The period 1100-1500 in east and south Asia was dominated by the Mongol conquests. China, the central civilization in the area, fell under direct Mongol rule for nearly a century and faced the challenge of nomadic peoples throughout this age. Japan successfully repelled two Mongol invasions, and India felt only indirect consequences of the Mongol conquests in the Islamic world. In both cases, however, Mongol activity had long-term consequences seemingly out of proportion to its direct influence.
The differing reactions of China, Japan, and India, to the Mongols in particular and to the generally increasing level of global contact through war and trade, reveal much about the different institutions and values of the three civilizations. The role and place of warriors in the larger social and political structures of each civilization, especially the relationship of military to civil power, is one key to understanding these differences.