Ep. 169 | The Mongol Yuan Dynasty (Part 1)
In this long-overdue episode with a deceiving title, we don’t actually get around to the Yuan Dynasty. However, a nice handy and confusing overview tracing the rise of the Mongol nation is presented which includes a quick bio on Genghis Khan. We’ll get to the rise of Kublai Khan this time and look at the Yuan Dynasty next episode.
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Terms in Episode
| Pinyin/Term | Chinese | English/Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Aguda | 阿骨打 | Also known as Emperor Taizu of Jin, founder of the Jin Dynasty |
| Ah-Lan the Fair | - | married to Dobun, early ancestors of Temujin |
| Arigh Boke | 阿里不哥 | Youngest son of Tolui, fought civil war with Kublai |
| Batu | 拔都 | Founder of Golden Horde, son of Jochi, grandson of Genghis Khan |
| Börte | 孛儿帖 | Wife of Temüjin and later Grand Empress of the Mongol Empire |
| Chaghadai | 蔡合台 | Second son of Genghis Khan, founder of Khanate of Chaghadai |
| Da Yuanchao | 大元朝 | The Great Mongol Dynasty |
| Dali Kingdom | 大理国 | Kingdom that lasted 937-1253. Mostly located in Yunnan |
| Dobun | - | Known as Dobun the Clever, married to Alan the Fair, early ancestors of Temujin |
| Dzungaria | 准噶尔 | Northern half of Xinjiang with Tianshan Mountains south and the Altai north |
| Fujian | 福建 | Province on the east coast of China |
| Gaozong | 高宗 | First emperor of the Southern Song Dynasty |
| Golden Horde | 金帐汗国 | Originally the northwest portion of the Mongol Empire. Also known as the Kipchak Khanate. Lasted till 1502 |
| Goths | 哥特 | West central Asian power, the scourge of the Roman Empire |
| Guyuk | 贵由 | Eldest son of Ogedai Khan, reigned only two years as the 3rd Great Khan |
| Huizong | 徽宗 | Last emperor of the Northern Song |
| Hulagu | 旭烈兀 | Grandson of Genghis Khan, son of Tolui |
| Huns | 匈奴 | More from the western part of the steppe, often confused with Xiongnu |
| Il-khanate | 伊儿汗国 | The southwestern portion of the Mongol Empire. Ruled by Hülagü’s branch of the family – centered around Iran |
| Jin Dynasty | 金朝 | Jürchen Dynasty 1115-1234, founded by Aguda |
| Jochi | 术赤 | Oldest son of Börte and maybe Genghis Khan |
| Kaifeng | 开封 | Capital of the Northern Song Dynasty |
| Kara Khitai | 喀喇契丹 | Also known as the Western Liao 1124-1218 |
| Karakorum | 喀喇昆仑 | Mongol capital 1235-1260 |
| Kazakhs | 哈萨克人 | North-Central Asian people, Turkic, found mostly in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan |
| Keraits | 怯烈亦 | One of many tribes of the Mongols |
| Khabul Khan | 合不勒 | Early great khan and great -grandfather of Genghis Khan |
| Khaidu | 海都 | c. 1040-1100 Great-grandfather of Khabul Khan |
| Khanate of Chaghadai | 蔡合台汗国 | Covered most of Central Asia |
| Khitans | 契丹 | The people who founded the Liao Dynasty 907-1125 |
| Khuriltai | 忽里勒台 | A Mongol congress of all elders and leaders |
| Khwarizmian Empire | 花剌子模王国 | Lasted 1077-1231. Khwarazmia covered All of Iran and parts of Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan. |
| Kublai | 忽必烈 | 1215-1294, Great Khan and founder of the Yuan Dynasty. Reigned 1271-1294 |
| Kyrgyz | 吉尔吉斯 | Central Asian people, Turkic, found mostly in Kyrgyzstan |
| Lin’an | 临安 | Southern Song capital, present day Hangzhou |
| Magyars | 马扎儿人 | West central Asian power. Today they are known as Hungarians |
| Mamluks | 马木留克 | Originally slave soldiers, they were a powerful “caste” of warriors who operated from the 9th to 19th centuries. Not to be messed with. |
| Merkits | 蔑儿乞人 | One of many tribes of the Mongols |
| Mongol Yasa (Jasagh) | - | A Mongol Codified law introduced by Genghis Khan |
| Möngke | 蒙哥 | Eldest son of Tolui, elder brother to Kublai Khan |
| Naimans | 乃蛮 | One of many tribes of the Mongols |
| Ogedai Khan | 窝阔台 or 斡歌歹 | Third son of Genghis Khan, second Khan of the Mongol Empire |
| Ongirats | - | One of many tribes of the Mongols |
| Ongüts | 汪古部 | One of many tribes of the Mongols |
| Owen Lattimore | 欧文拉铁摩尔 | American scholar and Central Asian specialist |
| Parthians | 帕提亚 | Iranian nomadic people |
| Qin Shihuang | 秦始皇 | Qin Dynasty founder |
| Scythians | 斯基泰人 | Iranian nomadic people |
| Shatuo Turks | 沙陀突厥 | Power in north China late 9th and 10th century. Founded several short-lived dynasties in the north of China |
| Slavs | 斯拉夫人 | People from central Europe and the West Asian steppe |
| Subotei | 速不台 | Genghis Khan’s number one guy (and Ogedai’s too!). Great Mongol general |
| Tatars | 鞑靼人 | Mongol tribe defeated by Genghis Khan who later moved westward towards Russia and Europe |
| Temüjin | 铁木真 | Genghis Khan’s name |
| The Hakkas | 客家人 | The Hakka People |
| Tolui | 拖雷 | Fourth Son of Genghis Khan, father of Kublai Khan |
| Uighurs | 维吾尔人 | Turkic people who today mostly live in Xinjiang |
| Ulaan Bator | 乌兰巴托 | Capital of Mongolia |
| Wuqimai | 吴乞买 | Aguda’s brother, second emperor of the Jin |
| Xianbei | 鲜卑 | So-called “proto-Mongols” who lived around the Qin and Han dynasties and founded the Northern Wei |
| Xinjiang | 新疆 | Northwest autonomous region in China |
| Xiongnu | 匈奴 | Often called Huns, they were an early northern tribe who kept invading China |
| Xixia | 西夏 | The Western Xia, an empire established by the Tanguts |
| Yesugei the Brave | 孛儿只斤也速该 | Father of Genghis Khan |
| Yuanchao Mi Shi | 元朝秘史 | The Secret History of the Mongols |
| Yuezhi | 月氏 | Originally from Xinjiang and Gansu, defeated by the Xiongnu |
| Zhao Gou | 赵构 | Escaped Zhao royal family member, launched Southern Song |
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The series concludes in this Part 5 episode that takes Yunnan's history up to 1975.