World history concepts · AP World History: Modern
Mongol Empire
Mongol Empire: The largest contiguous land empire in history, founded by Chinggis (Genghis) Khan in the early thirteenth century.
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What it means
The Mongols conquered much of Eurasia, then divided into khanates such as the Yuan dynasty in China and the Golden Horde in Russia. Their rule facilitated trade and the exchange of technologies and ideas across Eurasia, while their conquests caused massive destruction.
The relative security along trade routes under Mongol rule is sometimes called the Pax Mongolica.
Example
The Yuan dynasty, founded by Kublai Khan, ruled China from 1271 to 1368.
On the exam
The Mongols are a Unit 2 topic, often used in essays about the effects of empire on trade and cultural exchange.
Lessons and practice questions
Related terms
- Silk RoadsOverland trade routes linking China, Central Asia, the Middle East and Europe, along which goods, ideas, technologies and diseases spread.
- Gunpowder empiresLand-based empires, especially the Ottoman, Safavid and Mughal, that expanded and consolidated power using firearms and artillery in the early modern period.