Mongols

Around 1200, a Mongol clan leader named Temujin sought to unify the Mongols under his leadership. He fought and defeated his rivals one by one.

In 1206, Temujin accepted the title Genghis Khan, or "universal ruler" of all Mongol clans.

After invading the northern Jin Empire in 1211, his attention turned to the Islamic region west of Mongolia.

Genghis launched a campaign of terror across Central Asia. The Mongols destroyed one city after another—Utrar, Samarkand, Bukhara—and slaughtered many inhabitants. By 1225, Central Asia was under Mongol control.

Genghis Khan dies in 1227 from illness. His successors continued to expand his empire. In a timeframe of less than 50 years, the Mongols conquered territory from China to Poland.

The Mongols divide the huge empire into four regions, or khanates. These were the Khanate of the Great Khan (Mongolia&China), the Khanate of Chagatai (Central Asia), the Ilkhanate (Persia), and the Khanate of the Golden Horde (Russia). A descendant of Genghis ruled each Khanate.

Kublai Khan sends huge fleets against Japan in 1275. The Mongols forced Koreans to build, sail, and provide provisions for the boats, a costly task that almost ruined Korea. However, the Japanese turned back the Mongol fleets.

The second fleet to Japan carried 150,000 Mongol, Chinese, and Korean warriors; it the largest seaborne invasion force in history until World War II. After 53 days, Japanese warriors had fought the invaders to a standstill. On the next day, a typhoon swept across the Sea of Japan.

Kublai Khan dies in 1294, and after his death, the Yuan Dynasty began to fade while his family members continually argued over who would rule. In one eight-year period, four different khans took the throne.

In 185 BC, many of Greeks, Persians, and Central Asians poured into Northern India