becomes the Great Khan of the Mongol Empire. In actuality, he only held power over Khanate of the Great Khan.
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Marco Polo arrives in China with his father. The Polo's visited the Yuan court, where Kublai Khan took a liking to the younger Polo. The Emperor sent Morco Polo on several missions and for 17 years he traveled around China.
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Kublai Khan defeats the last Song Ruler in Southern China. Then he a new dynasty with the area he has defeated, calling it the Yuan Dynasty. For the first time, foreiners ruled all of China.
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Kublai Khan dies and several power struggles erutp pver who will hold the throne. The struggles weaken the Yuan Empire and the successors hold on the empire was not nearly a strong as the previous ruler, Kublai Khan's, was. A series of disasterous floods and rising taxes further increase discontent in China.
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Marco Polo and his father return home to Venice. Soon thereafter, the younger Polo is captured and improsoned during a Battle. While in prison, he relates the tales of his adventures to a fellow prisoner. The prisoner wrote them down and had them published in a book upon his release.
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The Black Death invades Europe and wipes out thousands. It is also belived to have traved thoughout Asia and the Mogol Empire at the same time, just not with the same force. Some sources belive it begun in China and moved West. Black Death - The great epidemic of bubonic plague that killed a large part of the population of Europe in the mid 14th century.
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Many Chinese factions rebell against the Yuan rulers due to discontent.
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A peasant named Zhu Yuanzhang over threw the last Mongol Emperor. Zhu took the name Hongwu, meaning "vastly matrerial", and founded the Ming Dynasty (Ming meaning "brilliant"). He restored Confucianism. He passed reforms to improve agriculture and trade as well as lowering taxes. He also eliminated anyone he saw who seemed to challence his authority and over time he had killed thousands of rivals.
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Hongwu dies.
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Yonglo became the Emperor. He moved the Ming capital to Beijingh and at the center of the city, he built a vast imperial city which was surrounded by high walls. This place became known as the Forbidden City because most common people were forbidden to enter. Forbidden City - The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty.
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Yonglo sponsored over-sea voyages done by Zheng He, a Chinese Musilim admiral. Zheng He led seven voyages aroung the Indian Ocean as far as Africa. To boast of Chinese power, he brought 300 ships along with him. The voyages demonstrated Ming China's growing sea power.
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Yonglo became the Emperor. He moved the Ming capital to Beijingh and at the center of the city, he built a vast imperial city which was surrounded by high walls. This place became known as the Forbidden City because most common people were forbidden to enter. His reign ended in 1424
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A new emperor stopped the over-sea voyages due to the cost and as some officials said, resources being used unwisely. It was also part of a move to isolate China from the outside world.
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The move towards isolation, beginning with the ships, gained full force whe the Ming heavily restricted frade and travel/contrast with the outisde world. Only being able to trade in certain place at certain times led to many ambitious smugglers. Another reason for isolation was the arrival of European traders and Christian missionaries. These people offered new good and ideas. The Ming disliked the influence of the Europeans and sought to preserve China's traditions.
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During this time, even after all resistance to trade by the government, new crops still arrived in China from the new world ( aka America). Improved methods of irrigation came and with the new farming techniques, the cities and overall population of China grew. The Ming also restored and rebuilt much of the Grea Wall.
The Great Wall of China - a series of fortifications made of stone, brick, tamped earth, wood, and other materials, built along an east-to-west line across the historical borders -
Ming Dynasty begins to decline. Several weak rulers took the throne and under their rule, corruption ioncreased. Taxes were raised in efforts to defend the dynasty.
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Italian Jeuist priest, Matteo Ricci, arrived in China. To try and gain acceptance, Ricci learned the Chinese language and adopted many Chinese customs. He was accepted into the Ming court and was highly respected. There he introduced European learning in Mathematics and science.
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High taxes combined with crop failures led to famine and hardship. Rebellions broke out due to this
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The Manchu - a people from the Nrothwest - saw the weakened China and attacked. They swept into Beijing and took the capital. They then formed the Qing Dynasty.
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The Qing Dynasty, the last dynasty in China, had 3,500 years of imperial rule in China. Under the Qing Dynasty, China grew prosperous and expanded to its largest size in all of history.
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Emperor Kangxi ruled in the Qing Dynasty. He reduced taxes for peasants and expanded the empire into parts of Centra Asia. GHe was an intellectual and supported the arts as well as entertained Jesuit priests in the court.
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Qing writer Cao Zhan wrote the novel Dream of the Red Chamber. It is considered China's greatest novel and it examines the decline of the upperclass Chinese family.
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Kangtxi's grandson Qianlong was said to bring the empire of the Qing to its hight. He extended the empire of China to its largest six by conquering Taiwan, Mongolia, and Tibet.
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Due to Qinglong's reign, agricultural production boomed and the population suggered to over 300 million. The economy thrived as well, benefiting from improved transportaion and from growing domestic and foreign markets.
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Emperor Kangxi ruled in the Qing Dynasty. He reduced taxes for peasants and expanded the empire into parts of Centra Asia. GHe was an intellectual and supported the arts as well as entertained Jesuit priests in the court. His reign ended in 1772.
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A British official, Lord George Macartney, came to China to discuss expanding trade. But, the Chinese though the goods he brought were inferior to their own products.
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Kangtxi's grandson Qianlong was said to bring the empire of the Qing to its hight. He extended the empire of China to its largest six by conquering Taiwan, Mongolia, and Tibet. Kowtowing - the act of deep respect shown by kneeling and bowing so low as to have one's head touching the ground.
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European effrorts to open China's closed society eventually toppled China's closed society and eventually topples the Qing Dynasty - an imperial rule. Queue - a braid of hair usually worn hanging at the back of the head
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The Qin Dynasty, the last dynasty in China, had 3,500 years of imperial rule in China. Under the Uin Dynasty, China grew prosperous and expanded to its largest size in all of history.
The empire ended in 1911.
