Kublai Khan was born in 1216; he was the grandson of the great conqueror Genghis Khan. Kublai founded the Mongol or Yuan Dynasty that ruled China from 1279 to 1368. He began to play a major role in the consolidation of Mongol power in 1251. Kublai was the son of Tolui and brother of the fourth Great Khan, Manghu. He conquered Yunnan and Annam, but when Manghu died he became ruler of the Mongol empire. He was also known as being a great Mongol military leader. Between 1260 and 1279 he was successful in driving the Kin Tatars out of northern China.
             In 1264 Kublai established his own capital in Cambulac. He relinquished all the claims to the parts of the Mongol empire outside China. Kublai also undertook many foreign wars in attempts to enforce tribute claims on neighboring states. For the first time in Chinese history a " barbarian" people had conquered.
             His name was known all over Asia and also in Europe. The court at Cambulac attracted an international group of courageous men. One of these men included the famous Venetian Marco Polo. Kublai Khan did much to encourage the advancement of literature and arts as well. He was a devout Buddhist. Kublai also made Buddhism the state religion during his dynasty. Although Buddhism was the main religion, during his reign many other religions evolved and were tolerated. Kublai moved the Mongol capital from Cambulac to the place closer to Beijing. From then on he ruled and empire that extended from Eastern Europe to Korea. Him and his successors took over much of the administrative machinery that existed under the Song. The reign of Kublai was one of the highest points of the Mongol power.
             Kublai had many major achievements during his reign. One of his major achievements was reconciling China to rule by foreign people or the Mongols. He also had a few failures. His failures were series of costly wars, including two disastrous attempts to invade Japan. This brought little ben...