Guo Kan (Chinese: 郭侃; pinyin: Guō Kǎn, 1217–1277 AD) was a Chinesegeneral who served the Mongol Empire in their conquest of China and the West. He descended from a lineage of Chinese generals. Both his father and grandfather served under Genghis Khan, while his forefather Guo Ziyi was a famous general of the Chinese Tang dynasty.[1]
Guo Kan became the first governor of Baghdad during Mongol rule and was instrumental in devising the strategy for the siege of Baghdad (1258). He served as a Mongol commander and was in charge of Chinese artillery units under the Yuan dynasty. He was one of the Han Chinese legions that served the Mongol Empire, and some of the later conquests of the Mongols were done by armies under his command. The biography of this Han commander in the History of Yuan said that Guo Kan's presence struck so much fear in his foes that they called him the "Divine Man".
Guo Kan was raised in the household of Prime Minister Shi Tianzhe (who was also a Han, and whose father and two brothers all served the Yuan dynasty).
Military legacyEdit
He took part in the final drive in the conquest of the Jin dynasty, including the capture of Kaifeng. He then helped Subutai conquer West Eurasia, Europe, and the Middle East and was appointed governor of Baghdad by Hulagu. At some point after Kublai Khan's accession as Khan, Guo Kan assisted Kublai Khan in the conquest of the Southern Song and ultimately the reunification of China under the Yuan dynasty.[2]
Middle East and EuropeEdit
He served Subutai in the conquest of Europe a few years following the fall of the Jin dynasty. He then served in Hulagu's conquest of the Middle East, playing a major role in the capture and battle of Baghdad, devising the strategy of using the dikes to drown the Caliph's army, and supervising the reduction of Baghdad's walls.[3] He was then appointed the first Ilkhanate Governor of Baghdad by Hulagu.[4][5][6][7][8]
Guo Kan took part in the final drive in the conquest of the Jin dynasty, including the capture of Kaifeng. He then helped Subutai conquer West Eurasia, Europe, and the Middle East and was appointed governor of Baghdad by Hulagu. At some point after Khubilai Khan's accession as Khan, Guo Kan assisted Khubilai Khan in the conquest of the Southern Song and ultimately the unification of China under the Yuan dynasty.[2] By this point the Mongol Yuan empire was nearly fully complete, stretching from China across Central Asia, Siberia, and the Middle East to Europe.
After Guo Kan returned to China with Hulagu Khan following Möngke Khan's death, Guo Kan helped Kublai Khan in the difficult conquest of Southern Song dynasty of Southern China. Khubilai's accession as becoming Khan allowed him to select the best Yuan Generals to serve him. Subutai and Jebe both died of old age, and Guo Kan was the last of the 'Gods of War', so the new Great Khan Khubilai assigned Guo Kan to command the final Yuan expedition and reunification of China.[10][page needed]
Guo Kan reportedly urged Khubilai to adopt a Han Chinese-style dynastic title, establish a capital and central government, and build schools. He reportedly was the general who proposed capturing Xiangyang as a strategy for invading the Southern Song. In 1262, he defeated Song forces in a battle at Xuzhou, and in 1266 urged Khubilai to establish military farms in Huaibei to provide supplies for an invasion of the Southern Song.[1] In 1268 and 1270 he suppressed local rebellions, and then he was sent to participate in the siege of Xiangyang. In 1276, the Song dynasty fell (except for the loyalist movement that lasted until 1279), and Guo served as a prefect for one more year before dying.
Guo Kan was a general who helped unify the massive Yuan Mongol empire. He played an important role in their conquests of all corners of the empire, from the east to west.
As an example of Mongol meritocracyEdit
More than any army in history until the 20th century, and more so than many even in the modern era, the Mongols promoted strictly on the basis of military skill and ability. Like his brother "dogs of war", Jebe, son of an ordinary warrior in a tribe which had opposed Genghis Khan in his unification of the nomads, and Subutai, son of a blacksmith, Guo Kan, ethnically Han, represented the revolutionary concept of promoting the sons of the most humble or non-Mongol born to command any of the Mongol nobility, including relatives of the Great Khan. Though Batu was nominally in charge of the conquest of Europe, it was Subutai who truly commanded.[11] Equally, Guo Kan devised the strategy that reduced the powerful walls of Bagdad in mere days, after destroying her small, but brave and disciplined army in mere hours by drowning them. Promotion by merit, not birth, was one of Genghis Khan's most important innovations, and Guo Kan, from an ethnic group of the Mongols' strongest rivals, was one of his prized generals, loyal to five generations of Great Khans.[10][page needed]
^Colin A. Ronan (1995). The Shorter Science and Civilisation in China. Vol. 5 of The Shorter Science and Civilisation in China: An Abridgement of Joseph Needham's Original Text (illustrated ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 250. ISBN0-521-46773-X. Retrieved 2011-11-28. Moreover, many Chinese were in the first wave of the Mongolian conquest of Iran and Iraq – a Chinese general, Guo Kan, was first governor of Baghdad after its capture in ad 1258. As the Mongols had a habit of destroying irrigation and
^Original from the University of Michigan Thomas Francis Carter (1955). The invention of printing in China and its spread westward (2 ed.). Ronald Press Co. p. 174. Retrieved 2011-11-28. The name of this Chinese general was Kuo K'an (Mongol, Kuka Ilka). He commanded the right flank of the Mongol army in its advance on Baghdad and remained in charge of the city after its surrender. His life in Chinese has been preserved
^Thomas Francis Carter (1955). The invention of printing in China and its spread westward (2 ed.). Ronald Press Co. p. 171. Retrieved 2010-06-28. Chinese influences soon made themselves strongly felt in Hulagu's dominions. A Chinese general was made the first governor of Baghdad,5 and Chinese engineers were employed to improve the irrigation of the Tigris-Euphrates basin
^Jacques Gernet (1996). A history of Chinese civilization. Cambridge University Press. p. 377. ISBN0-521-49781-7. Retrieved 2010-10-28. mongols chinese general baghdad.
^Lillian Craig Harris (1993). China considers the Middle East (illustrated ed.). Tauris. p. 26. ISBN1-85043-598-7. Retrieved 2010-06-28. The first governor of Baghdad under the new regime was Guo Kan, a Chinese general who had commanded the Mongols' right flank in the siege of Baghdad. Irrigation works in the Tigris-Euphrates basin were improved by Chinese engineers(Original from the University of Michigan)
^Biran, Michal; Brack, Jonathan; Fiaschetti, Francesca. Along the Silk Roads in Mongol Eurasia: Generals, Merchants, and Intellectuals. Univ of California Press. pp. 30–31. ISBN978-0-520-29875-0.
^ abSaunders, J.J.. "The History of the Mongol Conquests"
Reagan, Geoffry, The Guinness Book of Decisive Battles , Canopy Books, New York (1992)
Saunders, J.J., The History of the Mongol Conquests, Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd, 1971, ISBN0-8122-1766-7
Sicker, Martin, The Islamic World in Ascendancy: From the Arab Conquests to the Siege of Vienna, Praeger Publishers, 2000
Soucek, Svatopluk, A History of Inner Asia, Cambridge, 2000
October 21, 2023
chinese, 郭侃, pinyin, guō, kǎn, 1217, 1277, chinese, general, served, mongol, empire, their, conquest, china, west, descended, from, lineage, chinese, generals, both, father, grandfather, served, under, genghis, khan, while, forefather, ziyi, famous, general, c. Guo Kan Chinese 郭侃 pinyin Guō Kǎn 1217 1277 AD was a Chinese general who served the Mongol Empire in their conquest of China and the West He descended from a lineage of Chinese generals Both his father and grandfather served under Genghis Khan while his forefather Guo Ziyi was a famous general of the Chinese Tang dynasty 1 Guo KanGovernor of BaghdadIn office 1258 1259Succeeded byAta Malik JuvayniPersonal detailsBorn1217Died1277Military serviceAllegianceMongol Empire Ilkhanate Yuan dynastyRankGeneralBattles warsMongol Jin War Siege of Baghdad 1258 Battle of XiangyangIn this Chinese name the family name is Guo Guo Kan became the first governor of Baghdad during Mongol rule and was instrumental in devising the strategy for the siege of Baghdad 1258 He served as a Mongol commander and was in charge of Chinese artillery units under the Yuan dynasty He was one of the Han Chinese legions that served the Mongol Empire and some of the later conquests of the Mongols were done by armies under his command The biography of this Han commander in the History of Yuan said that Guo Kan s presence struck so much fear in his foes that they called him the Divine Man Contents 1 Birth and lineage 2 Military legacy 2 1 Middle East and Europe 2 2 China 3 As an example of Mongol meritocracy 4 Notes 5 ReferencesBirth and lineage EditGuo Kan was raised in the household of Prime Minister Shi Tianzhe who was also a Han and whose father and two brothers all served the Yuan dynasty Military legacy EditHe took part in the final drive in the conquest of the Jin dynasty including the capture of Kaifeng He then helped Subutai conquer West Eurasia Europe and the Middle East and was appointed governor of Baghdad by Hulagu At some point after Kublai Khan s accession as Khan Guo Kan assisted Kublai Khan in the conquest of the Southern Song and ultimately the reunification of China under the Yuan dynasty 2 Middle East and Europe Edit He served Subutai in the conquest of Europe a few years following the fall of the Jin dynasty He then served in Hulagu s conquest of the Middle East playing a major role in the capture and battle of Baghdad devising the strategy of using the dikes to drown the Caliph s army and supervising the reduction of Baghdad s walls 3 He was then appointed the first Ilkhanate Governor of Baghdad by Hulagu 4 5 6 7 8 According to the History of Yuan he was present in the siege of Maymun Diz during Hulegu s campaign against the Nizaris Guo Kan attacked the inaccessible fortress by catapults on mounts jiapao 9 China Edit Guo Kan took part in the final drive in the conquest of the Jin dynasty including the capture of Kaifeng He then helped Subutai conquer West Eurasia Europe and the Middle East and was appointed governor of Baghdad by Hulagu At some point after Khubilai Khan s accession as Khan Guo Kan assisted Khubilai Khan in the conquest of the Southern Song and ultimately the unification of China under the Yuan dynasty 2 By this point the Mongol Yuan empire was nearly fully complete stretching from China across Central Asia Siberia and the Middle East to Europe After Guo Kan returned to China with Hulagu Khan following Mongke Khan s death Guo Kan helped Kublai Khan in the difficult conquest of Southern Song dynasty of Southern China Khubilai s accession as becoming Khan allowed him to select the best Yuan Generals to serve him Subutai and Jebe both died of old age and Guo Kan was the last of the Gods of War so the new Great Khan Khubilai assigned Guo Kan to command the final Yuan expedition and reunification of China 10 page needed Guo Kan reportedly urged Khubilai to adopt a Han Chinese style dynastic title establish a capital and central government and build schools He reportedly was the general who proposed capturing Xiangyang as a strategy for invading the Southern Song In 1262 he defeated Song forces in a battle at Xuzhou and in 1266 urged Khubilai to establish military farms in Huaibei to provide supplies for an invasion of the Southern Song 1 In 1268 and 1270 he suppressed local rebellions and then he was sent to participate in the siege of Xiangyang In 1276 the Song dynasty fell except for the loyalist movement that lasted until 1279 and Guo served as a prefect for one more year before dying Guo Kan was a general who helped unify the massive Yuan Mongol empire He played an important role in their conquests of all corners of the empire from the east to west As an example of Mongol meritocracy EditMore than any army in history until the 20th century and more so than many even in the modern era the Mongols promoted strictly on the basis of military skill and ability Like his brother dogs of war Jebe son of an ordinary warrior in a tribe which had opposed Genghis Khan in his unification of the nomads and Subutai son of a blacksmith Guo Kan ethnically Han represented the revolutionary concept of promoting the sons of the most humble or non Mongol born to command any of the Mongol nobility including relatives of the Great Khan Though Batu was nominally in charge of the conquest of Europe it was Subutai who truly commanded 11 Equally Guo Kan devised the strategy that reduced the powerful walls of Bagdad in mere days after destroying her small but brave and disciplined army in mere hours by drowning them Promotion by merit not birth was one of Genghis Khan s most important innovations and Guo Kan from an ethnic group of the Mongols strongest rivals was one of his prized generals loyal to five generations of Great Khans 10 page needed Nasir al Din Tusi Rashid and Bar Hebraeus provide accounts of Hulagu s first governors in Baghdad 12 Notes Edit a b Prawdin Michael The Mongol Empire a b Hildinger Erik Warriors of the Steppe A Military History of Central Asia 500 B C to A D 1700 Amitai Preiss Reuven The Mamluk Ilkhanid War Colin A Ronan 1995 The Shorter Science and Civilisation in China Vol 5 of The Shorter Science and Civilisation in China An Abridgement of Joseph Needham s Original Text illustrated ed Cambridge University Press p 250 ISBN 0 521 46773 X Retrieved 2011 11 28 Moreover many Chinese were in the first wave of the Mongolian conquest of Iran and Iraq a Chinese general Guo Kan was first governor of Baghdad after its capture in ad 1258 As the Mongols had a habit of destroying irrigation and Original from the University of Michigan Thomas Francis Carter 1955 The invention of printing in China and its spread westward 2 ed Ronald Press Co p 174 Retrieved 2011 11 28 The name of this Chinese general was Kuo K an Mongol Kuka Ilka He commanded the right flank of the Mongol army in its advance on Baghdad and remained in charge of the city after its surrender His life in Chinese has been preserved Thomas Francis Carter 1955 The invention of printing in China and its spread westward 2 ed Ronald Press Co p 171 Retrieved 2010 06 28 Chinese influences soon made themselves strongly felt in Hulagu s dominions A Chinese general was made the first governor of Baghdad 5 and Chinese engineers were employed to improve the irrigation of the Tigris Euphrates basin Jacques Gernet 1996 A history of Chinese civilization Cambridge University Press p 377 ISBN 0 521 49781 7 Retrieved 2010 10 28 mongols chinese general baghdad Lillian Craig Harris 1993 China considers the Middle East illustrated ed Tauris p 26 ISBN 1 85043 598 7 Retrieved 2010 06 28 The first governor of Baghdad under the new regime was Guo Kan a Chinese general who had commanded the Mongols right flank in the siege of Baghdad Irrigation works in the Tigris Euphrates basin were improved by Chinese engineers Original from the University of Michigan Biran Michal Brack Jonathan Fiaschetti Francesca Along the Silk Roads in Mongol Eurasia Generals Merchants and Intellectuals Univ of California Press pp 30 31 ISBN 978 0 520 29875 0 a b Saunders J J The History of the Mongol Conquests Nicolle David The Mongol Warlords John Andrew Boyle The death of the last Abbasid caliph a contemporary Muslim account J Semitic Studies 1961 6 2 145 161References EditAmitai Preiss Reuven The Mamluk Ilkhanid War 1998 Chambers James The Devil s Horsemen The Mongol Invasion of Europe Atheneum New York 1979 ISBN 0 689 10942 3 Hildinger Erik Warriors of the Steppe A Military History of Central Asia 500 B C to A D 1700 Morgan David The Mongols ISBN 0 631 17563 6 Nicolle David The Mongol Warlords Brockhampton Press 1998 Prawdin Michael The Mongol Empire Reagan Geoffry The Guinness Book of Decisive Battles Canopy Books New York 1992 Saunders J J The History of the Mongol Conquests Routledge amp Kegan Paul Ltd 1971 ISBN 0 8122 1766 7 Sicker Martin The Islamic World in Ascendancy From the Arab Conquests to the Siege of Vienna Praeger Publishers 2000 Soucek Svatopluk A History of Inner Asia Cambridge 2000 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Guo Kan amp oldid 1162201437, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
