Read more about Mongols at: Wikipedia Official Site: Public Domain The Mongol Empire ( , Mongolyn Ezent Güren or , Ikh Mongol Uls) was a massive empire during the 13th and 14th centuries. It spanned from Eastern Europe across Asia, and is commonly referred to as the largest contiguous empire in the history of the world. It emerged from the unification of Mongol and Turkic tribes in modern day Mongolia under the leadership of Genghis Khan, who was proclaimed ruler of all Mongols in 1206. The Empire then grew rapidly through invasions in every direction. At its greatest extent, the Mongol Empire stretched from the Danube to the Sea of Japan and from northern Siberia to Camboja, covering over , 22% of the Earth's total land area, and held sway over a population of over 100 million people. It is often identified as the "Mongol World Empire" because it spanned 6,000 miles from east to west in much of Eurasia. As a result of the empire's conquests and political and economic impact on most of the Old World, its wars with other great power in Africa, Asia and Europe are also believed to be an ancient world war. Under the Mongols, new technologies, various commodities and ideologies were disseminated and exchanged across Eurasia. The Empire began to split following a succession war in 1260-1264, as there was dispute as to which of Genghis's grandchildren should become the next Great Khan. Power was first taken through one council by Ariqboke, a grandson of Genghis by his son Tolui; while another council held by his Ariqboke's brother Kublai Khan declared Kublai as Great Khan instead. Kublai successfully claimed the leadership from Ariqboke, but descendants of other of Genghis's sons (Jochi, Ogedei, and Chagatai) also vied for power, or asserted independence. The Golden Horde, ruled by the clan of Genghis's son Jochi; and the Chagatai Khanate, founded by Genghis's son Chagatai, opposed Kublai's claim of leadership, and began to split off from the main Empire. Civil war ensued, as Kublai sought, unsuccessfully, to regain control of the Chagatayid and Ogedeid families. By the time of Kublai Khan's death, the Mongol Empire had fractured into four separate khanates or empires, each pursuing its own separate interests and objectives: the Golden Horde khanate in the northwest, the Chagatai Khanate in the west, the Ilkhanate in the southwest, and the Empire of the Great Khan (Yuan dynasty), which was based in modern-day Beijing. It was not until 1304, when all Mongol khans submitted to Kublai's successor, the Khagan Temür Öljeytü, that the Mongol world again acknowledged a single paramount sovereign for the first time since 1259 - and even the late Khagans' authority rested on nothing like the same foundations as that of Genghis Khan and his first three successors. When the native Chinese overthrew the Yuan Dynasty in 1368, the Mongol Empire finally dissolved. The Mongol Empire is translated to the Mongolian language as "Mongolyn Ezent Guren" (Монголын эзэнт гүрэн) literally meaning "Mongols' Imperial Power" and "Ikh Mongol Uls" (Их Монгол улс) which literally means "Greater Mongol Nation/State." Genghis Khan named his nation "Ikh Mongol Uls" (Yekhe Mongol Ulus) when he was proclaimed Emperor of the entire Mongols. The preamble of Güyük Khan's letter to Pope Innocent IV ran: "Dalai Qaghan of the great Mongol nation (ulus).". Later, Kublai Khan added Dai Yuan to the term, renaming "Dai Ön Mongol Ulus" (Great Yuan Mongol Nation) in 1271. The area around Mongolia, Manchuria, and parts of North China had been controlled by the Khitan Liao Dynasty since the 10th century. In 1125, the Jin Dynasty founded by the Jurchens overthrew the Liao Dynasty, and attempted to gain control over former Liao territory in Mongolia. The Jin Dynasty rulers, known as the Golden Kings, were resisted by the Khamag Mongol, the Mongol tribe, which was ruled by Qabul Khan, great grandfather of Temujin (Genghis Khan). Qabul Khan pushed out the forces of the Jin Dynasty from Mongol territory in the early 12th century. There were five main powerful khanliks (tribes) in the Mongolian plateau at the time: Kereyds, Mongols, Naimans, Merkit and Tatars. The Golden Kings encouraged the Tatars in their dispute with the Mongols, in order to keep the nomadic tribes distracted by their own battles, and thereby away from the Jin. The Tatars betrayed Ambaghai, successor of Qabul, to the Jurchen who executed him. The Mongols retaliated by raiding the frontier and the Jurchen counter-attack failed in 1143. In 1147 the Jin signed a peace treaty with the Mongols and withdrew a score of forts that threatened them; this devised a more subtle indirect policy against the nomads. After that the Mongols attacked the Tatars to avenge the death of their late khan, opening a long period of active hostilities. The Jin and Tatar armies defeated the Mongols in 1161. These events well illustrate the Jin policy of divide and rule.
Mongols has not been a contender in any CBUB matches.
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