The Life of Kublai Khan

 Lesson 60 Essay

  Kublai Khan was considered to be the greatest ruler of the Mongols in China. Born in 1215, he was the grandson of Genghis Khan, and he became the fifth Khan of the Mongols.

    Even though he was an intelligent, and skilled warrior, Kublai did not rise to power until his thirties. Before Kublai became Khan, his brother Möngke Khan rule, and Kublai was put in charge of manning their territory. Kublai helped his brother overthrow the Song dynasty and unify the Chinese under the Mongols. Kublai came to power as the Great Khan several years later.

    As the Khan of the Mongol Empire, Kublai was much wiser and thoughtful in comparison to his predecessor, Genghis Khan. He ruled his subjects fairly, and, rather than utterly destroy civilizations, he treated them with generosity.

    In 1271, Kublai Khan established the Yuan dynasty. The economy was primarily based on agriculture, but, by building on past successes, they were able to prosper. Many of the buildings and roads were built or repaired.

    During Kublai Khan's reign, the Mongol empire enjoyed a time of great prosperity. Kublai was able to represent the height of the Mongol empire by controlling all of China. Kublai was among the first Far East rulers to have known contact with European traders, by having contact with Marco Polo.

    Kublai Khan lived to the age of 78. He outlived his wife and son. As he got older, he became very overweight and suffered from many diseases. He died in the February of 1294, after depression wore his body down. Kublai was buried in the Mongol burial site.