A time-line of the MongolsWorld News | Politics | History | Editor(Copyright © 1999 Piero Scaruffi) |
450BC: Turkic-speaking tribes migrate from Siberia to the steppes north of the Aral and Balkash lakes where they give rise to the Huns 250BC: China repels an invasion by the turkic-speaking Hsiung-nu 220BC: the Hsiung-nu defeat the Yuezhi, who are forced to move south towards Iran and India 209BC: first Hun (Hsiung-nu?) state 200BC: the Hsiung-nu conquer northern and western China 48AD: the Chinese drove the Hsiung-nu out of China 50AD: the Xianbei (mounted archers) invade north China 350: the Chinese repelled an invasion by the Ruruan (Juan-Juan), who in turn drove the Hsiung-nu west toward the Ural Mountains and the Caspian Sea 350: the turkic-speaking Huns move west towards Europe, settling in the plains between the Ural and the Carpathian mountains 450: the mongolian Ruruan (Juan-Juan) empire controlled territories from Manchuria to lake Balkas 451: Attila invades the Roman empire 552: the turkic-speaking khanate of Boumin or Kok ("Khan of the blue Turks") defeats the Mongols and extends its empire from Manchuria to the Aral sea (Western and Eastern Khanate) 580: Tardu unifies the Turks 601: Turks under the command of Tardu siege China's capital Xian 629: the Chinese Tang begin anti-Turk campaigns 651: the Tang annex the Western Khanate 686: the mongolian Kitan from Manchuria raid China 744: the Chinese Tang dismantle the Turk empire 744: the turkic-speaking Uigurs, thanks to their alliance with the Tang, conquer the Eastern Khanate and expand from Lake Balkash to Lake Baykal, with capital in Kara-Balgasun (first turkic alphabet) 745: the turkic-speaking Uigur empire is founded in Mongolia 846: the Kirghiz drive the Uighurs west to the Tarim Basin 925: the mongolian Kitan expand towards eastern Mongolia (driving away the kyrgiz), most of Manchuria (their homeland, where they ruled over the Jurchen), and most of northern China, and establish the Liao dynasty 1100: the turkic-speaking Seldjuks expand in Persia, Mesopotamia and Turkey 1115: the Jurchen (Manchu) overrun the Kitan and found the Jin dynasty 1124: Yeh-lu Ta-shih leads the remnants of the Kitan army to found the Karakitai dynasty (Western Liao) 1130: the Kitan are driven southwest, defeat the Seljuk and establish the Karakitai state 1135: Mongols led by Kabul Khan raid northern China 1141: the Karakitai defeat the Seljuqs at the battle of Qatwan, thus destroying Seljuq power in Central Asia 1190: Temujin (Genghis Khan) Becomes king of the Mongols 1206: Temujin (Genghis Khan) unifies all mongol and tatar tribes 1210: Temujin (Genghis Khan) conquers the kingdom of Xi Xia 1215: Temujin (Genghis Khan) conquers the kingdom of the Jin/Jurchen 1218: the Mongols conquer the kingdom of Kara-Khitai (Kitan/Liao) 1219: Temujin (Genghis Khan) conquers the Khwarizm/Khwarezmian empire (Uzbekistan) of Ali ad-Din Muhammad 1220: the Mongols conquer Merv (Turkmenistan) 1221: the Mongols conquer Herat (Afghanistan), while an expedition led by Jebe and Subedei venture west into the Caucasus and Russia, signing a peace treaty with Venice 1223: Jebe's and Subedei's western Mongol expedition defeats a coalition of Russian princes on the Kalka river and then the Bulgars, but then retreats 1224: Genghis Khan splits his empire into khanates ruled by his four sons Jochi (western part), Ogedei (southern Siberia and western Mongolia), Chaghatay (Transoxania and Kara-Khitai), Tolui (the traditional Mongol lands) 1225: Jochi dies and his son Batu inherits his khanate and assigns the eastern part to his brother Orda 1226: the Jurchen invade northern China and Korea 1226: Genghis Khan attacks the Soong state 1227: Genghis Khan dies and is succeeded by Ogedei who rules over Chaghatay's khanate in West Turkestan, Tolui's Eastern Mongolia, Batu's Blue Horde in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, and Orda's White Horde in Kazakhstan 1231: the Mongols invade Korea 1235: Ogedei moves the Mongol capital to Karakorum (Tumen Angalant palace) 1237: the Mongols, led by Batu and Subedei, destroy the northern Bulgars and invade Russia (Riazan, Suzdal) 1238: the Mongols, led by Batu and Subedei, take Valdimir 1240: Batu's Mongols ("blue horde") take Kiev and Chernigov 1241: Mongols under the command of Chagatai's son Baidar and Ogedei's son Kadan invade Poland and defeat a joint army of Henry of Slesia and the Teutonic Knights at the battle of Legnica/Liegnitz/Wahlstatt while Kuyuk's Mongols destroy the army of Transylvania and Batu's and Subedei's Mongols defeat the Hungarian army at the battle of Mohi/Muhi 1241: Ogedei puts Baiju in charge of the expansion in Persia 1241: Ogedei dies, the Mongols retreat from Europe and Ogedei's widow Toregene takes over as regent 1241: Batu's younger brother Shayban raids Hungary and then splits, establishing the Shaybanid Horde 1242: Batu establishes his capital at Sarai on the Volga 1246: the papal envoy Giovanni da Pian del Carpine brings a message to the Mongol chief 1246: Ogedei's son Guyuk/Kuyuk, a baptized Christian, becomes the third grand khan (khagan) 1246: Kuyuk puts general Eljigidei in charge of a campaign into Syria and Iraq, replacing Baiju 1251: Tolui's son Mongke/Mangku becomes the fourth grand khan (khagan) 1251: Mangku's brother Hulegu, married to a Christian, leads the Mongol invasion of Persia and establishes the Ilkhanate 1253: Hulegu's army leaves from Karakorum towards Syria 1254: Flemish Franciscan friar Wilhelm of Rubruck visits Mangku in Karakorum (the first westerner to describe the Mongol capital) 1255: Batu dies and is succeeded by his Christian son Sartak 1256: Sartak dies and is succeeded by his uncle Berke, a Muslim convert 1256: Hulegu invades Syria and destroys the Ismaili order of the Assassins 1257: Mongols led by Mangku's brother Kublai conquer China all the way to Hanoi 1258: Hulegu's Christian army defeats the Abbasids and capture Bagdhad, which becomes the capital of the Ilkhanate, and return Damascus to Christianity 1259: Berke's Mongols under general Burundai defeat Danylo of Galicia and Mendovg of Lithuania and raid Poland 1259: Mangku dies and both Hulegu and Berke have to abandon their campaigns for the election of the new grand khan (khagan) that pits two of Mangku's (and Hulegu's) brothers, Ariq Boke (supported by Berke) and Kublai (supported by Hulegu) 1260: while Hulegu is traveling to Karakorum for the election of the new grand khan (khagan), the Mamluks defeat the Christian army of the Mongols at the battle of Ain Jalut, annex Syria and expel the last Crusaders 1260: Kublai is appointed khagan with Hulegu's support and declares Buddhism the state religion 1262: Berke's Mongols ally with the Mamluks of Egypt against Hulegu's Mongols and invade Georgia 1263: Hulegu assumes the title of "Ilkhan" as ruler of Persia 1264: Kublai captures Ariq Boke, thus ending the Mongol infighting 1265: Hulegu dies and is succeeded by his son Abaka, who kills Berke in battle and moves the capital to Tabriz 1266: Berke's son Timur-Mangku becomes the new leader of the Golden Horde in Russia 1267: Kublai Khan moves the Mongol capital to Dadu (Beijing) and founds the Yuan dynasty 1271: prince Edward of England allies with Abaka's Mongols but they are defeated by Baybars' Mamluks 1274: Kublai Khan fails to invade Japan 1277: the Mongols invade Burma 1280: Abaka's Mongols invade Syria but are defeated again by the Mamluks at the battle of Hims 1282: the new Shaybanid khan Uzbek converts the Shaybanid horde to Islam and his horde becomes known as the Uzbeks 1282: Abaka dies and is succeeded by his Muslim brother Taghudar as leader of the Il-khanate 1284: the Uighur empire is absorbed into the Chagatai Khanate 1284: Taghudar is overthrown by Abaka's Buddhist son Argun as leader of the Il-khanate 1285: the Golden Horde launches another campaign in Eastern Europe 1287: the Golden Horde fails to conquer Eastern Europe and retreats 1293: Kublai Khan fails to invade Java 1294: Kublai Khan dies and the empire fragments in khanates: Sarai in the west (descendants of Batu, the "Golden Horde"), Beijing in the east (the Yuan), Sultaniyeh in Persia (the Ilkhan Sultanate, descendants of Hulegu) and the Chaghatai Khanate in the center 1295: Argun dies and his son Ghazan, the new Ilkhan, converts to Islam 1299: The Delhi Sultanate of Alauddin Khalji defeats the Mongols of Qutlugh Khwaja at the Battle of Kili 1304: Oljeitu, the Ilkhan, proclaims himself a shiite 1304: Mongols under Ali Beg invade India but are repelled by the Delhi sultanate 1313: warlord Uzbek leads a group of Islamic Mongols in Central Asia 1316: Oljeitu, the Ilkhan, builds a new capital, Sultaniyeh, and his own domed mausoleum 1327: Chagatay khan Tarmashirin converts to Islam 1328: the Mongols invade India but are repelled by the Delhi sultanate 1335: Abu Said dies and the Ilkhan khanate ends 1342: Shaybanid khan Uzbek dies 1350: the Shaybani horde (southeast of the Urals) renames itself Uzbek 1365: the turkic-speaking Aksak Temur/Timur/Tamerlane overthrow the Chaghatai khanate and conquers Persia 1368: the Ming dynasty is founded by a Chinese peasant and former Buddhist monk turned rebel, Chu Yuanchang, under whose leadership China regains independence from the Mongols 1370: Timur makes Samarkand his capital 1378: union of White Horde and Blue Horde into the Golden Horde (Kipchak Khanate) under Toqtamish, with capital in Sarai Berke 1380: Dmitrii Danilovic of Moscow, leading a coalition of Russian cities (except Tver and Novgorod), defeats the Mongols at Kulikovo 1384: Timur captures Herat and Sultaniyeh (the Ilkhan) 1388: the Ming defeat the Yuan and destroy Karakorum 1391: Timur defeats the "Golden Horde" and reaches the Black Sea 1395: Timur sacks Baghdad 1395: the Khazak horde seizes Khazakstan from the Chagatai and Golden hordes 1398: Timur invades India and sacks Delhi, causing demise of the Delhi Sultinate 1400: Timur/Tamerlane lays siege to Damascus 1402: Timur defeats the Ottomans at Ankara and captures Ottoman sultan Beyazid I who dies in captivity 1405: Timur dies (buried in Samarkand) on his way to conquer China and his empire disintegrates 1407: Timur's son Shah Rukh re-conquers most of Timur's empire 1409: Shah Rukh moves the Timurid capital to Herat 1417: Shah Rukh is succeeded by his son Ulugh Beg in Transoxania, a patron of art, philosophy, music and science 1420: Ulugh Beg begins to build the Registan in Samarkand 1430: part of the Golden Horde splits off to form the Khanate of the Crimea under Hajji Giray Khan 1440: the Uzbeks move south to Transoxiana under Abu al-Khayr 1449: Ulugh Beg, who is ruling over Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and southern Kazakhstan, is murdered by his own son Abdal-Latif Mirza 1445: part of the Golden Horde splits off to form the Khanate of Kazan 1451: Abu Said rules the Timurids 1451: Muhammad Shaybani becomes the khan of the Uzbeks 1460: the Turcomans invade Persia and Mesopotamia 1466: Dayan Khan unifies the Mongolian tribes again in Mongolia 1466: part of the Golden Horde splits off to form the Khanate of Astrakhan, that rules over Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan 1468: the Kazaks split from the Uzbeks, who become Shaybanid with capital in Bukhara (descendants of Shayban, grandson of Genghis Khan) 1469: Abu Said dies and the western Timurid empire (the Ilkhan) dissolves while Timurid sultan Husayn Bayqara turns Herat into a Turkish literary center 1473: The Ottomans defeat the White Horde of Mongol khan Uzun Hasan and conquer Anatolia west of the Euphrates 1478: Husayn Bayqara rules the Timurids from Herat 1480: Ivan III liberates Russia from the Mongols 1497: Babur, a Turkic descendant of both Genghis Khan and Timur, becomes the ruler of Ferghana and founds the Mughal (Mogul) dynasty 1500: the Uzbeks cross the Syr Darya river and enter Transoxiana 1502: the Golden Horde is destroyed by the Crimean Khanate 1504: Babur conquers Kabul 1505: the Shaybanid Horde (Uzbeks) under Muhammad Shaybani expel the Timurids from Transoxiana and capture Samarkand 1506: the Uzbek Shaybanids capture Bukhara (Uzbekistan) and Herat (Afghanistan), bringing to an end the Timurid dynasty and forcing Babur to flee 1510: the Uzbek khan Muhammad Shaybani dies in battle against the Safavids at Merv 1514: under the eastern Chagataid Khan Sayid the capital moves from Ili to Kashgar 1522: Babur captures Kandahar 1526: Babur captures Delhi from Ibrahim, the sultan of Delhi, and founds the Mogul empire in India 1530: Babur dies and his son Humayun succeeds him 1538: Abdullah Shaybanid II expands the Shaybanid (Uzbek) empire and moves the capital to Bukhara 1540: Babur's son Humayun loses the empire to Afghan Leader Sher Shah and goes into exile in Persia 1543: Dayan dies and the Mongol empire disintegrates again 1552: Russian conquers the khanate of Kazan 1555: the Mogul king Humayun reconquers India 1556: Russian conquers the khanate of Astrakhan 1556: the Mogul king Humayun dies and his son Akbar becomes the ruler of India 1578: Altan Khan converts to Buddhism 1598: Abdullah Shaybanid II of the Uzbeks dies and the Astrakhanid dynasty inherits power in Transoxiana, retaining the in Bukhara 1619: the Shaybanid (Uzbek) khan Yalangtush Bahador begins construction of the Sher Dor madrasa in Samarkand's Registan 163#: the Oyrats conquer the Kazaks 1646: the Uzbeks begin construction of the Tilla Kari madrasa in Samarkand's Registan 1731: Russians help the Kazaks against the Oyrats and de facto annexes Kazakstan 1740: the Astrakhanid dynasty collapses 1776: Timur Shah Durrani moves the Durrani capital from Kandahar to Kabul 1858: collapse of the Mogul empire in India |
(Excerpted mainly from this page) |
(Copyright © 1999 Piero Scaruffi) |