Jacob's journal entry

Jacob Laney

History

Mr. Ward

1/17/14

Kublai Khan Project

[Entry 1]

            As I travel through China see that it is a wondrous land a great ruler. The people of the land have obviously been ravaged and plundered by the nation’s new conquerors. The Wise Khan has taken this land by force and fear as his grandfather did. I've heard stories form villagers how he has swept through the land on horseback with his armies and ruthlessly took the country. It took Kublai year to defeat the Song Dynasty but he finally managed to defeat them, causing their child emperor and government officials to commit suicide.

[Entry 2]

The more and more I travel through this land, the more I see that the Wise Khan’s greatness as a ruler far outweighs his ruthlessness on the battlefield. Kublai has allowed total religious freedom within this great empire, even adopting some of his conquered subjects. He has a type of currency that I have never seen before which is made out of a type of paper. They call this money Choa. There are many traders such as myself coming from the west. I can only think that this comes from Kublai’s connections and alliances for the kingdoms of the west. He has opened the world up to all this great country has to offer and what we have to offer it. Many innovations have been made to China’s Gran Canal by Kublai, increasing water trade.

[Entry 3]

            Historians have many different perspectives on the Mongol people. Some say there were ruthless savages while others say they were cunning warriors and great leaders. The Mongols were a mixture of these two assertions. The Mongols were great conquerors who used their savagery and ruthlessness combined with great military tactic to create the largest empire the world has ever seen.  Much like the Spartans, the Mongols had great military tactic which both of their empires were based on. The government of the Mongols was a stable and beneficial one. They promoted religious tolerance and foreign trade was greatly opened up to the west. Once in power the Mongols succeeded from their ruthlessness and turned to running their empire. Much like Sparta, the Mongols had a stable government.

Works Cited

Chapman, Walter. "Kublai Khan: Lord of Xanadu." Pacific Affairs 42.2 (1969): 229-230. Print.

Iggulden, Conn. Conqueror: A Novel of Kublai Khan. New York: Delacorte, 2011. Print.

Krull, Kathleen, and Robert Byrd. Kubla Khan: The Emperor of Everything. New York: Viking, 2010. Print.

"Kublai Khan Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2014. <http://www.biography.com/people/kublai-khan-9369657>.

"Kublai Khan (emperor of Yuan Dynasty)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2014. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/324254/Kublai-Khan>.

"Kublai Khan Rules China." Kublai Khan: 1215-1294. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2014. <http://www.thenagain.info/webchron/china/kublaikhan.html>.

"The Mongols in World History | Asia Topics in World History." The Mongols in World History | Asia Topics in World History. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2014. <http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/mongols/china/china2.htm>.