2.2: The Mongol Empire and the Making of the Modern World Flashcards
(3 cards)
“Throughout its history, Central Asia has provided the ancient civilized empires on its borders with new Shahs, Sultans, or Sons of Heaven. These periodic invasions by the nomads of the steppe, whose khans ascended the thrones of Changan, Luoyang, Kaifeng, or Beijing*, of Isfahan or Tabriz**, Delhi or Constantinople, became one of the geographic laws of history. But there was another, opposing law which brought about the slow absorption of the invaders by the ancient civilized lands. The civilizations of China and Persia, though conquered, would in the long run vanquish their conquerors, intoxicating them with the pleasures of settled life, lulling them to sleep, and assimilating them culturally. Often, only fifty years after a conquest, the culturally Sinicized or Persianized former barbarian would be the first to stand guard over his adopted civilization and protect it against fresh nomadic onslaughts.”
*capital cities of various Chinese dynasties
**capital cities of various Persian dynasties
René Grousset, French historian of Central Asia, The Empire of the Steppes: A History of Central Asia, 1939
Which of the following demonstrates the assimilation of nomadic conquerors into conquered societies during the period circa 1250–1450 ?
A
The rulers of the Mali Empire converting to Islam through the influence of North African merchants and missionaries
B
The rulers of the Yuan dynasty adopting Chinese court culture and methods of rule
C
Trading states in Southeast Asia such as the Khmer and Srivijaya empires adopting syncretic Hindu-Buddhist practices
D
Chinese, Persian, and Indian artisans expanding their output because of a rising demand for luxury goods in Afro-Eurasia
B.The rulers of the Yuan dynasty adopting Chinese court culture and methods of rule
“Throughout its history, Central Asia has provided the ancient civilized empires on its borders with new Shahs, Sultans, or Sons of Heaven. These periodic invasions by the nomads of the steppe, whose khans ascended the thrones of Changan, Luoyang, Kaifeng, or Beijing*, of Isfahan or Tabriz**, Delhi or Constantinople, became one of the geographic laws of history. But there was another, opposing law which brought about the slow absorption of the invaders by the ancient civilized lands. The civilizations of China and Persia, though conquered, would in the long run vanquish their conquerors, intoxicating them with the pleasures of settled life, lulling them to sleep, and assimilating them culturally. Often, only fifty years after a conquest, the culturally Sinicized or Persianized former barbarian would be the first to stand guard over his adopted civilization and protect it against fresh nomadic onslaughts.”
*capital cities of various Chinese dynasties
**capital cities of various Persian dynasties
René Grousset, French historian of Central Asia, The Empire of the Steppes: A History of Central Asia, 1939
Which of the following developments in the period circa 1250–1450 represents a situation that did not lead to conquerors assimilating into the cultures of the conquered societies?
A
Invading armies establishing and maintaining a separate community, as illustrated by the European crusader kingdoms in the Middle East
B
Merchants establishing diasporic communities and introducing their own traditions into the indigenous cultures, as illustrated by South Asian Muslim merchants spreading Islam to the islands of Southeast Asia
C
Settled societies successfully resisting nomadic encroachments, as illustrated by the Mamluks of Egypt defeating the Mongols or Muscovy expelling the Golden Horde from Russia
D
Conquering states fragmenting into several units because of political and social friction, as illustrated by the breakup of the Mongol Empire into individual khanates
A
Invading armies establishing and maintaining a separate community, as illustrated by the European crusader kingdoms in the Middle East
“Throughout its history, Central Asia has provided the ancient civilized empires on its borders with new Shahs, Sultans, or Sons of Heaven. These periodic invasions by the nomads of the steppe, whose khans ascended the thrones of Changan, Luoyang, Kaifeng, or Beijing*, of Isfahan or Tabriz**, Delhi or Constantinople, became one of the geographic laws of history. But there was another, opposing law which brought about the slow absorption of the invaders by the ancient civilized lands. The civilizations of China and Persia, though conquered, would in the long run vanquish their conquerors, intoxicating them with the pleasures of settled life, lulling them to sleep, and assimilating them culturally. Often, only fifty years after a conquest, the culturally Sinicized or Persianized former barbarian would be the first to stand guard over his adopted civilization and protect it against fresh nomadic onslaughts.”
*capital cities of various Chinese dynasties
**capital cities of various Persian dynasties
René Grousset, French historian of Central Asia, The Empire of the Steppes: A History of Central Asia, 1939
The Mongol conquests resulted in all of the following developments EXCEPT
A
a revival of trade on the overland Silk Roads
B
transfers of scientific and technological knowledge
C
the initial diffusion of Buddhism and Christianity to East Asia
D
the spread of pathogens across Eurasia, including the bubonic plague
C
the initial diffusion of Buddhism and Christianity to East Asia
