The Mongol Empire was the largest empire to have extended across the landmass of the planet. Arguably, it can be contributed to the rise in global commerce and influential in the golden era of China.
The mongols were communities or clans of pastoral peoples living in the modern country of Mongolia today. They were excellent horse-back riders and used this as an advantage in their conquest of dominance during the 13th century. The mongols had even devised technological advances like stirrups that would give them a slight edge in combat. Under the leadership of Chinggis Khan or Genghis Khan, the Mongols expanded out from the Central Asian steppes and into China. As they expanded south and west across Eurasia, the Mongols were known for their kindness in the freedom of religion and asked very little in return. As a result of their conquests, the global trade routes were rapidly expanded. The Mongols provided much needed security across their empire so that merchants could conduct their businesses. Even though they were not particularly traders, the Mongols taxed the commerce and extracted wealth from the numerous civilizations. Never before had the two worlds of European Christendom and the Mongol Empire interacted so closely with one another. The famous accounts of Marco polo and other merchants described the Mongol Empire as rich in land or agriculture and commercial opportunities. The most surprising aspect that Strayer mentions is that the merchants had described the "long-established trading networks that Europeans were largely ignorant." Asia and Africa had even traded enormously during the reign of the Mongol Empire. This brought goods like ivory and other luxury goods into the region.
With the expansion of wealth across the Mongol Empire and a relatively secure region, China had started to rise again from its former glories. The Mongols had already done great works projects like building roads, bridges, and dams. When the Mongol Empire was in decline, the Ming Dynasty had extracted the Mongol influences and used it to its advantages. The Ming Dynasty built new irrigation systems, reestablished the educational system, and even built a large navy. All of these elements from the Ming Dynasty would not have been possible unless the Mongols expanded across Eurasia. Both worlds prospered enormously and it led to the great shift towards the Renaissance. Sea routes in trading became more important, ultimately leading to explorers finding the "New World" in 1492. The most surprising fact about the Mongol influence can be seen today in DNA. One in two hundred people are related to Genghis Khan and it is attributed to his successful conquests in the 13th century.
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Tuesday
The Ming Dynasty
China suffered tremendously in the aftermath of the Mongol invasion. Their Confucian and Daoist philosophy, artistic achievements, and economy were diminished after the Mongol reign. However, from the ashes rose the Ming Dynasty.
The Ming Dynasty is a significant period in China because it represents the Chinese rebirth or significant rise in culture. Certain traditional customs that the Mongols had established were thrown out like the clothing, names, and promoting Confucian learning practices. Emperor Yongle is one of the most significant rulers during the Ming Dynasty because he gathered two thousand scholars to work on the great Encyclopedia, which consisted of all of the writing collections on the history, government, geography, etc. As the European Renaissance involved Europeans reexamining the past works of the Greeks and Romans, the Chinese also reexamined the past traditions. Many people, including me, only think that the Renaissance was confined to one area, but in fact, there was a global renaissance that involved China, the Islamic Empires, and Europe.
The Ming Dynasty also had the government restructured so that the emperor had the central authority. Under the emperor's leadership, eunuchs or castrated men, were loyal servants to the emperor and acted as personal advisors, which garnered them some political power. The emperors of the Ming Dynasty had great work projects that mirrored the New Deal programs in the Great Depression. The Chinese rebuilt canals, reservoirs, and irrigation systems, while re-cultivating millions of acres of agriculture and planting trees. The most significant event that Strayer mentions is the commissioning of three hundred ships that set sail on expeditions in 1405. The ships sailed to parts of Indonesia, East Africa and Arabia, bringing back tributes from the distant rulers. However, the expeditions were abruptly halted after 1433 and the ships were docked in port for the remainder of their lifespan.
One thing that the book did not mention of the Ming Dynasty was the beautiful porcelain. The Ming Dynasty had produced the best quality of porcelain and it is still seen as significant art today. Many of the Ming porcelain pottery sells for millions of dollars, but the price is not the focal point. The porcelain had been made with different colors, but one of the emperors introduced a cobalt method that gave the ceramics a blue underglaze decoration. The Ming Dynasty referred back to traditional ways of thinking and is seen as one example in the global renaissance during the 15th century.
The Ming Dynasty is a significant period in China because it represents the Chinese rebirth or significant rise in culture. Certain traditional customs that the Mongols had established were thrown out like the clothing, names, and promoting Confucian learning practices. Emperor Yongle is one of the most significant rulers during the Ming Dynasty because he gathered two thousand scholars to work on the great Encyclopedia, which consisted of all of the writing collections on the history, government, geography, etc. As the European Renaissance involved Europeans reexamining the past works of the Greeks and Romans, the Chinese also reexamined the past traditions. Many people, including me, only think that the Renaissance was confined to one area, but in fact, there was a global renaissance that involved China, the Islamic Empires, and Europe.
The Ming Dynasty also had the government restructured so that the emperor had the central authority. Under the emperor's leadership, eunuchs or castrated men, were loyal servants to the emperor and acted as personal advisors, which garnered them some political power. The emperors of the Ming Dynasty had great work projects that mirrored the New Deal programs in the Great Depression. The Chinese rebuilt canals, reservoirs, and irrigation systems, while re-cultivating millions of acres of agriculture and planting trees. The most significant event that Strayer mentions is the commissioning of three hundred ships that set sail on expeditions in 1405. The ships sailed to parts of Indonesia, East Africa and Arabia, bringing back tributes from the distant rulers. However, the expeditions were abruptly halted after 1433 and the ships were docked in port for the remainder of their lifespan.
One thing that the book did not mention of the Ming Dynasty was the beautiful porcelain. The Ming Dynasty had produced the best quality of porcelain and it is still seen as significant art today. Many of the Ming porcelain pottery sells for millions of dollars, but the price is not the focal point. The porcelain had been made with different colors, but one of the emperors introduced a cobalt method that gave the ceramics a blue underglaze decoration. The Ming Dynasty referred back to traditional ways of thinking and is seen as one example in the global renaissance during the 15th century.
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