Wars, politics & history

Birth of Kublai Khan

23 September 1215

Kublai Khan was born on 23 September 1215 in Mongol Empire. The founder of the Yuan dynasty and grandson of Genghis Khan, Kublai became the Great Khan of the Mongol Empire in 1260 after a struggle with his brother Ariq Boke. He completed the conquest of southern China by defeating the Song dynasty in 1279, thereby unifying the country under foreign rule, and he established his capital at Dadu, now Beijing. His reign saw trade and cultural exchange along the Silk Road, which Marco Polo described, although his invasions of Japan and Java failed. The Mongol Empire fragmented into separate khanates, and he was the last of the Great Khans to hold effective authority over the whole.

Open on the timeline

Before and after

More in Wars, politics & history

The era

This moment belongs to the Medieval world (500 CE to 1500 CE), kingdoms, faiths and trade routes. You can also browse everything in the 13th century.