Mongol Empire Facts & Worksheets

The Mongol Empire, founded by Genghis Khan in 1206,  was the biggest contiguous land empire in history. Originating in the Mongol heartland, it stretched from the shores of the Persian Gulf and the Danube River to the Pacific Ocean. The empire united large regions, some of which are still united today.

See the fact file below for more information about the Mongol Empire, or you can download our 28-page Mongol Empire worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

GENGHIS KHAN

• Genghis Khan, known as Temujin as a child, was the son of a Mongol lord. He is recognized as one of the greatest military leaders in history. 
• He conquered his domestic opponents by 1206. The nomadic tribes of the Mongolian steppe came together at a kuriltai (general assembly), where Temujin was crowned as the khagan (Emperor) of the Yekhe Mongol Ulus (Great Mongol State). 
• He took the title Genghis Khan (universal leader), thus marking the start of the Mongol Empire.
• All of the Mongol-speaking tribes that Genghis Khan ruled over are called Mongols.  
• Genghis Khan launched a series of expeditions into adjacent regions, capturing much of northern China. 
• Turning west, his troops and famed cavalry swept through Central Asia, capturing vast areas of the Caspian Sea and the Middle East. 
• In 1223, the Mongols routed a force led by Russian princes across the Caucasus Mountains. When Genghis Khan returned to Mongolia in 1225, he controlled a large portion of the Silk Road commercial network, which facilitated trade between Europe and Asia.
• Genghis Khan employed marriage as a crucial diplomatic strategy during his ascent to power, as it was an effective means of forging political bonds. 
• Genghis Khan died on August 18, 1227. 

OGODEI KHAN

• A kuriltai was called by tradition to pick the next khan. Ogodei was officially named Great Khan in 1229.
• Ogodei Khan was Genghis Khan’s third son. He was selected as heir, presumably due to his calm disposition and propensity for mediating disputes between his two elder brothers. 
• Under Ogudei’s leadership, the Mongols expanded the empire’s borders in 1229 and carried out fruitful wars throughout Russia, the Caucasus, and Persia. 
• In 1234, he led one of the three Mongol armies that overthrew the Jin Dynasty in northern China. 
• Ogodei also changed the Mongol Empire’s strategy from military occupation and exploitation to administration and taxation of occupied territories. 
• In the 1230s, he established an imperial capital at Karakorum in Mongolia and devised an efficient relay system to send messages over the great expanses of Eurasia.
• Ogodei died on December 11, 1241. Mongol soldiers on the western front, which had reached Hungary, returned after learning of his death, ending the empire’s European conquests.
• Toregene, the widow of Ogodei, assumed leadership of the empire after his death. She wants her son, Guyuk, to be appointed. Batu Khan, the ruler of the Golden Horde, opposed it, arguing that he was descended from Genghis’ eldest son. 
• In 1246, Toregene managed to ensure Guyuk’s election.

GUYUK KHAN

• Guyuk declared that he would carry on his father’s policies and gave his father’s officials their old posts back.
• As commander in chief of the army in Persia, he appointed Eljigidei, the father of his closest friend, to lead the troops. 
• In 1248, Guyuk gathered further forces and advanced westward. He passed away en route at Qum-Senggir in Xinjiang.
• Oghul Qaimish, the widow of Guyuk, assumed leadership of the empire and governed as regent for three years.

MÖNGKE KHAN

• Möngke Khan won the Khanate in a contested kuriltai. Möngke’s mother, Sorqoqtani Beki, had worked hard to offer her four sons a chance to become Great Khan. 
• Elite women occupied vital roles in the empire. After her spouse, Tolui, died, Sorqoqtani declined a marriage proposal from Ogodei, believing she would have more power if she remained independent. 
• She made her move during the 1251 kuriltai, planning with her nephew, Batu, to place her eldest son, Möngke, on the throne rather than someone from Ogudei’s line. 
• Möngke Khan ordered the destruction of his Ogodei opponents. Among them was the former regent Oghul Qaimish, whom he accused of witchcraft and hanged. 
• Möngke implemented administrative reforms. He conducted an empire-wide census to serve as the foundation for intricate tax and tribute regulations and introduced coins and paper money to aid in tax collection. 
• Möngke also delegated command of vital military expeditions to two of his brothers, Hulegu and Kublai. 
• In 1258, Hulegu seized Baghdad for the Mongols, killing the last ruler of the Abbasid Caliphate. Kublai was stationed in northern China, fighting alongside Möngke, who was killed in combat on August 11, 1259, against the Song Dynasty in the south.

KUBLAI KHAN

• When Möngke died, Kublai Khan and his brother, Ariq Boke, who was based in Mongolia, fought for the succession. 
• Ariqboke’s army was destroyed by Kublai’s and took over the southern Mongolian government after four years of civil war.
• Nonetheless, many questioned his legitimacy as the Great Khan of the Mongols because he was not adequately acknowledged in a legitimate kuriltai.
• Hulegu supported Kublai in the southwest Ilkhanate, but in 1262, hostilities broke out with their relative Berke, the leader of the Golden Horde. 
• Hulegu passed away on February 8, 1264. In the process of trying to seize his territory, Berke died.
• Kublai proposed Temür, his grandson, to be the leader of the Golden Horde and named Abaqa, the son of Hulegu, the new Khan. 
• Kublai faced political challenges in China as the leader of a foreign occupation. However, he sought to rule in the manner of a Chinese emperor. He built Dadu (now Beijing) and relocated the imperial capital from Mongolia. 
• In recognition of Chinese political tradition and an attempt to gain the respect of its people, Kublai renamed the newly established Mongol government in China the Yuan dynasty in 1271. 

THE YUAN DYNASTY

• Among China’s most extraordinary emperors was Kublai Khan. He united the country by destroying the national Song dynasty (1279). This made Mongols the first non-Chinese nation to conquer the entirety of China. 
• After 1279, the Mongol-Chinese empire gained no additional territory, and the Kamikaze of 1274 and 1281 stopped two efforts to extend Mongol authority to Japan. 
• The Mongol army could still impose minor uprisings against the government, but the court’s authority progressively weakened. Later, emperors’ authority was undermined by family conflicts and intrigues at court. 
• Kublai Khan died in 1294. His grandson, Temür Khan, succeeded him and carried on his policies at 13. 
• The Mongol rule in China gradually declined. There was considerable dissatisfaction, frequently manifested as local rebellions against the Mongol government.
• Former monk Zhu Chongba was the most successful rebel leader. Eventually, in 1368, Zhu drove the Mongols from Beijing and declared himself the Ming dynasty’s Emperor. 
• Temür fled into the steppes and died in 1370.
• Mongolia was considered a part of the Ming dynasty, and the Mongols were regarded as subjects of the Ming rulers. The Mongolian grasslands were often attempted to be occupied by the early Ming emperors. 
• The Golden Horde disintegrated into smaller Turkic hordes that gradually lost control over four centuries. 

SOCIETY

Law and Governance

• Yassa (“order” or “decree”) was the legal system that Genghis created and used to rule the Mongol Empire. A specific tenet of this code was that people of rank had hardships comparable to those of the average person. 
• Generals and leaders were chosen by merit. 
• Mongol leaders gathered with the great Khan to deliberate internal and international policies in the kurultai, the non-democratic central assembly modeled like a parliament. Kurultai (meetings) were also held to choose every new great khan.

Literature

• The Secret History of the Mongols, composed for the royal family following Genghis Khan’s death in 1227, is the earliest piece of literature still in existence in the Mongolian language. It is the most essential narrative of Genghis’ life and ancestry, from birth to the founding of the Mongol Empire.
• The Universal History, or Jami’ al-tawarikh, is another masterpiece from the empire. The Ilkhan Abaqa Khan commissioned it in the early 14th century to document the Mongols’ legacy.

The Silk Road

• The Mongol conquest of the Asian continent restored the Silk Road and contributed to political stability. 
• The Mongols had a tradition of encouraging trade and merchants. Genghis had welcomed foreign traders. 
• Through an agreement called ortoq (merchant partner), the Mongols sent merchants far and wide while providing them with capital. 
• Mongol elites established trade partnerships with merchants from Italian cities, including the family of Marco Polo. 
• Roads that connected regions from the Mediterranean basin to China significantly increased overland trade.
• Ogodei and Guyuk carried on the merchant partner business’ legacy. Merchants were granted tax exemptions and use of the empire’s official relay stations in exchange for providing the royal palaces with clothing, information, and other necessities. 

Möngke Khan altered policy 

• To curtail misdeeds resulting from money laundering and excessive taxation, he dispatched imperial inspectors to oversee the ortoq enterprises. He ordered all merchants to pay property and commercial taxes. 
• The political, cultural, and economic unity along the Silk Road collapsed in the fall of the Mongol Empire. 

Mongol Empire Worksheets

This fantastic bundle includes everything you need to know about the Mongol Empire across 28 in-depth pages. These ready-to-use worksheets are perfect for teaching kids about the Mongol Empire. Originating in the Mongol heartland, it stretched from the shores of the Persian Gulf and the Danube River to the Pacific Ocean. The empire united large regions, some of which are still united today.

Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

1. Mongol Empire Facts
2. The Great Khan
3. Family Chart
4. The Mongol Empire
5. Khans of the Empire
6. Mongolian Puzzle
7. Pop Quiz
8. Mongol Insider News
9. A Khan’s Skillset
10. The Fall of the Empire
11. What is an Empire?

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the Mongol Empire?

The Mongol Empire was one of the largest contiguous land empires in history, originating from the steppes of Central Asia in the 13th century. It was founded by Genghis Khan and expanded under his successors, eventually encompassing vast territories across Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.

How did the Mongol Empire expand so rapidly?

The Mongol Empire expanded rapidly due to several factors including superior military tactics, a highly organized and disciplined army, effective use of espionage and diplomacy, and the strategic leadership of figures like Genghis Khan and his successors. They were also adept at incorporating conquered peoples into their empire, often through alliances or administrative roles.

What were some significant achievements of the Mongol Empire?

The Mongol Empire facilitated significant cultural exchange and trade along the Silk Road, connecting East and West. They established a system of governance known as the Pax Mongolica, which brought stability and security to much of Eurasia for several decades. Additionally, they fostered advancements in technology, medicine, and the arts across the territories they controlled.

What were some key events or battles in the history of the Mongol Empire?

The conquests of Genghis Khan in the early 13th century laid the foundation for the empire. The Battle of Yehuling (1211) and the Battle of Zhongdu (1215) against the Jin Dynasty were pivotal victories. The conquests of Central Asia, Persia, and Russia under Genghis Khan’s successors expanded the empire further. The siege of Baghdad in 1258 and the Battle of Ain Jalut in 1260 are also significant events.

What led to the eventual decline of the Mongol Empire?

Several factors contributed to the decline of the Mongol Empire, including internal strife and succession disputes among the ruling family, overextension of resources due to the vastness of their empire, the Black Death pandemic which weakened populations and disrupted trade routes, and successful resistance movements by local powers. Eventually, the empire fragmented into separate Khanates, each ruling over different regions, marking the end of the unified Mongol Empire.

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