The
Yuan dynasty , officially the
Great Yuan (;
Mongolian: ,
Yehe Yuan Ulus), was the
empire or ruling
dynasty established by
Kublai Khan, leader of the
Mongolian Borjigin clan. Although the Mongols had ruled territories including today's
North China for decades, it was not until 1271 that Kublai Khan officially proclaimed the dynasty in the traditional Chinese style. His realm was, by this point, isolated from the other khanates and controlled most of present-day
China and its surrounding areas, including modern
Mongolia and
Korea. It was the first foreign dynasty to rule all of China and lasted until 1368, after which its Genghisid rulers returned to their Mongolian homeland and continued to rule the
Northern Yuan dynasty. Some of the Mongolian Emperors of the Yuan mastered the Chinese language, while others only used their native language (i.e. Mongolian) and the
'Phags-pa script.