China

I: BACKGROUND

Part 5: History of The Mongol Empire (1200-1300) - Visual timeline activity, with thematic extensions

Introduction:
The Mongol Empire founded by Genghis Khan began as a local unification of Mongol tribes and grew in just a few decades to be the most vast land empire in human history, covering most of Asia and the Middle East, and much of what is now considered Europe. It has been called the first example of globalization. Mongol rule made possible free movement of goods, people and ideas between east and west, and, aside from the wars and invasions of conquest, was a period of relative peace within the empire—a period often called the Pax Mongolica (Mongol Peace). This unparalleled achievement was carried out by a people from a remote land without great wealth or resources. Their mastery of relatively simple and efficient techniques and their skill with simple resources (such as the horse and the bow), under the command of remarkable leaders, allowed them to subjugate richer, seemingly more “advanced” societies in a very short time. In many ways, the Mongols had profound impacts on world culture at that time, and many effects continue to be felt. Delving into the deeper ramifications of the Mongols' conquests is incredibly interesting, but can also quickly become very complex and time-consuming. This lesson is meant to be a quicker introduction to the scope of their accomplishment.

Overview:
In this lesson, students will research the Mongol Empire in order to map its expansion. They will learn much about the people behind the empire's rapid growth, the culture of Mongolia, the history of the region, and the geography of East and Central Asia. Working in groups, students will create maps which will then be projected as color transparencies, one on top of the other, to show the quick and astonishing spread of Mongol control. A number of possible extensions are included in the lesson itself, as well as in the section following the procedure

Procedure:

1. Initial discussion: Ask students what they know about Genghis Khan, the Mongol Empire, and Mongolia. Can they find Mongolia on a world map?

2. First map exercise (optional): Print and copy the map of Asia with modern borders (see below) and ask students to see how many countries they can identify. (They can write them on the map, or you can number all the countries before copying it for the students). This could be a contest between small groups or individuals. Repeating the same contest at the end of this lesson would show what the students learned about modern geography in the process of studying medieval geography.

3. An optional next step is to have some students use a transparency to trace the blank map as large as possible on a whiteboard or large paper on the wall. Later, when students project their transparencies, you will only have to make sure the projector is at the right distance to get the same scale. Modern borders are optional, but will really help to show the extent of the Mongol empire in a context that is more familiar to the students.
   The final steps (projecting student maps) could also be done with a large wall map or pull-down map, but because different maps use different projections it might be difficult to get the projected maps to match up properly.

4. Divide the class into groups of three to four students each. It would be better to have no fewer than eight groups. Ten would be ideal.

5. Assign each group a time span by dividing the century into a number of periods equal to the number of groups. In a class with 10 groups, each would be responsible for a span of 10 years.

6. There are three maps included here, all of which show the same view of Asia (with some of the Middle East and Europe), but with different details included:

   Asia with no borders or features
   Asia with no borders, but with lakes and rivers
   Asia with modern borders

   For the sake of clarity, these maps use gray for bodies of water. If white seems better for note-taking, the same maps are available without the gray fills. They were downloaded from Cartotheque, a site that provides free maps for non-profit and educational use.

7. Give paper copies of the map (or maps) to all students. Ideally, students should have access to more copies as they need them, since they will be sketching and taking notes on the maps as they conduct their research. They may use any (or all) of the three maps, since each can be useful is different ways.

8. If possible, begin discussion and assign groups on one day, then give them several days to work on it outside of class before the presentation of maps. If you have time to allow groups to meet and work in class (or in the computer lab), that could be beneficial.

9. Students will use the links provided below (which they can access on the student links page) to pinpoint the maximum extent of the empire during their assigned time span. They should mark important cities, battles, natural features on their maps, along with dates. How detailed they get is up to the teacher. If time is tight, ask students to determine only the empire's extent. If there is more time, ask them to give more detailed information. Some of the links are to maps, which the students will be able to use easily. Other links are to articles and timelines, which the students will need to read. Some of the longer articles would be good homework assignments.

   If you wish to make this a more demanding assignment, assign links that do not include maps, or print out some of the articles that include the chronological information which students will need to complete their maps.

10. Groups can divide up their assigned time period chronologically or by geographic area (e.g. one student focuses on what happened in Russia during the time period, while another focuses on what happened in China and a third focuses on what happened in the Middle East).

    Students will do their individual work—as determined by the members of the group—on their paper copies (each group should have access to as many extra blank maps as they need), and then will work together in groups to consolidate their information on a single paper map. They will use colored pens to trace the outline of the empire's extent onto a transparency.

    Because it would become impossible to read much overlapping information on the growing stack of transparencies, groups should show the extent of the empire with color (lines or colored areas) only—not with text describing events. The group of transparencies will thus graphically demonstrate the vast extent of the Mongol Empire, but will not be cluttered with information.

11. At the end of this activity, students will use transparencies, stacked in chronological order, to show the growth and extent of the Mongol Empire. Each group will add a transparency that shows, simply and with color, the empire's reach during their assigned time period, and will (if the teacher wishes) briefly explain relevant events, people, and so on.

    If the transparencies can be projected on a large map drawn on the wall, whiteboard or chalkboard, then the transparencies themselves will not require borders, rivers, mountain ranges, etc.

    Each transparency added to the stack should have its years clearly marked in the spaces on the left side.

12. Students can present as much or as little of the information they have discovered as time allows and the teacher desires.

Extensions:
Depending on time and age level, students could:

• animate the empire's growth in a flipbook
• use computer software to create an animated map with annotations
• continue this lesson into the next century or two, encompassing the successor states, Timurid empire, Mughals, etc.
• look into issues in cartography, such as different projections, visual biases, etc.
• study other empires and compare the means by which they were formed
• study the leadership methods of Genghis Khan and/or other conquerors
• study travelers who visited the Mongol Empire, such as Marco Polo or Ibn Battuta. Numerous online resources, including complete texts of the written records of their journeys, are available.

Resources:
(Links will open in new windows.)

Lesson Plans

"Mongolia: 5-6 Day Unit on Mongolia for the Geography and History of the World Course" from the Inner Asian and Uralic National Resource Center at Indiana University. It contains several Word documents, a PowerPoint file, a 65 page PDF file with lessons, resources, images, maps, many good links, and more. The PowerPoint file shows maps of the growth of the empire—if students see it before working on this lesson they will not have to do as much work. For that reason, it should be avoided.

"The Legacy of Genghis Khan: Courtly Art and Culture in Western Asia, 1256-1353" from the Los Angeles County Art Museum. A PDF file with color illustrations of artwork, discussion questions, a map and more.

World History for Us All has a unit titled "Mongol Empire Builders: Fiends from Hell or Culture Brokers, 1200-1400 CE," available as a PDF file.

"Mongol Eurasia and Its Aftermath: Webquest" is a lesson from history teacher Scott Keatley. The page also has a number of good links.

Silk Road curriculum materials, from Silk Road Seattle, including a role-playing lesson about the Mongols' rule over China during the Yuan Dynasty.

CHINA: The Exchange of Goods and Ideas Along the Silk Road, A Lesson for 7th Grade World History

The Travels of Ibn Battuta-A Virtual Tour with the 14th Century Traveler

A wide array of multimedia educational materials, lesson plans, resources and more, at Asia for Educators, from Columbia University.

Timelines and maps of the Mongol Empire

National Geographic has a Web feature about Genghis Khan, with maps, timelines, photos and more.

"The Mongols in World History" from Asia for Educators at Columbia University is an excellent combination of timeline, exhibit, history and more.

Mongol history and chronology from ancient times

The Royal Alberta Museum has a virtual exhibit focusing on Genghis Khan and the Mongols, including a timeline.

History, timelines, maps and more are available in the "In Depth History of the Mongol Empire."

Wikipedia's article on the Mongol Empire has several good maps, a timeline, and links to a number of other articles on specific aspects of the empire's history..

Mongol Empire Maps:

A map of the four khanates

Silk Road Seattle gives a number of useful maps for understanding the region.

A very nice map of the empire, showing the various military campaigns and the four khanates.

An animated map of the "Imperial History of the Middle East" from 3000 BCE to the 20th century, including the Mongol Empire and its successors.

An astonishingly complete (and complex) mass of visual information about the Mongol Empire's geography and history is compiled by a user of Google Earth (free software, easily downloaded and installed). It shows borders, campaigns, locations, and more. There is also a link to the same information in Google Maps, which does not require downloading software, but is probably less impressive and flexible. Either way, this is an incredible achievement, and will probably continue to grow and improve: Mongol Empire on Google Earth

The Electronic Cultural Atlas Initiative has a number of useful maps and map-like resources, including a video (.avi file) showing the expansion and contraction of the boundaries of 15 empires in the Silk Road region over 2000 years.

A video of the expansion of the Mongol Empire is also available.

Mongolia/Mongol Background Links

AllEmpires has an excellent page on the history of the Mongol Empire, along with maps, a chronology, and a wealth of information. Students are highly encouraged to read this page.

The Inner Asian and Uralic National Resource Center at Indiana University has a Mongolia page with a map, images, explanations and links to further resources:

Genghis Khan on the Web: Everything about Genghis

“The Legacy of Genghis Khan: Courtly Art and Culture in Western Asia, 1256-1353” from the Los Angeles County Art Museum. An excellent site full of interesting visual art and commentary.

"The Life and Legacy of Chingis Khan," from the University of California, Berkeley, gives background information, links, and chronology.

"Mongolia: The Legacy of Chinggis Khan" from AsianArt.com, an online journal focusing on the arts of Asia.

The First Globalization Episode: The Creation of the Mongol Empire, or the Economics of Chinggis Khan, by Ronald Findlay and Mats Lundahl at Yale University, is a long and detailed look at the workings of the Mongol Empire. It is advanced, but very interesting and can be of use to students and teachers. Skim it and read relevant sections if time is limited.

"Genghis Khan and the Mongols" is a good overview of the subject, from the MacroHistory Web site.

A large bibliography of scholarly works on various aspects of the Mongol Empire and its history, suitable for advanced research.

A large collection of links and resources on the Mongol Empire, Mongolia and Mongol culture, compiled by a librarian at Courtenay Middle School in Courtenay, British Columbia, Canada.

Links on Mongolia and the Mongol Empire, from the Alamo Community College in San Antonio, Texas

Asia Maps

An excellent source of maps and links to maps is the website of the Map Collection of the Perry-Castañeda Library at the University of Texas. Teachers may want to print or project one or more maps of Asia and/or China, available from the Asia maps page.

Historical Maps

Outline Maps

National Geographic's Xpeditions Atlas is an online generator of printable maps.

China's Internal Divisions. This map shows the borders of China's provinces, with a pronunciation guide.