The Yuan Dynasty

By JenniferRGant
  • Jan 1, 1271

    Kublai Khan Declares the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty

    After conquering the Song Dynasty and building a new capital in Dadu, modern day Beijing Kublai declares the beginning of the Yuan.
  • Period: Jan 1, 1271 to Jan 1, 1368

    The Mongol Yuan Dynasty

  • Jan 1, 1273

    Paper Currency

    When Kublai Khan issues paper currency he is the first ever to do so.
  • Jan 1, 1274

    Kublai attempts to invade Japan

    Sending several hundred ships to invade, a storm took out many ships and Japanese pirates and samurai take out the rest.
  • Jan 1, 1275

    Marco Polo arrives in China

    The famous merchant and explorer lived in China and served as one of Khan's court members for 17 years.
  • Jan 1, 1276

    Seize the Song capital

    The loyalists flee from Hangzhou. Kublai works to build schools, economic growth and reducing the control of the regional governors.
  • Jan 1, 1279

    Last Song Emperor dies

    At the age of 9 the emperor dies when the Mongols defeat the Song at the battle of Yamen. This conquest unites both north and south China for the first time in 300 years.
  • Jan 1, 1281

    Khan attempts to invade Japan again

    Sending a giant fleet of ships but they cannot get passed the wall that the Japanese have built and a typhoon takes out the rest of the fleet.
  • Period: Jan 1, 1294 to Jan 1, 1313

    Khan's successors are not up for the challenge

    Unable to rule efficiently the next few successors become corrupt.
  • Feb 18, 1294

    Kublai Khan Dies

    Personal struggles and strife are what is rumored to have killed the great ruler.
  • Jan 1, 1313

    Fourth Yuan Emperor

    Buyantu Khan reintroduces exams for imperial officials in attempt to stop the corruption in the Yuan Empire.
  • Jan 1, 1331

    Bubonic plague

    Millions are killed by the Bubonic plague creating instability within the empire.
  • Jan 1, 1344

    The Yellow River shifts

    When the Yellow river shifted it flooded a densely populated region in the center of the empire
  • Jan 1, 1350

    The government prints more money

    Attempting to curtail inflation to no avail.
  • Jan 1, 1351

    Red Turban Rebellion

    This rebellion was started because they believed that it was the poor rule of the Yuan empire that had caused the natural disasters because they thought they had lost mandate from heaven.
  • Jan 1, 1356

    Zhu Yuanzhang attempts to defeat the Yuans

    His campaigns called for the restoration of Han power in China.
  • Jan 1, 1368

    Zhu's army reaches Dadu

    The Emperor flees to the north where the dynasty continues but he loses most of the empire. The dynasty then retreats to Mongolia. Zhu begins the Ming Dynasty.