n.
Member of an Asian people originally from the Mongolian plateau who share a common language and a nomadic tradition of herding sheep, cattle, goats, and horses.
In the 10th12th centuries the Khitans (see Liao dynasty ), Juchen (Chin dynasty), and Tatars , all Mongol peoples, ruled in Mongolia , but Mongol power was greatest in the 13th century, when Genghis Khan , his sons (including 00D6; gödei ), and his grandsons Batu and Kublai Khan , created one of the world's largest empires. It declined greatly in the 14th century, when China was lost to the Ming dynasty , and the Golden Horde was defeated by Muscovy. Ming incursions effectively ended Mongol unity, and by the 15th16th centuries only a loose federation existed. Today the plateau is divided between independent Mongolia and Chinese-controlled Inner Mongolia . Other Mongols live in Siberia. Tibetan Buddhism is the principal Mongol religion.