IIIF Color HighRes
National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
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| IIIF Color HighRes |
| The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.1 |
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Citation Information
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12 INTRODUCTION
; '
whose acquaintance with it was got by that channel.* The
Khitan, whose dynasty is known in Chinese history as the
Liao or " Iron," had been displaced in 1123 by the Chúrchés
or Niu-chen, another race of Eastern Tartary, of the same
blood as the modern Manchus, whose Emperors in their
brief period of prosperity were known by the Chinese name
of Tai-Kin, by the Mongol name of the Altun Kaans, both
signifying " Golden." Already in the lifetime of Chinghiz
himself the northern Provinces of China Proper, including
their capital, known as Chung-tu or Yen-King, now Peking,
had been wrenched from them, and the conquest of the dynasty
was completed by Chinghiz's successor Okkodai in 1234.
Southern China still remained in the hands of the native
dynasty of the Sung, who had their capital at the great city
now well known as Hang-chau fu. Their dominion was still
substantially untouched, but its subjugation was a task to
which Kúblái before many years turned his attention, and
which became the most prominent event of his reign.
I2. In India the most powerful sovereign was the Sultan
of Delhi, Nassir-uddin Mahmud of the Turki House of Iltit-
mish ; t but, though both Sind and Bengal acknow-
ala'
and ledged his supremacy, no part of Peninsular India
Indo-China.
had yet been invaded, and throughout the long period
of our Traveller's residence in the East the Kings of Delhi
had their hands too full, owing to the incessant incursions
of the Mongols across the Indus, to venture on extensive
campaigning in the south. Hence the Dravidian Kingdoms
of Southern India were as yet untouched by foreign conquest,
and the accumulated gold of ages lay in their temples and
treasuries, an easy prey for the coming invader. .
In the Indo-Chinese Peninsula and the Eastern Islands
a variety of kingdoms and dynasties were expanding and
contracting, of which we have at best but dim and shifting
glimpses. That they were advanced in wealth and art, far
* E.~~ , the Russians still call it Khitai. The pair of names, Kizilai and Machin, or Cathay and China, is analogous to the other pair, Seres and Sinae. Seres was the name of the great nation in the far East as known by land, Sinae as
known by sea ; and they were often supposed to be diverse, just as Cathay and China were afterwards.
t There has been much doubt about the true form of this name. Iltitinisli is that sanctioned by Mr. Blochmann (see Proc. As. Soc. Bengal, 187o, p. 180.
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