This is a timeline of the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368). The Yuan dynasty was founded by the Mongol warlord Kublai Khan in 1271 and conquered the Song dynasty in 1279. The Yuan dynasty lasted nearly a hundred years before a series of rebellions known as the Red Turban Rebellion resulted in its collapse in 1368 and the rise of the Ming dynasty.
Kublai Khan's early life 1210s Year Date Event 1215 23 September Kublai Khan is born to Tolui and Sorghaghtani Beki
1220s Year Date Event 1227 18 August Genghis Khan dies near the Jing River and Tolui becomes regent 1229 13 September Ögedei Khan is elected ruler of the Mongol Empire at a kurultai near the Kherlen River
1230s Year Date Event 1231 "Thunder crash bombs" are employed by Jin troops in destroying a Mongol warship. 1232 Tolui is struck by sickness and dies Reusable fire lance barrels made of durable paper are employed by Jin troops during the Mongol siege of Kaifeng. 1237 Large bombs requiring several hundred men to hurl using trebuchets are employed by Mongols in the siege of Anfeng (modern Shouxian, Anhui Province).
1240s Year Date Event 1241 11 December Ögedei Khan dies on a hunting trip after lengthy drinking and his wife Töregene Khatun becomes regent 1246 24 August Güyük Khan is elected ruler of the Mongol Empire at a kurultai on the Kherlen River 1248 20 April Güyük Khan dies on his way to confront Batu Khan and his wife Oghul Qaimish becomes regent
1250s Year Date Event 1251 1 July Möngke Khan is elected ruler of the Mongol Empire at a kurultai in the Khentii Mountains fall Möngke Khan places his brothers Hulagu Khan and Kublai Khan in charge of West Asia and China, respectively 1252 summer Möngke Khan places Kublai Khan in charge of the invasion of the Dali Kingdom fall Mongol forces depart from Shanxi and reach the Tao River Mongol forces under the Chinese general Wang Dechen advance into Sichuan and occupy Li Prefecture Kublai Khan advances with the main force towards the Dali Kingdom Niccolò and Maffeo Polo set off from Venice for China 1253 September Kublai Khan's forces set up headquarters on the Jinsha River in western Yunnan and march on Dali in three columns Mongol forces occupy Li Prefecture Kublai Khan is consecrated in the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism 1254 January The Dali Kingdom is conquered, although its dynasty remains in power, and the king, Duan Xingzhi, is later invested with the title of Maharajah by Möngke Khan; so ends the Dali Kingdom winter Kublai Khan returns to Mongolia and leaves Subutai's son Uryankhadai in charge of campaigns against local Yi tribes Kublai Khan starts building an independent power base in Henan and Jingzhao where Chinese-style government is implemented Mongol raids on the northern Song border intensify 1256 summer Möngke Khan declares war on the Song dynasty, citing imprisonment of Mongol envoys as casus belli Kublai Khan constructs a capital north of the Luan River 1257 Uriyangkhadai, son of Subutai, pacifies Yunnan and returns to Gansu winter Mongol invasions of Vietnam: Uriyangkhadai returns to Yunnan and invades the kingdom of Đại Việt ruled by the Trần dynasty Möngke Khan launches an investigation into Kublai Khan's activities and subjects officials in Henan and Shanxi to interrogation, executes Kublai's chief pacification officer in Shanxi, and imposes large levies on Shanxi 1258 Kublai Khan returns to Mongolia to placate his brother Möngke Khan dispatches an expedition to Korea, which subjugates Goryeo and brings back the future Wonjong of Goryeo as hostage spring Möngke Khan's forces reach Gansu Đại Việt recognizes Mongol suzerainty and Trần Thái Tông sends his son as hostage to the imperial court March Mongols capture Chengdu fall Möngke Khan's forces reach Li Prefecture 1259 The Korean hostage is sent back to Goryeo with Mongol escorts and becomes Wonjong of Goryeo January Möngke Khan's forces take Ya Prefecture February Siege of Diaoyu Castle: Möngke Khan's forces lay siege to Diaoyu Fortress July Siege of Diaoyu Castle: Möngke Khan calls off the siege of Diaoyu Fortress August Taghachar attacks Huainan 12 August Möngke Khan dies from dysentery or a wound inflicted by a Song trebuchet, forcing Mongol campaigns throughout Eurasia and China to come to a halt September Kublai Khan's forces cross the Yangtze and lays siege to Ezhou, however he receives news of Möngke Khan's death and Ariq Böke's mobilization, forcing hm to withdraw and deal with his brother
Division of the Mongol Empire 1260s Year Date Event 1260 5 May Kublai Khan convenes a kurultai at Kaiping, which elects him as ruler of the Mongol Empire; so ends the centralized Mongol Empire May Toluid Civil War: Ariq Böke proclaims himself great khan of the Mongol Empire at Karakorum Toluid Civil War: Berke of the Golden Horde allies with Ariq Böke and declares war on Hulagu Khan Alghu, a grandson of Chagatai Khan, deposes Mubarak Shah, an appointee to the Chagatai Khanate of the Mongol Empire Kublai Khan's envoy Hao Jing proposes that the Song dynasty acknowledge Kublai as Son of Heaven in return for autonomy and gets jailed Kublai Khan appoints Drogön Chögyal Phagpa as Imperial Preceptor Ajall Shams al-Din Omar, from Bukhara, is appointed a commissioner of a district in north China Kublai Khan issues three currencies but the paper Jiaochao, backed by silver, prevails; total value of paper money amounts to 73,352 silver ingots 1261 Kublai Khan sends funds to Li Tan of Shandong to make war on the Song dynasty Franks visit Kublai Khan's court at Shangdu 1262 22 February Mongol-allied warlord of Shandong, Li Tan, defects to the Song dynasty August Kublai Khan's Chinese generals Shi Tianze and Shi Chu crush Li Tan's forces and capture him; Li Tan is trampled to death by horses Berke–Hulagu war: Berke of the Golden Horde allies with the Mamluks and invades the Ilkhanate Kublai Khan prohibits nomads' animals from roaming on farmlands Ahmad Fanakati is appointed to the Central Secretariat to direct state finances 1263 Kublai Khan reestablishes the Privy Council to oversee the Imperial Bodyguards and KheshigThe Mongols establish an administration post at Nurgan (present-day Tyr, Russia) and force the submission of the Nivkh and the Udege 1264 30 November Mongol invasions of Sakhalin: The Mongols invade Sakhalin for the first time after Ainu attacks on their new allies the Nivkh Toluid Civil War: Kublai Khan defeats Ariq Böke Kublai Khan founds the Supreme Control Commission to administer Tibet and Buddhists 1265 Song dynasty and Mongol forces clash in Sichuan Niccolò and Maffeo Polo arrive at Kublai Khan's court Value of Jiaochao rises to 116,208 silver ingots 1266 9 July Kublai Khan appoints his son Nomukhan Beiping Wang (prince of the pacification of the north) Kublai Khan orders the construction of Daidu, known to the Chinese as Dadu, or Khanbalikh to the Turks 1267 Drikung Kagyu rebels against the Supreme Control Commission and Kublai Khan dispatches forces to crush them Kublai Khan orders the construction of an Imperial Ancestral Temple Kublai Khan designates Xu Heng as chancellor of the Guozijian Jamal ad-Din arrives in China and brings with him sundials, an astrolobe, a terrestrial globe, a celestial globe, and a more accurate calendar 1268 Battle of Xiangyang: Mongol forces under Aju lay siege to Xiangyang The rebellion in Tibet is suppressed and Drogön Chögyal Phagpa is reinstated along with a Mongol pacification commissioner Kublai Khan creates the "General Administration for the Supervision of Ortogh" (Muslim merchant association) to lend money at low interest to the ortogh 1269 Kaidu–Kublai war: Kaidu, a grandson of Ögedei Khan, rebels against Kublai Khan Sambyeolcho Rebellion: Im Yeon engineers a coup against Wonjong of Goryeo and Kublai Khan sends 3,000 troops to vanquish the rebels and reinstate Wonjong Drogön Chögyal Phagpa invents the 41 letter 'Phags-pa script, which Kublai Khan designates as the state script Niccolò and Maffeo Polo return to Europe
1270s Year Date Event 1270 Kublai Khan founds the Institute of Muslim Astronomy
Yuan dynasty 1270s Year Date Event 1271 Kublai Khan declares himself emperor of the Yuan dynasty and for the first time, annual sacrifices at the altars of Soil and Grain are done in the Chinese style Kublai Khan sends his son Nomukhan to garrison Almaliq Niccolò and Maffeo Polo as well as Marco Polo set off for China Chinese people start visiting Taiwan 1272 Battle of Xiangyang: Riverine relief forces use fire lances to repel boarders and break the Yuan blockade of Xiangyang 1273 March Battle of Xiangyang: Lü Wenhuan surrenders Xiangyang to Yuan summer Kublai Khan appoints Bayan of the Baarin as commander of the expeditionary forces Sambyeolcho Rebellion: The rebellion is defeated and Wonjong of Goryeo is reinstated, henceforth bringing Goryeo under Yuan as a tributary state; Yuan princesses are married into the Goryeo dynasty Kublai Khan breaks the Mongol custom of kurultai and designates his son Zhenjin as his successor Kublai Khan names Araniko Directorate General for the Management of Artisans 1274 Kublai Khan holds court at Daidu for the first time Mongol invasions of Japan: Kublai Khan sends an expedition of 15,000 Mongols, Chinese, and Jurchens along with 6,000 Koreans, as well as 7,000 Korean sailors to invade Japan. They take the islands of Tsushima and Iki before landing at Hakata Bay on the eastern coast of Kyushu. 19 November Battle of Bun'ei: The Japanese are losing at Hakata Bay until a large storm strikes. The Koreans recommend the Mongols to take shelter in their ships and head out to open sea until the storm subsides, which they do, and die. Several hundred ships are shattered and the expedition loses 13,000 lives. The remaining forces sail home. 1275 January Bayan's forces cross the Yangtze at Hankou March Bayan's forces meet Jia Sidao in battle at Dingjiao Prefecture and annihilate his force using artillery equipment Mongols conquer the Hanshui region Kublai Khan sends his wife's nephew Antong to assist his son Nomukhan Marco Polo arrives in China Rabban Bar Sauma and Rabban Markos set off from China for Jerusalem, eventually visiting the pope, Philip IV of France, and King Edward I in England 1276 Yuan army annihilates a Song army near modern Guichi District 22 March Lin'an surrenders to Yuan and Emperor Gong of Song is eventually moved to Dunhuang where he raises a family and becomes a monk Yuan general of Uyghur descent, Arigh Kaya, conquers Hunan and Guangxi Yuan commander Sodu occupies Fuzhou winter Kaidu–Kublai war: Mongol princes capture Nomukhan and Antong; Nomukhan is sent to the Golden Horde and Antong to Kaidu Fire lances are used by Song cavalry in combating Mongols. Value of Jiaochao rises to 1,419,665 silver ingots 1277 April Battle of Ngasaunggyan: A Yuan expedition led by Nasr al-Din to invade the Pagan Kingdom scores a victory but fail to capture their king, Narathihapate Muslim superintendent of Quanzhou Pu Shougeng defects to Yuan A suicide bombing occurs in China when Song garrisons set off a large bomb, killing themselves. 1278 February Yuan commander Sodu occupies Guangzhou 1279 19 March Battle of Yamen: Yuan fleet annihilates the Song fleet and Zhao Bing dies at sea; so ends the Song dynasty Kublai Khan defeats rebel princes in Mongolia
1280s