A timeline of the Mongol Empire from 1162 to 1368 CE — from Temüjin's birth to the fall of the Yuan Dynasty and the end of Mongol rule in China.
The future conqueror is born on the Mongolian steppe. Orphaned and abandoned, he will rise from exile to build history's largest land empire.
A great assembly of Mongol tribes proclaims Temüjin as Genghis Khan — 'Universal Ruler' — unifying the steppe peoples under one command.
Mongol armies invade and gradually conquer the Jin Dynasty, taking Beijing in 1215 and completing the conquest by 1234.
Genghis Khan annihilates the Khwarezmian Empire in Central Asia — cities like Bukhara, Samarkand, and Merv are sacked with devastating loss of life.
Genghis Khan dies during a campaign in China. His empire is divided among his sons, setting the stage for both expansion and future fragmentation.
Batu Khan's forces devastate Russia and Ukraine, destroying Kiev and establishing the Golden Horde's dominance over Russian principalities for centuries.
Mongol armies defeat Polish and Hungarian forces in separate battles. The death of Ögedei Khan recalls them east — Europe is spared by chance.
Hulagu Khan's forces destroy Baghdad, end the Abbasid Caliphate, and devastate the Islamic world's greatest center of learning.
Kublai Khan declares a new Chinese-style dynasty — the Yuan — with its capital at Dadu (Beijing), ruling the easternmost Mongol khanate.
The Venetian merchant Marco Polo reportedly arrives at Kublai Khan's court, beginning a 17-year stay that will produce history's most famous travel narrative.
The last Song resistance falls. For the first time in history, all of China is ruled by a foreign dynasty.
Chinese rebels under Zhu Yuanzhang expel the Mongols and found the Ming Dynasty, ending Mongol rule in China.