On This Day
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Mongol Emperor Kublai Khan renames his empire "Yuan" (元 yuán), marking the start of the Yuan Dynasty of China

The Yuan dynasty, officially the Great Yuan, was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division.

The Yuan dynasty, officially the Great Yuan, was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai (Emperor Shizu or Setsen Khan), the fifth khagan-emperor of the Mongol Empire from the Borjigin clan, and lasted from 1271 to 1368 AD. In Chinese history, the Yuan dynasty followed the Song dynasty and preceded the Ming dynasty.

Although Genghis Khan's enthronement as Khagan in 1206 was described in Chinese as the Han-style title of Emperor and the Mongol Empire had ruled territories including modern-day northern China for decades, it was not until 1271 that Kublai Khan officially proclaimed the dynasty in the traditional Han style, and the conquest was not complete until 1279 when the Southern Song dynasty was...

Historical Significance

The Yuan dynasty, officially the Great Yuan, was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division.

Key People

Kublai Khan

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Events Before

  1. Synod of Breslau orders Jews of Silesia to wear special cone shaped hats as a means of identification, the traditional g

    Synod of Breslau orders Jews of Silesia to wear special cone shaped hats as a means of identification, the traditional garb had become less prevalent

  2. Conradin, the last legitimate male heir of the German Hohenstaufen dynasty of kings and Holy Roman Emperors, is executed

    Conradin, the last legitimate male heir of the German Hohenstaufen dynasty of kings and Holy Roman Emperors, is executed with Frederick I, Margrave of Baden, by Charles I of Sicily

  3. Battle of Wesenberg: Livonian Brothers of the Sword fight the forces of Novgorod and Pskov, led by Dmitry of Pereslavl n

    Battle of Wesenberg: Livonian Brothers of the Sword fight the forces of Novgorod and Pskov, led by Dmitry of Pereslavl near Rakvere in modern-day Estonia; both sides claim victory

  4. The Principality of Antioch, a crusader state, falls to the Mamluk Sultan Baibars in the Battle of Antioch

    The Principality of Antioch, a crusader state, falls to the Mamluk Sultan Baibars in the Battle of Antioch

  5. The Eighth Crusade and siege of Tunis ends by agreement between Charles I of Sicily, brother to King Louis IX of France,

    The Eighth Crusade and siege of Tunis ends by agreement between Charles I of Sicily, brother to King Louis IX of France, who had died months earlier, and the sultan of Tunis

Events After

  1. Beauvais Cathedral's choir and transept, designed to be the largest French Gothic cathedral ever built, is completed

    Beauvais Cathedral's choir and transept, designed to be the largest French Gothic cathedral ever built, is completed

  2. Count Rudolf van Habsburg becomes the first King of the Germans

    The House of Habsburg, also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and European influenced polities.

  3. Around 1,000 soldiers of the Mongol army land on the Japanese island of Tsushima in the first attack of Kublai Khan's Mo

    Around 1,000 soldiers of the Mongol army land on the Japanese island of Tsushima in the first attack of Kublai Khan's Mongol invasion of Japan

  4. Second Council of Lyon (14th ecumenical council) opens, convened by Pope Gregory X

    The Second Council of Lyon was the fourteenth ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church, convoked on 31 March 1272 and convened in Lyon, Kingdom of Arles (in modern France), in 1274.

  5. Mongol army lands at Hakata Bay in Japan during their first invasion attempt and are defeated; a typhoon destroys most o

    Mongol army lands at Hakata Bay in Japan during their first invasion attempt and are defeated; a typhoon destroys most of their fleet as they withdraw

More from the 1270s

Mongolian victory at the naval Battle of Yamen ends the Song Dynasty in China

The Battle of Yamen, also known as the Battle of Yashan, was a naval battle which took place in southern China on 19 March 1279.

BC Ramesses II, also known as Ramesses the Great becomes Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt's 19th Dynasty

BC Ramesses II, also known as Ramesses the Great becomes Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt's 19th Dynasty

Around 1,000 soldiers of the Mongol army land on the Japanese island of Tsushima in the first attack of Kublai Khan's Mo

Around 1,000 soldiers of the Mongol army land on the Japanese island of Tsushima in the first attack of Kublai Khan's Mongol invasion of Japan

Nichiren, a Japanese Buddhist monk, founder of Nichiren Buddhism, inscribes the Dai-Gohonzon

Nichiren was a Japanese Buddhist monk and philosopher of the Kamakura period. His teachings form the basis of Nichiren Buddhism, a unique branch of Japanese Mahayana Buddhism based on the Lotus...

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on December 18, 1271?
The Yuan dynasty, officially the Great Yuan, was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai (Emperor Shizu or Setsen Khan), the fifth khagan-emperor of the Mongol Empire from the Borjigin clan, and lasted from 1271 to 1368 AD. In Chinese history, the Yuan dynasty followed the Song dynasty and preceded the Ming dynasty.
Why is Mongol Emperor Kublai Khan renames his empire "Yuan" (元 yuán), marking the st... significant?
The Yuan dynasty, officially the Great Yuan, was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division.
Who was involved in Mongol Emperor Kublai Khan renames his empire "Yuan" (元 yuán), marking the st...?
Key figures include Kublai Khan.

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December 18 in HistoryYear 1271