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Why Did The Mongol Attack Dbq

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In the late thirteenth century, Kublai Khan had set his sights on conquering all of Asia. With some nations added to his ever-growing empire, it was time for the young ruler to set his sights on conquering Japan. In 1271 and 1284, Khan sent large armies over to Japan in the hopes of invading said country. This was followed by diplomatic efforts to force Japan into submitting to Khan’s will. However, to the surprise of the Mongol army, they were unsuccessful. Although the samurai put up a strong defense against the Mongols, the invasions were imbued with a mysterious and mythical quality. What gives the invasions the mystical aspect is the sudden appearance of storms and typhoons that completely devastated Mongol fleets. After the invasions ended, the Japanese branded these storms as kamikaze. While many people attribute the failed Mongolian invasions to the kamikaze, the Japanese defeated the Mongols not because of the assistance of the storms, but because of the following reasons: the the Kamakura bakufu’s effectiveness in leading the samurai against the Mongols, the Mongol’s failed battle tactics and weapons, and the samurai’s superior fighting skills and battle gear. …show more content…

dissatisfaction Many samurai who fended off the Mongol invaders demanded that the bakufu recompense them for their service. The government paid the priests who claimed responsibility for summoning the kamikaze, instead. This only made many samurai vassals resent the government. While these failed invasions briefly allowed Japan to revel in the glory of the kamikaze, the cost of fighting, coupled with the lack of payment to the samurai, and sowed dissatisfaction among the warrior society are the factors that ultimately led to the gradual decline of the Kamakura

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