The Yuan dynasty or Great Yuan, was the dynasty of Mongolia established by Kublai Khan, leader of the Mongolian Borjigin clan and grandson of Genghis Khan.
The Yuan dynasty was the ninth-largest empire by maximum land area (11.0 million sq km). Yuan Dynasty rules Mongolia / Tibet / Korea/Chine between 1271 and 1368 and succeeded by Ming dynasty, Northern Yuan dynasty, Phagmodrupa Dynasty and Goryeo.
How Yuan Dynasty was founded
Prior to Kublai Khan the Mongols had ruled territories including today's North China for decades but not until 1271 when Kublai Khan officially proclaimed the dynasty in the traditional Chinese style.
- Kublai moved the Mongol capital from Karakorum in Mongolia to Khanbaliq in 1264 (now modern Beijing)
- In 1271, Kublai formally claimed the Mandate of Heaven and declared that 1272 was the first year of the Great Yuan
