1.3. Disintegration of the Empire At the time of Chinggis Khaan’s death in 1227, the empire was divided among his four sons, with his third son Uguudei as a ruler. After Uguudei ascended the throne in 1229, he quickly resumed his father’s operations in Jin Dynasty, successfully conquering it in 1243. Under his rule, the Mongol Empire expansion reached its peak. Mongol armies marched to Russia, Eastern Europe, the Islamic heartland-Persia, and China. While Uguudei led his army against Jin Dynasty, Prince Bat, son on Zuchi-the eldest son of Chinggis Khaan, marched west, conquering Russian territories before invading Hungary and Poland. After Chinggis Khaan’s youngest son Toliu’s sons Munkh and Khubilai led Mongol armies into the territory of China’s Southern Song, another son Khulegu led an army into Middle East. It is presumed that Mongol Army withdrew from those countries due to the Uguudei’s death in 1241 (Bat-Erdene 1996). Unlike Chinggis Khaan, Uguudei did not choose his successor resulting in start of a struggle over the title of Great Khaan and internal conflict between successors. Thus, by the end of 1250s, reign of …show more content…
It enabled widespread global communication with the diverse and different nations ruled by the Mongols and led different cultures to blend. Mongols promoted peace and stability during the Pax Mongolica and wanted an empire that can prosper in trading. They created networks of safe and protected trade routes all around Asia and Europe. Indeed, unprecedented contact between East and West was one of the most important Mongol contributions (Rossabi 2012). Commodities such as gunpowder, mechanical printing and silk were exchanged and entered east while artistic and scientific ideas like historical, geographical, astronomical, agricultural, medical knowledge traveled east to west and