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Who is Kublai Khan?

Diana Bocco
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Updated: May 23, 2024
Views: 27,946
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Kublai (or Khubilai) Khan, also known as "the last of the Great Khans," was born on 23 September 1215 into the family of the legendary Genghis Khan, the man who founded the Mongol Empire. Being born into a powerful family set the path for Kublai Khan and his brothers Möngke, a famed warrior, and Hulagu, who conquered Persia.

Kublai Khan crowned himself Khan, the Chinese equivalent to emperor, in 1260. Miles away, his brother Möngke did the same thing, confident that his military past would make him a more likely candidate to rule the empire. Kublai didn't take to the news well, and the brothers battled for years before he finally won the right to holding the title and consequently created the Chinese Yuan Dynasty.

Kublai Khan is credited with unifying China by destroying the remnants of previous dynasties. While his tactics were often bloody, the result was an empire with great economic and scientific growth, better buildings and a network of public highways far superior to anything the country had ever seen before. He was also the first emperor to use paper currency for all official affairs; and a believer on the importance of the arts in the development of an empire. Kublai Khan was less successful on his efforts at conquering Asian countries, including Japan and Vietnam, and thus had to endure inflation problems and great casualties in his military.

Kublai personally oversaw the design and building of Xanadu, his legendary summer residence in the province of Shangdu. Xanadu served as a setting for the development of an advanced water irrigation system, used later in different parts of the country to advance agriculture and to repair the damage caused during the Mongolian war.

Kublai Khan died on 18 February 18 1294, at the age of 78. His death is surrounded in mystery, as some ancient texts claim different causes. The most likely scenario is that he died from complications of gout, which he had developed because of his passion for eating organ meats. Khan's favorite wife and his heir also died from gout, years before him.

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Diana Bocco
By Diana Bocco
Diana Bocco, a versatile writer with a distinct voice, creates compelling long-form and short-form content for various businesses. With a data-focused approach and a talent for sharing engaging stories, Diana’s written work gets noticed and drives results.
Discussion Comments
By Leonidas226 — On Feb 05, 2011

Khan has become a common surname and title in Central Asia, which means "king," or "leader." This titular meme was bruited by the Turkic and Mongol hordes which once held sway in this vast and bloody historical region. Asian history is so much deeper and more interesting than European history, but much of it is lost in the sandy desert winds.

By JavaGhoul — On Feb 04, 2011

Marco Poli served under Kublai Khan, as an advisor and adventurer to areas in China. When he returned to his native Italy after many years, he was not recognized, having adopted so many of the customs and styles of China. The wares he brought back benefited Italian culture immensely.

By anon135689 — On Dec 20, 2010

That's rich! No pun intended. LOL. Makes one wonder which organs.

Diana Bocco
Diana Bocco
Diana Bocco, a versatile writer with a distinct voice, creates compelling long-form and short-form content for various...
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