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Introduction

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 March 2022

David M. Robinson
Affiliation:
Colgate University, New York
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Summary

In times of crisis and change, what becomes of the vast and complex network of alliances that undergird all empires? Rather than focus on the major powers or “Great States,” the most common way to think about the rise and fall of empires, here is the story of “the little guy” or the lesser power, the experiences of the Wang Gi and his court as ally first to the Mongols and later to the Ming dynasty of China. The unsettled times threw up both danger and opportunity, and far from passively reacting to the actions of the Great Khan and the Ming emperor, Wang Gi and his advisers actively pursued their interests through diplomacy, military action, and domestic reform. Their efforts failed as often as they succeeded, and if their story reveals the underappreciated initiative and influence of alliances’ junior partners, it also makes clear that stark imbalances of power cannot be waved away by invoking the agency of lesser states.

Type
Chapter
Information
Korea and the Fall of the Mongol Empire
Alliance, Upheaval, and the Rise of a New East Asian Order
, pp. 1 - 18
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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  • Introduction
  • David M. Robinson, Colgate University, New York
  • Book: Korea and the Fall of the Mongol Empire
  • Online publication: 24 March 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009106672.002
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  • Introduction
  • David M. Robinson, Colgate University, New York
  • Book: Korea and the Fall of the Mongol Empire
  • Online publication: 24 March 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009106672.002
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Introduction
  • David M. Robinson, Colgate University, New York
  • Book: Korea and the Fall of the Mongol Empire
  • Online publication: 24 March 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009106672.002
Available formats
×