13th Century Mongol Empires

The Mongol Empire under Genghis Khan was a uniquely mobile yet centralizing force. They changed Asia’s circulatory system in a number of ways: Methods of getting resources were diverted, routine and technologies for traveling were developed, and the idea of boundaries of countries started to form. Therefore, the Mongol Empire altered Asia from a traditional world to a modern world.

The Mongols are known for their brutal conquest and military, but why were they so influential to world history if they only destroyed cities and empires? 1000 C.E. Nomadic people emerged from Inner Asia, attacking settled people along the borders. Genghis Khan emerged bringing tribes and clans together by 1206; they began their first expansion against Xiaoxia and The Chin Empire.1 Many believe they were barbaric and destructive but the were actually cultural patrons. The constant conquest and expansion of the Mongol Empire allowed them to spread their beliefs, along with others, throughout China; mainly through the routes of the Silk Road. By 1500 the Mongols made big changes in China, they eliminated the examination system and distrusted the scholar gentry greatly.2 They inspired ethnographic writing in western European tradition; along with this the four greatest achievements of the Mongols Empire and their great leader Genghis Khan was: religious tolerance, written language, trade/art, and the legal code. This paper will examine why The Mongols and Genghis Khan made such an impact and name in World History.

The Mongols were first ruled by the great leader Genghis Khan.They had conquered and had control over the most land area ever in the history of the world.The Mongolians had 3 waves in their empire, the first was taking North China and somewhat Persia, while making arrangements with trading with Persia, a Shah had murdered a Mongol Caravan of 150 traders(Introduction) and what followed to be was a massacre of the Shah’s people. The second wave was Russia and Eastern Europe, by this time Genghis has died and his son Ogedei had taken over. Finally the third wave was The Middle East, right before they were at the walls of Jerusalem Mongke Khan had died and they pulled back.

During the 13th and 14th century, a nomadic group known as the Mongols succeeded in vanquishing land from Vietnam to Syria and Korea to Poland. The rise of Genghis Khan brought on the conquest of Northern China and Ancient Persia. His son, Ogedei, superseded Genghis after his death. Ogedei was able to gain power of Russia and Eastern Europe after ten years of fighting. After the death of Ogedei in 1242, Genghis’ grandson, Mongke reigned. The large military conquered the Middle East, expanding the Mongol empire yet again. It comes as a surprise that the Mongol’s maintained such a large empire for around 162 years. The Mongol’s were able to gain and perpetuate power owing to their reputation of terrorization, commerce and ruthless military strategy.

Over time in the 13th century, The Mongolian Empire built their empire rapidly. They originated in Temujin and the name was later first used in the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). The Mongolian Empire was a nomadic tribe unified by a universal ruler named Genghis Khan, in the crossing of the Eurasian Steppes. The Empire was a very successful Empire which let a stragerized army that created military tactics using total warfare. The Mongols’ main strategy acquired taking control by force. Khan’s reign over many territories succeeded due to his system of tolerance and localized rule. With the help of Khan as ruler, the Mongols were able to establish a massive empire in their strong military and of their advancements in the Yuan Dynasty.

Notorious for their barbaric manners and their brutal tactics of invading and plundering, the Mongols are commonly associated with a strictly negative reputation and despised for it. Although this negative image remains associated with their history, with hindsight, historians have been able to shed light on a positive perspective of the Mongols and their success creating the largest Empire in world history. This paper will argue that although they were regarded as violent, invading strangers and initially given few rights, their image in history has changed because the Mongols were not simply a destructive people; despite lack of historical evidence and documentation, historians have found they had many positive influences on Asia. Under Mongol rule there was an improvement of status for many peoples, religious tolerance, and an increase in the trade of products, culture, and knowledge.

The rapid expansion of the Mongol Empire, which took place at the beginning of the 13th century presented a serious challenge for researchers. It was difficult to understand how a small nomadic tribe having no regular army, fortresses or other infrastructure managed to conquer the most developed civilizations of the time. Within a very short period of time, the Mongols created the world’s largest empire, which changed the world and greatly contributed to the advancement of the whole human civilization. This was a state with a

The Mongols were a group of people that originated from Mongolia who grew to overthrow most of China and the eastern part of Europe. Considering the amount of territory that the Mongols conquered, one might be concerned about the power and authority of the Mongol ruler, Kubilai Khan. If a king was to challenge Kubilai Khan in war, what would the king have to fear? Marco Polo, a famous trader, wrote a detailed description about The Great Khan and the Mongol society in his work, The Travels of Marco Polo.

Genghis Khan was the emperor and founder of the Mongol Empire, a man known throughout history for his ruthlessness, and success, as head of the largest land based empire during his tenure. A nomadic people, the Mongols spent many years prior to the great success of Genghis living in turmoil, lacking a leader to unify and lead the people to greater success than simply surviving. Prior to his death in August 1227 and subsequent burial back in Mongolia, Genghis Khan’s Mongol Empire spanned from China to Eastern Europe, Vietnam into Siberia, encompassing the people and cultures of those conquered in these lands. In order to impose his will and assert dominance over Russia, Eastern Europe, China, and the heartland of Islam, Genghis Khan revolutionized warfare and weaponry, bringing a swift end to any enemy standing in his path. With a territory stretching across Asia into Europe, and with his undersized army fighting and defeating much larger forces, Genghis Khan’s strongest attribute was his military prowess. Despite conquering numerous civilizations over a vast area of land and influencing the cultures, governing, social lives, and more, Genghis Khan’s greatest influence on the world throughout his ventures was his influence on the military, through tactics, weaponry, and leadership.

Located in the northeastern steppes of Central Asia, the Mongols were a group of nomadic pastoralists who, over the span of 150 years, were able to gain control over nearly all of Eurasia. By the thirteenth century, the Mongol empire stretched from Beijing to the Caspian Sea, covering between 11 and 12 million contiguous square miles, the largest land-empire in history. Their well-organized military and brilliant leader resulted in the countless successful conquests of the Mongols, which allowed for the quick and large expansion of their empire. The first Mongol invasions were led by Genghis Khan who, as a child, became determined to seek revenge for his father’s murder. Through his charming personality and charisma, Genghis was able to establish himself as the most esteemed military leader of the Mongols, and went on to lead the Mongol military to experience unprecedented success in its conquests. The Mongol achievements in conquest and in the unification of Eurasia are seen today as very impressive, considering the Mongol army consisted of no more than 100,000 warriors and a total population of around one million, outnumbered one hundred to one by China alone. Historians today are often perplexed at how this small nomadic group was able to overcome some of the largest civilizations at the

Under the rule of Genghis Khan and his successors during the 13th and 14th centuries (between the years 1206-1368), the Mongol Empire, with a military force of unparalleled strength, succeeded in unifying large regions in order to establish new economies and create the largest contiguous land empire in history. By having a democracy similarly present within the Roman Empire and adopting a structure comparable to the satraps of the Persian Empire, the Mongol Empire’s organized government assisted the Great Khans’ efforts in achieving the unification of regions stretching from Hungary to the Pacific. Adding to what was already a powerful cavalry, Mongol leaders utilized battle tactics, military strategies, and adopted siege weaponry from those they conquered, quickly attaining remarkable military success that would inject fear into all potential enemies and ultimately change the demographics and populations over entire regions. Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire paved the way for discoveries and breakthroughs in numerous fields and created a huge economic boom by creating the first international postal system and incorporating religions, trade, technologies and customs of conquered civilizations. Through effective government leadership, relentless military conquest, and assimilation of conquered civilizations, the Mongol Empire had a lasting impact on the world, creating a

The Mongols were born warriors. Their violence within the clans was harnessed into great militaristic power. Chinggis Khan was a military genius. He took their strengths and simply fine-tuned them, instead of trying to teach them something new altogether. Their horsemanship skills were astounding. Trained to ride a horse by age three, they were the ultimate fighting cavalry. Their archery was also legendary, having extraordinary skill with the bow. Chinggis taught them how to string a bow while riding, and to shoot the arrow when the horse’s hooves were off the ground. They fought viciously with bows, lances, and swords. Their armor was made of animal hide, raw silk shirts. This was because arrows could not easily penetrate the silk. They might be injured, but arrows easily could be slipped out of the shirt,

The basic skillset and intellect for upcoming Mongolian leaders was mastered in Genghis Khan’s Mongol War Academy. Students would be informed on basic war strategy such as how to overthrow and conquer cities, break down opposite barriers, and correct usage of tools. Genghis Khan used the vast combat knowledge taught as a key resource to teach future leaders how to carry themselves in war positions. Typically, this was the usual procedure that a future leader would experience before entering battle. Using the Academy as a key source for future experience and battle success (Rea 2009). Seen through the Nerge, War Games, and The Mongol War Academy, Genghis Khan and his advocates implemented obtaining and gaining resources into battle training to prepare for future battle

In our history, not many empires were as powerful as Mongol Empire. It shaped the destiny of almost whole Eurasia. Mongols were nomads, who were ruled by many leaders. The most famous and most powerful one was Chingis Khan . He was born as Temujin, and was son of Yisugei. The empire itself existed between 13 and 14 century (1206 – 1368). They reached all the way from Kores, through Russia, Iran and Afghanistan. Their territory was almost 1 million square miles (more or less 1/3 of modern day contagious USA). This was one of the largest contagious empires in the know history.

The Mongols have been proven to have used excessively brutal tactics during conquests. In some instances Khan's army provided excessive force to conquer said areas. Damon states that certain techniques such as hails of bows were used in greater force and in greater numbers than ever seen in history before when in battle (doc 2). Thus proving how the Mongols used excessively brutal tactics while in war with cities that could not defend themselves to such power. In other areas like Russia, the Mongols were recorded to have captured women, men, and children, killed them with swords, and or bound and disemboweled them (doc 2). The unnecessary disembowelment of these victims furthermore supports the claim that the Mongols used excessively brutal tactics, do to that being uncalled for. Also, the victims chosen furthers the assertion that it was excessive and brutal because they were innocent children and citizens. Lastly, some battle tactics the Mongols used included not leaving off fighting by day or night (doc 3).