CNN'S MILLENNIUM SERIES: THE 13TH CENTURY, THE CENTURY OF THE STIRRUP {THE THIRTEENTH CENTURY} {EPISODE 3} (TV)
Summary
One in this ten-part miniseries documenting historical events and developments around the world in the individual centuries of the past millennium. This episode focuses on the 13th century. In Mongolia, the east and west tribes feared one another until Genghis Khan rose to power and united the nation, believing that there should be one sovereign on Earth, like one God in heaven, and mobilized the people into an army. As a result, the Mongolian empire spread to become the hugest in fifty years, and remains the longest continuous land empire to this day. The Mongols were well-suited to a life of war, being nomads who did not rely on the land for food. They were a highly disciplined army that used psychological warfare, spreading rumors about their might prior to their arrival, and those they subjugated referred to them as “inhuman” because of their extreme violence and fervor. Khan invited “sage men” to assist him in his rule, and Chinese Taoist Chang Chun made the three-year journey to Khan’s city to offer advice. Once there, he learned that Khan desired eternal life, and Chun was forced to explain that it was impossible. However, Khan’s legacy endured well past his death in 1227, and he is still revered today. In Central Asia, Khan’s influence led to peace and order, and the introduction of new highways allowed for more trade. Merchants flourished, and stations sprang up to handle delivery of messages, like early post offices, and those delivering messages of extreme importance were given special rights. Westerners were still frightened of mysterious Asia, however, and a friar called William of Rubruck journeyed to Mongolian and recorded his fears of native demons in his diary as he gathered information for the king of France. Upon arriving in the capital city of Karakorum, however, he found a “cosmopolitan” community with considerable religious freedom amongst the people. The Khan’s successor, Möngke Khan, stated that there was one God, but many permissible faiths, and the Europeans documented the phenomenon with interest. In China, another descendent of Genghis’, Kublai Khan, was not as interested in warmongering as his grandfather, preferring to build for himself a lavish “pleasure dome” called Xanadu. Explorer Marco Polo came upon the palace and, impressed, stayed for seventeen years (and his writings eventually led to the famous poem by Samuel Coleridge, “Kubla Khan”). Khan also conquered China and built another grand hall in modern-day Beijing, much to the consternation of the people, who felt oppressed by his regime. They resisted through literature and plays, preserving their culture despite Khan’s attempts to make slaves of them. Khan also boasted an absurdly large household with many wives, slaves, concubines and children; his “senior wife” and mother were particularly influential. In 1281 he attempted to conquer Japan, but a typhoon destroyed his fleet and, distraught, he lost interest in ruling, eventually dying in 1294. His empire dissolved along with him, and the palace of Xanadu has been lost to time. Egypt was becoming the center of the Islamic world when an army of Mamluk (“slave”) soldiers, led by sultan Baibars, rose up and fought the Mongol invasion. The Mongols initially mocked the army, believing them to be of inferior stock, but the Mamluks defeated them soundly in the Battle of Ain Jalut and were considered the saviors of Islam. They secured the empire and ruled for the next 250 years, making Cairo the cultural center of the area. In Italy, many trade routes met in Venice, and when Marco Polo returned from Asia, he brought with him many new ideas and technological advances. Taken prisoner, he took the time to write a book about his discoveries, and the influence of Asia lead to a scientific revolution in Europe. Frederick II of Sicily in particular was known for his “curiosity,” although his experiments were often quite inhumane in their attempts to understand the human body. Encyclopedias were pieced together, and Peter of Maricourt performed extensive experiments on magnets as well as on the human eye, and made surprisingly accurate predictions about future inventions, including flying machines. During this time, God was portrayed in art as a scientist studying the world, and religion was affected as well: St. Francis of Assisi was revered for his respect of the earth and of natural elements as the “brothers and sisters” of humanity. Contains commercials.
Details
- NETWORK: CNN
- DATE: October 24, 1999 10:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:00:00
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:90859
- GENRE: Documentary
- SUBJECT HEADING: Pat Mitchell Collection, The; History
- SERIES RUN: CNN - TV, 1999
- COMMERCIALS:
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- TV - Promos - CNN "Millennium Series" website
- TV - Promos - CNN "Newsstand" program
- TV - Promos - CNN "Today" program
- TV - Promos - Life's "Millennium Series" companion book
CREDITS
- Pat Mitchell … Executive Producer
- Jeremy Isaacs … Executive Producer
- Jody Gottlieb … Coordinating Producer
- Vivian Schiller … Senior Producer
- Caroline Ross Pirie … Producer, Director
- Gillian Widdicombe … Associate Producer
- Xiaosong Atiyah … Assistant Producer
- Sarah Newman … Assistant Producer
- Henrietta Foster … Assistant Producer
- Peter Sommer … Assistant Producer
- Janina Stamps … Line Producer
- Neil Cameron … Series Producer
- Emma De'Ath … Series Producer
- Felipe Fernández-Armesto … Based on the book by
- Richard Blackford … Music by
- Ben Kingsley … Narrator
- Baibars
- Chang Chun
- Samuel Coleridge
- Frederick II of Sicily
- Saint Francis of Assisi
- Genghis Khan
- Kublai Khan
- Möngke Khan
- Marco Polo
- Peter of Maricourt
- William of Rubruck