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When did the Mongols rule Asia?
Under the leadership of Genghis Khan, the Mongols became a powerful force that no one could resist. In 1211, they conquered northern China. Then Genghis turned against the Muslim powers of Central Asia and the Middle East. His armies surged across Russia into Europe. The conquest of China was completed by Genghis’s grandson, Kublai Khan.
The Mongols
The Mongols were a nomadic (wandering) people. They lived on the grasslands of Central Asia, from the Ural Mountains to the Gobi Desert. Skilled horsemen, they moved from place to place with their herds of sheep, goats and cattle. The Mongol people lived in tents made from felt, called yurts.
Expert horsemen
The Mongols were expert riders and archers. They often took their enemies by surprise with the speed of their fierce attacks. Every archer carried a bow and two quivers. Their short bows were specially designed to fire arrows with great power and accuracy.
Genghis Khan
In 1206, a man named Temüjin rose to power. He had been born into poverty, surviving by eating roots, nuts and berries as a child. A strong leader, he managed to bring all the Mongol tribes under his command. Temüjin became known as Genghis Khan, which means "Ruler of All".
Early conquests
Under Genghis's leadership the Mongols attacked northern China as well as the lands that lay to the west. The Mongol armies rampaged across Russia and came within reach of Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul, in Turkey). Everywhere they went, they looted (stole goods), destroyed towns and villages and slaughtered people without mercy.
Tamerlane
After the death of Kublai Khan in 1294, his mighty empire began to decline. However, in the Central Asian city of Samarkand (in modern-day Uzbekistan), a descendant of Genghis Khan named Tamerlane seized the throne in 1369. He conquered a great empire once more. One of Tamerlane’s descendants, Babur, became the first Great Mughal (a word that comes from Mongol), ruler of the Mughal Empire in India.
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