Kublai Khan rose to power in 1260 and became ruler of the vast Mongolian Empire his grandfather, Genghis Khan, had established. He distinguished himself from his predecessors by ruling through an administrative apparatus that respected and embraced the local customs of conquered peoples, rather than by might alone.
Kublai Khan came to power through strength of arms, but his reign also featured advancements in political organization and the arts and sciences. The first Yuan Emperor organized his bureaucracy based on the traditional Mongol "ordu" or court system, but also adopted many aspects of Chinese administrative practice.
