ABSTRACT
The Yuan Empire was the direct successor of Chinggis Khan’s Mongol Empire. As the nominal ruler of all the Mongols, the Yuan Emperor or Qa’an actually controlled the eastern part of the Mongol Empire, including Mongolia, Manchuria, North China, South China, Korea, Yunnan, Tibet, and a large part of Xinjiang, albeit quarrels and wars with the Chaghadaids and Ögödeids led to the instability of the northwestern frontier. From its center in North China, the Yuan Empire thrived from 1260, when Qubilai was enthroned, to 1368, when the Ming army captured Daidu. Remnants of the Yuan continued the empire on the steppe until ca. 1389. Like a typical nomadic ruler, Qubilai Qa’an migrated annually from Daidu to Shangdu and back. The two capitals became the centers of imperial ceremonies and rituals. Qubilai Qa’an was a pragmatic politician who focused his attention on practical results rather than cultural values.
