13th century

The 13th Century: The Century of the Stirrup (Millennium) 3 of 10

• Report rights infringement
• published: 21 Jun 2016
• views: 397

The Thirteenth Century: Century of the Strirrup _________________________________________________________________ Central Asia: Mongol Conquest Until the 13th century, the grassy plains of Central Asia were full of dangers. Fear of the tribes that lived there created a barrier between the peoples of East and West. Only the finest horsemen could hope to survive a journey through the steppes. Then, from Mongolia, emerged a conqueror -- the creator of an empire that shattered the barrier between Europe and Asia. Genghis Khan brought the scattered Mongol tribes together and gave them a vision of a world united under Mongol rule. In barely 50 years, Khan turned a nomadic people numbering barely a million into a fighting force and created an empire twice the size of the United States. Stretching from the Pacific to the Danube, the Mongol Empire became the largest continuous land empire the world has ever known. _________________________________________________________________ Central Asia: Mongol Peace After the Mongol conquest came the Mongol peace. Genghis Khan and his successors enforced law and order across Central Asia. They policed a network of routes connecting East and West, allowing merchants -- and ideas -- to travel freely between Asia and Europe. The Mongol highways revolutionized 13th century travel. Mongol soldiers established military stations along a fast, new route through the steppes. They revived and patrolled the old Silk Roads linking oasis and market towns. _________________________________________________________________ China: Decadence of Xanadu Conquerors have often been seduced by the soft life of the people they conquer. And this was true for the Mongols. Genghis Khan lived and died in a saddle. But his grandson, Kublai, rejected the harsh life of the steppes. He built a luxurious pleasure dome in China, immortalized by English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge who based his "Xanadu" on the travels of a 17-year-old Venetian, Marco Polo. Marco Polo arrived with his merchant father to explore prospects for trade and stayed for 17 years. Through Kublai Khan and Marco Polo, the mysteries of China were unveiled to the outside world for the first time in history. _________________________________________________________________ Egypt: Baybars the Mamluk In Cairo, the Mamluks were forging an empire. Mamluk means slave, and the Mamluk Empire was founded upon young slave boys bought in the marketplace, instructed in Islamic doctrine and trained in Cairo's academy of war. The founder of the military academy was Baybars, bought for a sultan's household at 14. Baybars means "lion" or "panther," and he excelled on the battlefield. Through intrigue and assassination, he rose quickly through the ranks, from royal bodyguard to sultan, and won an empire encompassing Palestine and Syria. Baybars boasted he could play polo in both Cairo and Damascus within a single week. _________________________________________________________________ Europe: Wealth of Venice In the 13th century, the great trade routes of East and West met in Venice. Along with Oriental luxuries reaching Venice came new technology and new ideas. Europeans who traveled the Mongol roads brought back reports of exotic lands and advanced civilizations. Among the returning Venetian merchants was Marco Polo. He had spent many years in China acquiring new ideas, including the use of coal for power, and paper for money. And, it is said, he had a coat full of gems. He told the story of his travels in a book, written when he was taken prisoner in a local trade war. At a time when all books had to be copied by hand, Marco Polo's travels became the best-seller of the age.