Kublai Khan

Monarch

1215 – 1294

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Who was Kublai Khan?

Kublai Khan, born Kublai and also known by the temple name Shizu, was the fifth Khagan of the Ikh Mongol Uls, reigning from 1260 to 1294, and the founder of the Yuan Dynasty in China.

Kublai was the second son of Tolui and Sorghaghtani Beki, and a grandson of Genghis Khan. He succeeded his older brother Möngke as Khagan in 1260, but had to defeat his younger brother Ariq Böke in a succession war lasting till 1264. This episode marked the beginning of disunity in the empire. Kublai's real power was limited to China and Mongolia, though as Khagan he still had influence in the Ilkhanate and, to a far lesser degree, in the Golden Horde. If one counts the Mongol Empire at that time as a whole, his realm reached from the Pacific to the Black Sea, from Siberia to modern day Afghanistan – one fifth of the world's inhabited land area.

In 1271, Kublai established the Yuan Dynasty, which ruled over present-day Mongolia, China, Korea, and some adjacent areas, and assumed the role of Emperor of China. By 1279, the Yuan forces had overcome the last resistance of the Southern Song Dynasty, and Kublai became the first non-Chinese Emperor to conquer all of China. He was also the only Mongol khan after 1260 to win new conquests.

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Born
Sep 23, 1215
Mongolia
Parents
Siblings
Spouses
Children
Religion
  • Buddhism
Ethnicity
  • Mongols
Died
Feb 18, 1294
Khanbaliq
Resting place
Burkhan Khaldun

Submitted
on July 23, 2013

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