The Yuan Dynasty
Ogedei Khan's Rule
In 1227, when Genghis Khan died, he gave some of his land to his son, Ogedei Khan. Ogedei and the rest of his dynasty invaded and took control over the Jin Dynasty with help from the Song Dynasty in China. The Jin Dyansty collapsed in 1234. Because of the Mongol's desire to take over all of Asia, after attacking the Jin Dynasty, they went after the Song Dynasty who were once their allies. After fighting with the Song for several decades, the Yuan Dynasty finally won.
|
Kublai Khan's Rule and Decline
One of Kublai's brothers who was the Great Khan died, him and another one of his brothers fought for the position. Kublai Khan won after a few battles, causing a division in the Mongol Empire, and his loss for control of the western regions of the Mongol Empire. In 1260, the eastern part of Asia became his base of power, and Beijing was made the capital city in 1266. Also during Kublai Khan's reign, the Mongols had their final victory over the Song Dynasty. The Grand Canal was rebuilt, the roads were repaired, trade increased, and there were several new cultural and artistic achievements. The Yuan Dynasty stayed relatively separate and isolated from natives and foreigners. Foreigners, such as Marco Polo, were assigned to work as government officials.
In the mid 14th century, revolts overthrow the Yuan Dynasty's government. Later on, the Ming and Qing dynasties succeeded the Yuan with a much more authoritarian structure. |
Religion and the Arts
Most Mongols practiced Shamanism, their own religion, but because there were Muslim merchants and administrators, some Mongols and indigenous people accepted Islam and it was established as a minority religion.
During the Yuan Dynasty, many new forms of art, theater, and literature were created. One traditional form of theater that was created were shadow puppet plays. A lamp was shone on a puppet to cast their shadows on a screen. Shadow puppet plays were considered one of the finest pieces of entertainment during this time period. Opera was another form of entertainment that became popular during the Yuan Dynasty. Many dramatic scripts were written and their style was similar to that of the puppet plays. Opera was a mass popular entertainment for the citizens of the Yuan Dynasty. Novels are another important achievement of the Yuan Dynasty. Two of the most famous pieces of Chinese literature were written during this era. The two books are titled Water Margin and The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. In conclusion, the Yuan Dynasty was a time period of great cultural, theatrical, and artistic achievements. Many of the creations from this era are still in use and popular today. |