.......DATE.............	...............................EVENT............................. ..............
CENTRAL ASIAN NOAMDS BEFORE THE MONGOLS
200-450	Barbarians from central Asia overwhelmed the western Roman empire
1055	Turks from east of the Aral Sea invaded the Muslim world and founded the Seljuk line of sultans
THE RISE OF THE MONGOLS
1206	A Mongol chief named Temujin (1162-1227) was proclaimed the supreme ruler of the Mongols ("Genghis Khan")
1026-1233	Genghis Khan led conquests from northern China to Persia and the Caspian Sea
1227	Genghis Khan died in battle at the siege of Hsingchungfu, the capital of West Hsia (China)
1227	Genghis Khan's son Og”dei was chosen by Mongol clan leaders to become the new khan
1235	The second wave of Mongol conquest began in 1235 under Genghis Khan's son Og”dei (ruled 1227-1241).
1237-1240	Genghis Khan's grandson Batu and another general named Subotai led armies to the west which conquered Russia and established the Khanate of the Golden Horde
1241	A Mongol army under Batu continued into Hungary and forced King Bela IV to flee to the Adriatic Sea. However, Batu's army withdrew from Europe in 1241 when Og”dei died, and Batu returned to join the other khans in the selection of a new supreme ruler.
1244	A Mongol army led by Subotai conquered Anatolia in 1244 and linked up with Crusader king of Constantinople
1251	In 1251, the sons of Tuli (another son of Genghis Khan) took control of Mongol succession.
1251-1259	Mangu (Hulagu) Khan (1217- r1251-1259) took Persia, Syria and Mesopotamia
1258	The Mongols under Mangu sacked the Muslim Seljuk capital at Baghdad and executed the caliph.
STABILITY AND DECLINE IN THE MONGOL WORLD
1260	First Muslim victory against the Mongols achieved by Fatimid Mamluks at Ain Jalut in Syria
1260	Mangu's brother, Kublai Khan, became the Mongol leader
1275-1295	Venetian trader Marco Polo lived in the Mongol Empire
1279	Mongols completed the conquest of southern China and established the Chinese Yuan dynasty which lasted until 1368
1294	Kublai Khan died
1295	Mangu's descendant Ghazan converted to Islam in 1295, rather than Christianity, because it was the "stronger" religion.
1368	Kublai Khan's sons were incompetent leaders, so a peasant and former monk named Hung Wu led a rebellion that ended the Yuan dynasty and founded the Chinese Ming dynasty
EUROPEANS VISITS TO THE MONGOLS
1160-1173	A rabbi named Benjamin of Tudela (Navarre) traveled as far as China.
1245-1247	A monk named John of Pian de Carpine visited the Mongol capital at Karakorum and tried to establish an alliance with the Mongols against Islam.
1253-1255	A noble named William of Rubruck, sent by Saint Louis of France, visited the Khan's court.
1255-1266	The Polo brothers, Nicolo and Maffeo, Venetian Black Sea traders, made their first trip to the Mongol Empire. They reached China and returned with a letter from the Mongol emperor to the Roman pope in 1269.
1271-1295	The Polo brothers made a second trip to the Mongol Empire, accompanied by Nicolo's 17-year old son Marco (1254-1324).
1297	The Polo brothers and Marco Polo returned to Europe by sea, but were captured by forces from Genoa, which was at war with Venice. Marco wrote Book of Various Experiences, an account of the Mongol world, while imprisoned in Genoa.