Background
The first Mongol emperor of China, Khubilai was born on 23 September 1215, barely a hundred days after Genghis Khan sacked the Jurchen Jin dynasty’s Middle Capital, Beijing. Khubilai’s father, Genghis Khan’s fourth sonTolui, was almost constantly away on military campaigns, and Khubilai was primarily influenced by his mother, a Nestorian Christian, who made sure that all her four sons received a solid education. Khubilai never became a Christian, however, nor did he learn to read Chinese.
Because he had grown up at his original feudal property in northern China, Khubilai was the Mongol prince best versed in the Chinese culture and political system, and he employed an able group of Han advisors and staff members.