Kublai Khan
Grandson of Genghis Khan who proclaimed the Yuan dynasty in 1271, built his capital Dadu (Beijing) and conquered the Southern Song in 1279.
| Lived | 1215 – 1294 |
| Known as | Founder of the Yuan dynasty |
| Birthplace or main place | Beijing |
| Places on the map | Beijing, Karakorum, Hangzhou |
BeijingSee the world of Kublai Khan in the interactive map
Who ruled these places in his lifetime
| Place | At birth (map of 1200) | At death (map of 1200) |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing | Jin Empire | same |
| Karakorum | Mongol Empire | same |
| Hangzhou | Song Empire | same |
From the border maps nearest to each date; borders are approximate.
Events in his lifetime
| Year | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 1235 | Ögedei walls the city of Karakorum | Karakorum |
| 1254 | The Franciscan William of Rubruck arrives and debates the rival faiths | Karakorum |
| 1267 | Kublai Khan builds Dadu | Beijing |
| 1276 | Yuan troops enter Lin'an and the Southern Song court surrenders | Hangzhou |
Battles and sites of the time
Further reading
Contemporaries
| Lived | Person | |
|---|---|---|
| c. 1210 – 1291 | Saadi | Poet |
| 1207 – 1273 | Rumi | Poet and Sufi mystic |
| 1225 – 1274 | Thomas Aquinas | Theologian |
| 1254 – 1324 | Marco Polo | Merchant and traveller |
| 1194 – 1250 | Frederick II | Holy Roman Emperor and King of Sicily |
| 1265 – 1321 | Dante Alighieri | Poet |
| c. 1267 – 1337 | Giotto | Painter and architect |
Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.