Kublai Khan died on 18 February 1294 in Khanbaliq, aged 78. 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.
Before and after
- 1291Construction of Strängnäs Cathedral
- from 4 April 1291 to 18 May 1291Siege of Acre
- 1 August 1291Founding of Switzerland
- from 1293 to 1527Majapahit
- 18 February 1294Death of Kublai Khan
- from 19 May 1294 to 20 May 1303Gascon War
- from 1296 to 1357Wars of Scottish Independence
- 8 September 1296Construction of Florence Cathedral
- 8 January 1297Founding of Monaco
More in Wars, politics & history
- from 1095 to 1291Crusades
- 27 November 1095Pope Urban II calls the First Crusade
- 1206Temujin is proclaimed Genghis Khan
- 1212Children's Crusade
- from 18 July 1270 to 30 October 1270Eighth Crusade
- from 24 May 1337 to 9 October 1453Hundred Years' War
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.