14. The fall of the Yuan dynasty

Khubilai died in February 1294 CE. Khubilai Khans sons and successors did not achieve anything worth remembering. Seven emperors of the family line took position of his throne in a swift succession in Beijing under a period of 38 years; several of them fell victims to palace revolts and died in an early age. Khubilai’s successors did not have the same strength as Khubilai; they weakened and became more and more assimilated into the Chinese culture. This was one of the reasons for the fall of the Yuan dynasty. But there were also some financial and social causes.

In the 1320’s CE a severe famine plagued the country (official source mention the number of the starving population to between 7 to 8 million people), which in turn created a hotbed for revolutionary moods. The first peasant revolt began in 1325 CE, led by people from the lower class of the population. The revolt was hardly aimed for the foreign rule, as it was but more towards the wealthy groups of the population, including the Chinese. The state showed itself incapable to stop the rebellion, mainly because the Mongolian army had been neglected and had receded both in numeral and disciplinary ways. The Chinese landlords, who feared the rebellious peasants plundering, saved the Yuan dynasty this time and organized private armed escorts, totally out of the control of the state, and so the revolt was crushed.

The next big wave of rebellion began in 1350’s CE, and led to the final fall of the Yuan dynasty. The dam structures along Huang Ho had broken in connection with a flooding and 170,000-force laborers were levied to repair them. Among these numbers there was an uprising in 1352 CE, which soon grew larger. The revolting masses are estimated to be 100,000 and were led just like before by members from the lower classes. The chief leader was son of a small farmer and an ex monk, Zhu Yuan-zhang.

When the government in Beijing met the rebellion by tighten up the nationality laws, it gave the consequence that the wealthier Chinese groups, the landowners and the lesser nobles, that had supported the Mongolians earlier now began to use the revolt to their advantage. They began to cooperate with the rebellious and lend them the help of their armed forces. The revolutionary-social uprising soon changed its character and remained hostile against foreigners and their goal became to expel the Mongolian dynasty. Zhu Yuan-zhang, in close liaison with the lesser nobles, drove away more and more of the foreign masters from the country and captured Beijing in 1368 CE. The last Mongolian emperor ran and Zhu Yuan-zhang exclaimed himself as an emperor. By this the farmer son became the founder of the national Ming dynasty. In 1370 CE, the last Yuan emperor died.

On to 15. Conclusion