Who are the Mongols?

 -, are the descendants of the famed Empire Builder Chingiz (Genghis) Khan.

-Some scholars believe they originated in the area of present-day Mongolia,

-The Mongol tribes were divided into clans called oboks

-he language of the Mongols is distantly related to the Turkic languages

- the original Mongols were reindeer breeders who moved south as the steppe region became drier and more inhospitable, 

Military Power?

-The Mongol army was the dominant military force of the 13th century.

-The core of Genghis Khan's army consisted of only 23,000 horsemen.

- Never very large, it relied on superior tactics and speed, and was like one massive well-disciplined cavalry.

-fought with composite bows and hand axes and protected themselves with waterproof leather armor.

-Most of the warriors in the Mongol armies were Turks.

Genghis Khan

-Genghis Khan was born "Temujin" in Mongolia around 1162. 

-Genghis Khan was originally named "Temujin" after a Tatar chieftain that his father, Yesukhei, had captured. 

-When Temujin was 9, his father took him to live with the family of his future bride, Borte.

-Genghis Khan died in 1227.

-According to legend, the funeral escort killed anyone and anything they encountered to conceal the location of the burial site,

Batu Khan

-Batu grandson of Genghis Khan and founder of the Khanate of Kipchak.

-was poised for the invasion of western Europe when he received news of the death of the head of the Mongol empire.

-In 1235 Batu was elected commander in chief of the western part of the Mongol empire

-He established the state of the Golden Horde in southern Russia.

-Batu, died c. 1255, Russia.

Kublai Khan

-Born in Mongolia in 1215

-Kublai Khan rose to power in 1260 and became ruler of the vast Mongolian Empire

-Kublai Khan was the grandson of Genghis Khan

-Kublai Khan moved the capital of the empire from Karakorum to Dadu, in what is now modern-day Beijing.

-He died in 1294.