J. R.

Williams 1

Jeff Williams

Professor Lan Dong

English 321

November 30, 2017

Khubilai Khan His Life and Times

Before Genghis Khan, the Mongols had been semi-barbaric and primitive nomadic tribes,

becoming literate just a few years before the early 1200s. Kublai Khan was not only the

grandson of Genghis Khan, founder of the Mongol Empire, he was also the fifth Great Khan,

plus the founder of the Yuan Dynasty in China. The thesis of “Khubilai Khan His Life and

Times” written by Morris Rossabi, stands as a biography that showed the significance of

Khubilai Khan’s life drawn on sources from a variety of countries, it goes into a detailed

collection of his conquests and defeats. It is organized chronologically in addition to topically in

order to cover Khan’s exploits as a Mongol leader.

Professor Morris Rossabi was born in Egypt and researched throughout the Middle East.

He earned his PhD in East and Central Asian history from Columbia University in 1970. He

received an honorary doctorate from The National Mongolian University in 2009. He happens to

be fluent in an array of languages such as: Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, French, as well as German.

As well literate in Italian, Latin, Manchu, Mongol, Persian, Russian, plus Uyghur.
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Rossabi has an extensive writing career with over fifteen books, eleven biographies, fifty-

five articles, over one hundred book reviews besides countless contributions to book chapters.

Three of his titles relating to the Mongolian period would include: “Three Mongols in the

Twentieth Century”, “Mongolian Empire and World History”, as well as “Modern Mongolia:

From Khans to Commissars to Capitalists.” The book “Mongolian Empire and World History”

proved to be an appropriate reference book with original documents and a general history of the

Mongols. It became quite useful alongside his “Khubilai Khan His Life and Times”.

The first chapter of the book is dedicated to the foundation of the Khan’s history. It

appears here Rossabi passed over several opportunities to relay insight toward character

relationships along with the details of the characters. The author stated that Sorghtani Beki,

Khubilai’s mother was the secret source of his success. This focus seems to have little evidence

to support his claim. He used some flattery made by officials like Bar Hebraeus, and did not list

any actions that correlated to her son’s success. The only direct example given was when she

warns Batu that he was going to be attacked. This action benefited not only her, and her children

as well, so can be interpreted as self-perseverance. Another claim was her focus on the children’s

education can be viewed much the same way. The children were already members of a royal

family thus would have had an advanced education program.

While in chapter two we find Khubilai evolving into a great military and political leader,

the Great Khan became the Emperor of China after the ultimate defeat of the Song dynasty

(chapter 4-5). Rossabi goes on in the direction of examining Khubilai's endeavors after he

ascended to the throne and became the Emperor of China. Stating that the Khan was not a puppet

ruler being led by his advisors, but he fails to give why then was his fortune so dependent on

their recommendations. He uses examples that not only do not support his claim, but also
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undermined his authority. It becomes relevant that Khan’s early success was more rewarded

from the advice of his advisors that died in the early 1270’s. Rossabi gave credit to Khubilai for

successful military exploits and policies during his reign. He gives Chabi as an example of an

advisor, but is quite vague on how this wife participated in the Khan’s reign. The last chapter

details the decline of the Khan.

According to a review in History Today, by C.F. Beckingham, states that Professor

Morris Rossabi sticks exceptionally close to documented historical writings to produce his book

“Khubilai Khan His Life and Times.” The professor uses the manual The Secret History of The

Mongols in addition to a number of maps with brilliant illustrations contained in these ancient

texts. However, he failed to include such details in the maps in the book. The only maps in the

book were three very crude undetailed drawings. Beckingham states that with Even with the low-

quality maps Rossabi was able to write his book so that an everyday reader can have an

enjoyable read. While still staying true to a scholarly historical format. However, Beckingham

also pointed out that Rossabi stated that the Lao and Chin dynasties are attributed to the Jurchen

and Khitan peoples. Beckingham believes that this may have been the other way around.

Rossabi failed to reflect on the magnitude of Khubilai Khan. He was the first of the

Mongol to transition from nomadic conqueror to an effective ruler of a sedentary society. His

reign in China was able to progress the country with the construction of a capital city. Khubilai

Khan was able to develop a legal code, and gain public patronage of the arts, sciences, as well as

medicine. He expedited and encouraged travel in his territories. Asian exports reached Europe

along caravan trails, consequently ensuing European demand for these products eventually

inspired the search for the sea route to Asia. The great khan helped to establish Chine on the

world stage by opening up the silk road trade route to all peoples as long as they paid tribute to
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his court all peoples were allowed in fact encouraged to trade with all the peoples of the known

world.

This book has some positive qualities such as the clear and concise language with which

it is written. The book used a magnitude of sources while sustaining itself as a true academic

work. Therefore, this study is for historians interested in Khubilai Khan or this era of Chinese

history. Rossabi explains the man Marco Polo met Khubilai Khan on his travels in China, though

some historians bring doubt to this claim. He also goes into great detail of Mongols society as

well as their cultural beliefs, their Empire, and their Great Khans’ personality and his massive

influence is determining China’s political and cultural future.

I feel that professor Rossabi took great care in collecting all the available information that he

could possibly find on the great-grandson of Genghis Khan. He offers this information as a

springboard, so his readers can get to know Khubilai Khan character as a man and ruler.

Professor Rossabi paints a vivid picture of the Khan and his life and times from a variety of

sources that emphasize his significance in shaping Chinese history as well as the cultural

influences the Mongolian people had on the peoples of southern China. Khubilai Khan was the

undisputed albeit contested great Khan of the Mongol people, but one of his greatest

achievements was the conquest of China and the founding of the Yuan Dynasty a ruling family

that ruled for more than 100 years after the defeat of the song Dynasty. The dynasty that

Khubilai Khan helped to establish is to this day one of the larges and most influential dynasties

chine has ever known.

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Throughout all of its history China has always been a country whose culture was directly

influenced by whatever ruler set upon the Emperor’s throne. None more than the great Khubilai

Khan brought the people of China together in the ways that he did. It was the great con as

Emperor of China the state run universities where everyone was allowed to test to see if they had

but it would take to become a scholar at the great universities of ancient China. Throughout

history many great rulers have influenced the people and culture of China. Thus, allowing Chine

to rise through history as one of the oldest and largest empires on earth. Many scholars and

financial gurus say that in the 21st century China will yet again set precedents on the world stage

and become a major player in political, financial, as well as military power that will affect public

policy for generations to come. This rise in political power may never taken place had it not been

for the great Khubilai Khan, a man that changed the way Chinese people were chosen to be

educated. By implementing the universal testing system that allows everyone to test to see if they

have what it takes to study and succeed at university. By allowing every person to choose their

own religion and how the worshipped kept the tradition Chinese religions alive while ushering in

a more enlightened time in the history of this great empire.

In conclusion I feel that professor Rossabi did a great job of bringing the great con to life through

his very lively narrative and meticulous research of historical documents. He painted a great

picture of not only a ruler but of a man who was seeking to make his mark on history, even today

he is revered as one of the greatest rulers of all China. Helping to set up one of the longest

running dynasties in Chinese history the Yuan Dynasty. It was a great Khubilai Khan who just

rule and drive to be the greatest in the world set up the great silk Road trading highway, a trade

way that brought not only goods but the Chinese culture and religions to peoples all over this
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great Earth, and to think it was a great military leader that opened up these trade routes and

shared what up to this point with a close society with the world.

Works Sited

Beckingham, C. F. "Searches for an Imaginary Kingdom/Khubilai Khan (Book Review)."

History Today 38.11 (1988): 56. Academic Search Complete. Web. 11 Mar. 2014.

This review is what first peeked my interest to study this topic in deeper depth.
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Buck, David D.; Fletcher, Janet. Library Journal. 4/15/1988, Vol. 113 Issue 7, p79. 1/9p.

"Kirkus Review." Univ.of California press 1 May 1988: n. pag. Print. book review of

Morris Rossabis Khubilai Khan His Life and Times

Crossley, Pamela Kyle. New Republic. 4/18/88, Vol. 198 Issue 16, p46-49. 4p

Haining, Thomas Nivison. Asian Affairs. Feb89, Vol. 20 Issue 1, p79. 2p

Manz, Beatrice Forbes. Speculum. Jan92, Vol. 67 Issue 1, p213. 3p