Yuan dynasty

Quick Facts: Who was Yuan dynasty?

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Yuan dynasty

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Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China, succeeding the Song and preceding the Ming.

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2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

The Yuan dynasty, officially the Great Yuan, was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai (Emperor Shizu or Setsen Khan), the fifth khagan-emperor of the Mongol Empire from the Borjigin clan, and lasted from 1271 to 1368 CE. In Chinese history, the Yuan dynasty followed the Song dynasty and preceded the Ming dynasty. Although Genghis Khan's enthronement as khagan in 1206 was described in Chinese as the Han-style title of emperor and the Mongol Empire had ruled territories including modern-day northern China for decades, it was not until 1271 that Kublai Khan officially proclaimed the dynasty in the traditional Han style, and the conquest was not complete until 1279 when the Southern Song dynasty was defeated in the Battle of Yamen. His realm was, by this point, isolated from the other Mongol-led khanates and controlled most of modern-day China and its surrounding areas, including modern-day Mongolia.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

It was the first dynasty founded by a non-Han ethnicity that ruled all of China proper. In 1368, following the defeat of the Yuan forces by the Ming dynasty, the Genghisid rulers retreated to the Mongolian Plateau and continued to rule until 1635 when they surrendered to the Later Jin dynasty (which later evolved into the Qing dynasty); this rump state is known in Chinese history as the Northern Yuan. After the division of the Mongol Empire, the Yuan dynasty was the khanate ruled by the successors of Möngke. In official Chinese histories, the Yuan dynasty bore the Mandate of Heaven. The dynasty was established by Kublai Khan, yet he placed his grandfather Genghis Khan on the imperial records as the official founder of the dynasty and accorded him the temple name Taizu.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

In the edict titled Proclamation of the Dynastic Name issued in 1271, Kublai announced the name of the new dynasty as Great Yuan and claimed the succession of former Chinese dynasties from the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors to the Tang dynasty. Some of the Yuan emperors mastered the Chinese language, while others only used their native Mongolian language, written with the ʼPhags-pa script. Kublai, as a khagan (great khan) of the Mongol Empire from 1260, had claimed supremacy over the other successor Mongol khanates: the Chagatai, the Golden Horde, and the Ilkhanate, before proclaiming as the emperor of China in 1271. As such, the Yuan was also sometimes referred to as the Empire of the Great Khan. However, even though the claim of supremacy by the Yuan emperors was recognized by the western khans in 1304, their subservience was nominal and each continued its own separate development.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1206: 1206 Milestone — Although Genghis Khan's enthronement as khagan in 1206 was described in Chinese as the Han-style title of emperor and the Mongol Empire had ruled territories including modern-day northern China for decades, it was not until 1271 that Kublai Khan officially proclaimed the dynasty in the traditional Han style, and the conquest was not complete until 1279 when the Southern Song dynasty was defeated in the Battle of Yamen.
2. 1260: 1260 Milestone — Kublai, as a khagan (great khan) of the Mongol Empire from 1260, had claimed supremacy over the other successor Mongol khanates: the Chagatai, the Golden Horde, and the Ilkhanate, before proclaiming as the emperor of China in 1271.
3. 1271: 1271 Milestone — It was established by Kublai (Emperor Shizu or Setsen Khan), the fifth khagan-emperor of the Mongol Empire from the Borjigin clan, and lasted from 1271 to 1368 CE.
4. 1304: 1304 Milestone — However, even though the claim of supremacy by the Yuan emperors was recognized by the western khans in 1304, their subservience was nominal and each continued its own separate development.
5. 1368: 1368 Milestone — In 1368, following the defeat of the Yuan forces by the Ming dynasty, the Genghisid rulers retreated to the Mongolian Plateau and continued to rule until 1635 when they surrendered to the Later Jin dynasty (which later evolved into the Qing dynasty); this rump state is known in Chinese history as the Northern Yuan.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Yuan dynasty

True or False: “The Yuan dynasty was established by Kublai Khan after defeating the Southern Song dynasty at the Battle of Yamen in 1279.”

Answer (TRUE ⭕): While the conquest was not complete until 1279, Kublai officially proclaimed the dynasty in 1271.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Wang Zhen (inventor) — Historical peer (Born in 1271) (1271): Yuan Dynasty agronomist, inventor, and pioneer of wooden movable type printing.
• Wenceslaus II of Bohemia — Historical peer (Born in 1271) (1271): King of Bohemia, Duke of Cracow, and King of Poland; a pivotal figure in Bohemian history.
• Charles VI of France — Historical peer (Born in 1368) (1368): King of France, known for his reign from 1380 to 1422, plagued by mental illness.
• Emperor Go-Murakami — Historical peer (Died in 1368) (1368): 97th Emperor of Japan, reigning during the turbulent Nanboku-chō period.
• Béla IV of Hungary — Historical peer (Born in 1206) (1206): King of Hungary and Croatia, known for rebuilding the state after Mongol devastation.
• Ismail al-Jazari — Historical peer (Died in 1206) (1206): Pioneering polymath, inventor, and mechanical engineer from the Islamic Golden Age.
• Afonso III of Portugal — Historical peer (Died in 1279) (1279): King of Portugal who completed the Reconquista and established the modern state structure.
• Françoise d'Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon — Historical peer (Born in 1635) (1635): Influential noblewoman and second wife of Louis XIV, Marquise de Maintenon.
• Lope de Vega — Historical peer (Died in 1635) (1635): Master of the Spanish Golden Age, Lope de Vega revolutionized theatre and poetry.
• Meister Eckhart — Historical peer (Born in 1260) (1260): A pivotal German mystic, theologian, and philosopher of the High Middle Ages.

Frequently Asked Questions about Yuan dynasty