WHI-Chap18-Khubilai Khan
Khubilai Khan was one of the grandsons of Chinggis Khan and the most talented of his descendants. He was a well known promoter of Buddhism, but also supported Daoists, Muslims, and Christians under his rule. Marco Polo lived in his court for almost two decades, and praised the khan highly for his generosity to his subjects. He was named the great khan in 1260, but spent 4 years fighting off contenders for the title. He extended Mongol rule to all of China, taking the Song captial of Hangzhou in 1276 and eradicating all resistance in the next 3 years. He named himself ruler of the new Yuan Dynasty, which survived until 1368. He also attempted to take over Cambodia, Vietnam, Japan, Java, and Burma in the 1270s and 1280s, but was very unsuccessful. In 1281, he suffered a great loss when 4,500 Mongol vessels were wrecked by typhoons while traveling to Japan. Khubilai Khan died in 1294 after ruling over the Mongol empire at its height for 30 years.
"Khubilai Khan" (Traditions and Encounters, p.470-471).
Created by: Ian Mellor-Crummey
