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The Mongol Empire

Driving Question: How did the Mongols manage to build and maintain history’s largest land-based empire?

In one lifetime, the Mongols went from nomadic tribes on the Eurasian steppes to rulers of the largest contiguous land empire in history. Despite their fierce reputation, the Mongol Empire brought stability and security to the Silk Road. Their legacy influenced other Eurasian empires for centuries to come.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Assess the Mongols’ impact on networks of exchange.
  2. Use a graphic biography to support, extend, or challenge the overarching narratives of this period.
  3. Utilize sourcing skills to analyze how the Mongols expanded and ruled their empire.

Vocab Terms:

  • empire
  • enslave
  • migration
  • society
  • state
  • trade
  • trade network
STEP 1

Opener: The Mongol Empire

Teaching Tools

How have other teachers taught students about the Mongols? Take a look at this conversation External link in the OER Project Teacher Community.

STEP 2

Sourcing

Teaching Tools

Check out the sourcing topic page for an overview of our sourcing materials.

STEP 3

The Mongol Empire

Teaching Tools

Need to support students reading this graphic bio? Check out the Three-Step Reading for Graphic Biographies tool.

Imagine conquering 17% of Earth and a quarter of all the people on it. Now, imagine controlling it all. That’s exactly what the Mongols did. Find out how as you explore the Mongol Empire at two different scales.

STEP 5

Closer: The Mongol Empire

Extension Materials
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Delve deeper into the world of the Mongols with a Crash Course video and a graphic biography of the Mongol’s greatest historian.
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More Mongols!

Ever heard the expression “United we stand, divided we fall”? That was certainly true for the Mongols who, after unifying under Genghis Khan, became an economic powerhouse.

Wait for It…The Mongols! Crash Course World History #17 External link

The Mongols started off as small, nomadic pastoral communities. United by Genghis Khan, the Mongol Empire swiftly expanded and energized Eurasian trade and exchange.

Key Ideas

As this video progresses, key ideas will be introduced to invoke discussion.
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Historian of the Mongols

The life of Rashid al-Din helps us understand how diversity can strengthen an empire.