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Chapter 97: Divisions of the Empire and the Yuan Dynasty
However, the long-term existence of such a vast empire was not sustainble- the empire was simply far to large to continue existing as a stable realm, and the major population centres were far apart from each other both geographically and culturally. Therefore, it is not a surprise that eventually the empire will be partitioned amongst the heirs of the Great Khan. The cores around which the successor realms are to emerge are based upon pre-existant centres of civilization (1).
The empire has thus come to be divided into four parts: firstly, the Empire of the Great Khan, in Chinese sources known as the Yuan dynasty, is to cover much of Eastern Asia, spanning from Yunnan to Korea and the Mongol steppes, as far north as Lake Baikal. Then the central parts of Eurasia, based around ancient Sogdia, sometimes known as Neymenistan, to span on both sides of the Tengri mountains. Thirdly, the Ilkhanate, centred upon ancient Persia, including Khorasan (Parthia) and Mesopotamia. and lastly, the Qipchak in the northwest, to include the Cuman and Bolghar realms of old.
View attachment 529675
In terms of population, the Empire of the Great Khan was clearly the most populous, with the largest part of the population being ethnic Chinese (Han). Other important groups included the Koreans, the Tibetans and the Mongols. (2) The nomadic conquerors were however heavily outnumbered by the ethnic Chinese; the relatively small number of Mongols, and had to hold together should they manage to rule over such a vast number of people - the total population of the Empire could be around 80 million.
The Emperors of the Yuan dynasty had to find a way to accomodate to the Chinese culture, whilst still retaining their nomadic heritage as well. This was not as demanding as one may think it be, as the Mongolian (Naiman) sciety was far less sophisticated, and concepts or ways of dealing with situations that did not exist in the steppe could be just adopted straightforward from the Chinese.
View attachment 529700
The Emperor on a hunting expedition
The Yuan dynasty has chosen white as its imperial colour and metal as its dynastic metal. Metal succeeds, according to Chinese philosophy the element of earth, which had been chosen by the Jin dynasty of northern China (supposing that their rightful predecessors were the Jurchen conqerors, not the Song of the south). In comparison to the largely feudal Tang dynasty and the more meritocratic Song dynasty, the period of Yuan rule can be described as a time of "opening" of China to the world, a time of globalization. While keeping in place traditional imperial examinations, the Yuan dynasty recruited mainly the so-called Semu people in the administration. The Semu were not an ethnic group per se, rather they would be best described as a caste in the Yuan system.
There would be four castes:
View attachment 529706
The adoption of a phonetically based script also meant a shift from Classical to vernacular Chinese (called Baihua)
The Semu have brought with them skills in cartography, astronomy, medicine and also plants such as carrots, turnips, sugar or cotton, as well as lemons arrive to Eastern Asia. Western medicine, such as humorist therapy, as well as Assyrian classics have been translated to Chinjese and Nestorian monks have opened hospitals in a number of Chinese cities.
View attachment 529730
View attachment 529725
The Church of the East has established four new metropolitan provinces in China: Shaanxi, Sechuan, Henan and Hebei, corresponding with the administriative divisions of the Yuan Empire. The Beth Tuptaye province (blue) was renamed to to Gansu
As for religion, at first it appears, that the Yuan Emperors were favoring all religions, which they labelled as "western" - Buddhism, Nestorianism and Manicheism; while favouring Nestorian Christianity the most. Christianity at this point in time would flourish particularly in the northwest, especially in the Gansu province; and Manicheism in China was concentrated primarily in the coastal areas of the Jiangzho province. However, the gross majority of Chinese maintained a mix of folk, Confucian and Daoist beliefs. Buddhism was present in two forms: Mahayana, a predominantly Chinese form and Vajrayana, favoured in Tibet and Dongbei (4).
View attachment 529707
Administrative division of Yuan China
Ultimately, however, the later Yuan Emperors took up Buddhism as the state religion, as it already had a large number of adherents, and has been in close contact with the Chinese for a couple of centuries. The Emperors have however chosen the Tibetan variant, and Tibet itself was set aside under the Bureau of Buddhist and Tibetan Affairs; as were all the monasteries; Tibet was thus established as a de facto theocracy. Given the established model of institutional hierarchy present in both Manicheism and Christianity, and the functioning bureaucratic apparatus of China, it has become rather implicit that should the Yuan declare a state church, it will copy the hierarchical precedent of Christianity. With imperial favour going to Buddhism, they have antagonized the Semu communities (5); with the Nestorians being a solid majority in the army and commerce, practically controlling much of the Silk Road trade, and the Manicheans, who have had a long history of bad relations with Buddhists, due to the chameleon nature of Manichean preachers; and Manicheans (controlling most of the maritime trade) have already high unrest...
(1) And yes, it is the same as in OTL, with a Yuan dynasty and *Chagatai realm, the Ilkhanate and the Golden Horde
(2) While the Turkic speaking peoples generally migrated westwards to the other successor realms, it was the Khamag Mongol, the Buryats and the other linguistically related tribes of the east to come and rule over the vast regions of China
(3) Historically, this may be the reason of the rise of Marco Polo to such a prominent position OTL.
(4) Manchuria
(5) Who will develop a specific identity based upon their religion, like the Hui OZL
The empire has thus come to be divided into four parts: firstly, the Empire of the Great Khan, in Chinese sources known as the Yuan dynasty, is to cover much of Eastern Asia, spanning from Yunnan to Korea and the Mongol steppes, as far north as Lake Baikal. Then the central parts of Eurasia, based around ancient Sogdia, sometimes known as Neymenistan, to span on both sides of the Tengri mountains. Thirdly, the Ilkhanate, centred upon ancient Persia, including Khorasan (Parthia) and Mesopotamia. and lastly, the Qipchak in the northwest, to include the Cuman and Bolghar realms of old.
View attachment 529675
In terms of population, the Empire of the Great Khan was clearly the most populous, with the largest part of the population being ethnic Chinese (Han). Other important groups included the Koreans, the Tibetans and the Mongols. (2) The nomadic conquerors were however heavily outnumbered by the ethnic Chinese; the relatively small number of Mongols, and had to hold together should they manage to rule over such a vast number of people - the total population of the Empire could be around 80 million.
The Emperors of the Yuan dynasty had to find a way to accomodate to the Chinese culture, whilst still retaining their nomadic heritage as well. This was not as demanding as one may think it be, as the Mongolian (Naiman) sciety was far less sophisticated, and concepts or ways of dealing with situations that did not exist in the steppe could be just adopted straightforward from the Chinese.
View attachment 529700
The Emperor on a hunting expedition
The Yuan dynasty has chosen white as its imperial colour and metal as its dynastic metal. Metal succeeds, according to Chinese philosophy the element of earth, which had been chosen by the Jin dynasty of northern China (supposing that their rightful predecessors were the Jurchen conqerors, not the Song of the south). In comparison to the largely feudal Tang dynasty and the more meritocratic Song dynasty, the period of Yuan rule can be described as a time of "opening" of China to the world, a time of globalization. While keeping in place traditional imperial examinations, the Yuan dynasty recruited mainly the so-called Semu people in the administration. The Semu were not an ethnic group per se, rather they would be best described as a caste in the Yuan system.
There would be four castes:
- Naimans and Mongols (peoples from the Eastern Steppe, the core of the Naiman Empire)
- Semu (foreigners and people from western and central Asia; mostly Nestorian, to a lesser extent also Buddhist and Manichean)
- Han (not in an ethnic sense, but relating to all subjects of the later Jin Empire, including Jurchen and Koreans)
- Manzi (to decribe all subject peoples of the Song empire in Southern China).
View attachment 529706
The adoption of a phonetically based script also meant a shift from Classical to vernacular Chinese (called Baihua)
The Semu have brought with them skills in cartography, astronomy, medicine and also plants such as carrots, turnips, sugar or cotton, as well as lemons arrive to Eastern Asia. Western medicine, such as humorist therapy, as well as Assyrian classics have been translated to Chinjese and Nestorian monks have opened hospitals in a number of Chinese cities.
View attachment 529730
View attachment 529725
The Church of the East has established four new metropolitan provinces in China: Shaanxi, Sechuan, Henan and Hebei, corresponding with the administriative divisions of the Yuan Empire. The Beth Tuptaye province (blue) was renamed to to Gansu
As for religion, at first it appears, that the Yuan Emperors were favoring all religions, which they labelled as "western" - Buddhism, Nestorianism and Manicheism; while favouring Nestorian Christianity the most. Christianity at this point in time would flourish particularly in the northwest, especially in the Gansu province; and Manicheism in China was concentrated primarily in the coastal areas of the Jiangzho province. However, the gross majority of Chinese maintained a mix of folk, Confucian and Daoist beliefs. Buddhism was present in two forms: Mahayana, a predominantly Chinese form and Vajrayana, favoured in Tibet and Dongbei (4).
View attachment 529707
Administrative division of Yuan China
Ultimately, however, the later Yuan Emperors took up Buddhism as the state religion, as it already had a large number of adherents, and has been in close contact with the Chinese for a couple of centuries. The Emperors have however chosen the Tibetan variant, and Tibet itself was set aside under the Bureau of Buddhist and Tibetan Affairs; as were all the monasteries; Tibet was thus established as a de facto theocracy. Given the established model of institutional hierarchy present in both Manicheism and Christianity, and the functioning bureaucratic apparatus of China, it has become rather implicit that should the Yuan declare a state church, it will copy the hierarchical precedent of Christianity. With imperial favour going to Buddhism, they have antagonized the Semu communities (5); with the Nestorians being a solid majority in the army and commerce, practically controlling much of the Silk Road trade, and the Manicheans, who have had a long history of bad relations with Buddhists, due to the chameleon nature of Manichean preachers; and Manicheans (controlling most of the maritime trade) have already high unrest...
(1) And yes, it is the same as in OTL, with a Yuan dynasty and *Chagatai realm, the Ilkhanate and the Golden Horde
(2) While the Turkic speaking peoples generally migrated westwards to the other successor realms, it was the Khamag Mongol, the Buryats and the other linguistically related tribes of the east to come and rule over the vast regions of China
(3) Historically, this may be the reason of the rise of Marco Polo to such a prominent position OTL.
(4) Manchuria
(5) Who will develop a specific identity based upon their religion, like the Hui OZL
- Tomislav Addai
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