Mongol Empire

Mongol Empire
Type:	Empire
Location:	Asia and Eastern Europe
First appearance:	Marco Polo
Appearances:	PROSE: Bunker Soldiers

Kublai Khan. (TV: Marco Polo)

The Mongol empire was a 13th century empire located in Asia. however, by 1289 it had been moved to Peking. (TV: Marco Polo)

The empire was notable for both its brutality in conquest and in its willingness to accept and adopt the cultures and customs of the people it conquered. (PROSE: Bunker Soldiers)

History

The empire was founded by the Great Khan Genghis Khan, who united the warring clans of Mongolia to form a great empire. Under his leadership, the empire began to conquer the surrounding areas. During this time, Qaraqorum served as the capital.

In around 1210, the Mongol Empire conquered the Chin Empire in China, acquiring gunpowder in the process. According the Ling, who accompanied the empire on their later invasion of Europe, the subjugated people of the Chin were allowed lived in relative freedom, with no changes to their way of life or their religion, with just a just system of governance. The survivors of the invasion, however, were relatively few, as according to Ling, only 9 million of the original 50 million inhabitants of the empire remained after the slaughter.

In 1240, Ogedei Khan was the Great Khan, with Genghis having died over a decade earlier. During this time, the empire was undergoing an invasion of Europe, having crossed into Europe south of the Ural mountains and conquered and destroyed Bulgar, Riazan, Kolumna, Kostroma, Torzhok, Chernigov and Pereislav, before reaching Kiev in the year 1240. Afterwards, the hordes would continue west to attack Poland and Hungary. This campaign was led by Genghis' grandsons Batu and his Mongke.

In 1250 or 1251, Mongke would became the Great Khan. He in turn would be succeeded by Kublai Khan, (PROSE: Bunker Soldiers) who was the Great Khan during the First Doctor's earlier visit in 1289. (TV: Marco Polo) During the rule of Kublai Khan, the empire was composed for four khanates and spanned from beyond Kiev, across Russia, down to Baghdad and as far east as China.

In 1346, the Mongol ruler Janibeg Khan laid siege to Kaffa when the army was stricken with the bubonic plague. The commander of the army ordered that the corpses of the dead be catapulted over the walls of Kaffa until the city was overcome by disease. The fleeing Genoese merchants then took the disease from Kaffa to various European ports, spreading it to the continent. (PROSE: Bunker Soldiers)