Medieval Chinese Armies 12601520 (Osprey Men-at-Arms #251)

In 1271, Kubilai, ruler of the Mongol Empire, proclaimed himself the first Emperor of the Yüan dynasty. Within a few years he was to gain control of the rest of China, in effect giving China unity and independence under an alien dynasty. His reign endured until 1368, when the native Ming dynasty came to power. Focusing on these two regimes, this text explores the history, organization and tactics of the Yüan and Ming armies from 1260-1520. Numerous illustrations and colour plates portray the weapons and uniforms of the Chinese troops in vivid detail. The traditional Western view of Chinese history as a series of cycles, in which dynasties rose and fell against a background of institutions which changed little over the centuries, was to a large extent shared by the Chinese themselves, who liked to base their political systems on idealised precedents dating back to the Golden Age of the Chou dynasty. Covers the history of the Chinese army from the accession of the great Mongol Khan, Kublai, to the time when European weaponry was introduced. This volume details the equipment and uniforms during the Yuan dynasty, the civil wars of the 14th century, and the campaigns to expel the Mongols.