Causes of the Decline of the Mongol Empire

Mongols – The Decline and Fragmentation of the Mongol Empire, 1256-99

In this course, Dr Nicholas Morton (Nottingham Trent University) explores the decline and fragmentation of the Mongol Empire from 1256-99. In the first module, we consider the causes of the decline of the Mongol Empire by taking a look at the root of the empire’s internal conflicts and the Mongols’ waning zeal for imperial expansion. In the second module, we paint a picture of trade and commerce during the mid-13th century and the ways in which this interacted with the expansion of Mongol territories. In the third module, we look at the military defeat of the Mongol Empire during the late-13th century, focusing on the Mongol defeats by the Mamluks and their eventual abandonment of their Near Eastern territories which bordered with the Mamluk Empire.

Causes of the Decline of the Mongol Empire

In this lecture, we consider the causes of the decline of the Mongol Empire, focusing in particular on: (i) the organisation of the Mongol Empire after the death of Genghis Khan, looking specifically at the creation of distinct Ulus which divided the empire between Genghis’ sons; (ii) the rising tensions between the Jochid Ulus and Hulagu during the 1250s; (iii) the establishment of the Ilkhanate, a new Mongol Ulus under the administration of Hulagu, and its military efforts against the Mamluk Sultanate during the 1260s; and (iv) the last Mongol campaigns, including their invasions into the Song Dynasty from 1267-79 and their subsequent invasions into Japan during the 1280s.