The Polo family were some of the first Europeans to meet and describe the great Mongol rulers of the time , like Kublai Khan and Barka Khan . But who were the Mongols, and what was the Mongol Empire ?
In the beginning , the Mongols were different groups of people who moved around Central Asia . They were men and women who rode form place to place to look for food for their animals. They lived in warm tents called gers which were made from animal skins.
In 1206 the great Mongol leader Genghis Khan brought together these different Mongol groups and conquered the north of China and much of Central Asia. By the time of Genghis Khan's grandson Kublai Khan, the Mongols ruled a huge empire. It went from the Sea of Japan in the east to modern-day Turkey and Hungary in the west. It was the largest land empire of all time. Just 200,000 Mongols ruled more than 100 million people. The empire went across 22 per cent of the world's land!
There were four different areas of the Mongol Empire at this, and Kublai Khan ruled over the Empire of the Great Khan. This started at Lake Baikal in the north and went down through China to the modern-day country of Myanmar in the south. It also went from Korea in the east to Tibet in the west.
How did the Mongols conquer so many different countries? Firstly, they were very strong soldiers who could ride fast and fight for hours at a time. When necessary, they burnt towns and villages to the ground.
Secondly, the Mongols were not only good soldiers but they were also successful rulers. They ruled their new empire well and they protected visitors from other countries. This was very important to travellers on the great Silk Road. Without the strong rule of the Mongols travellers like the Polos could not make the journey to China and back safely.
The Mongols were also interested in learning from the people they ruled. For example, the Mongols sent letters very quickly from one place to another in their empire. They learned this from the Chinese. There were letter stations every 40 kilometres on important routes and riders were always ready to carry letters from one station to the next.
And the Mongols were open to different religions. We can see this in Niccolo and Maffeo's meeting with Kublai Khan and the great ruler's questions about Christianity and his message to the Pope.
The Mongols were most important in the years between 1200 and 1300. Marco Polo's book The Description of the World gives us one of the best pictures of daily life in this huge and successful empire.
The Polo family were some of the first Europeans to meet and describe the great Mongol rulers of the time , like Kublai Khan and Barka Khan . But who were the Mongols, and what was the Mongol Empire ? In the beginning , the Mongols were different groups of people who moved around Central Asia . They were men and women who rode form place to place to look for food for their animals. They lived in warm tents called gers which were made from animal skins.In 1206 the great Mongol leader Genghis Khan brought together these different Mongol groups and conquered the north of China and much of Central Asia. By the time of Genghis Khan's grandson Kublai Khan, the Mongols ruled a huge empire. It went from the Sea of Japan in the east to modern-day Turkey and Hungary in the west. It was the largest land empire of all time. Just 200,000 Mongols ruled more than 100 million people. The empire went across 22 per cent of the world's land!There were four different areas of the Mongol Empire at this, and Kublai Khan ruled over the Empire of the Great Khan. This started at Lake Baikal in the north and went down through China to the modern-day country of Myanmar in the south. It also went from Korea in the east to Tibet in the west. How did the Mongols conquer so many different countries? Firstly, they were very strong soldiers who could ride fast and fight for hours at a time. When necessary, they burnt towns and villages to the ground. Secondly, the Mongols were not only good soldiers but they were also successful rulers. They ruled their new empire well and they protected visitors from other countries. This was very important to travellers on the great Silk Road. Without the strong rule of the Mongols travellers like the Polos could not make the journey to China and back safely. The Mongols were also interested in learning from the people they ruled. For example, the Mongols sent letters very quickly from one place to another in their empire. They learned this from the Chinese. There were letter stations every 40 kilometres on important routes and riders were always ready to carry letters from one station to the next.And the Mongols were open to different religions. We can see this in Niccolo and Maffeo's meeting with Kublai Khan and the great ruler's questions about Christianity and his message to the Pope.The Mongols were most important in the years between 1200 and 1300. Marco Polo's book The Description of the World gives us one of the best pictures of daily life in this huge and successful empire.
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