Genghis Khan and the Mongols were once the most powerful force in the world. The vast Mongolian empire expanded from the Sea of Japan to the Black Sea. In its prime it once had control of 22% of the worlds land and continued to flourish longer than any other human force on the planet. In this essay the discussion of Genghis Khan, the Mongols, and the culture and ways of life that kept their empire in charge. Views that Jack Weatherford expresses in his book Genghis Khan: The making of the modern world
Its been nearly eight hundred years since the existence of the Mongolian empire and yet many concepts are still in use today in this modern age. An example of this is the use of state and federal law. This came from Khan, at its time it was not called state and federal law, At the time Khan had in motion the use of The Great Law, in modern age this would be the federal law. A law to rule over all territories under Khans control and he was also a fair leader. People had self-rule if they stayed loyal to the Mongols and common people felt some sort of benefit from this. They never participated in hostage taking or ransoms but would kill the leader and allow for the common people to have a voice. He allowed for any enclave to have laws of their own if they follow the rules of Khan. Yet there are still more elements of how his empire flourished in use today.
Over time, as new lands began to be discovered by mongrel growth, the use of trade became more important with the new
The Mongolian Empire began in the central area of Asia around the 13th century. This empire grew and clans expanded to numerous regions across the Asian, European and African continents. This empire was able to gain these regions by means of conquest which quickly resulted in gains of power and influences across the world. Below I will further discuss how the Mongol conquest had global implications.
Some people would say the Mongols were a key development to civilization. However, the progress they made is nothing compared to their cruelty and the process they used to conquer the majority of Asia and parts of the Middle East. The Mongols were originally a small, nomadic tribe that originated from the steppes of Central Asia. The tribe placed little value on objects, considering they moved around in yurts and hardly settled. Led by Genghis Khan, they conquered land worth double the size of the Roman Empire. The Mongols were greedy, bloodthirsty barbarians who had little to no regard for human life. They went to unthinkable lengths to conquer land while destroying countless ancient cities.
Many historians have different views on whether the Mongols had a positive or negative affect on the world during their time period. Over the course of their rule the Mongols had a couple of powerful leaders that brought different views and ideas of what an empire should look like, and how it should be run. Genghis Khan ruled from 1206 to 1227 A.D. He brought great military strengths that helped them conquer a lot of land. After his death in 1227 A.D. many rulers had come and gone. In 1271 A.D. Genghis’ grandson took charge. He had a different approach to ruling the empire. Unlike Genghis he was not a military leader, but rather a “business man” that helped increase foreign trade. Overall the Mongolians of the Asian Steppe had a positive impact on the world during their rule of the Asian continent from 1206 to 1368 by influencing trade, inventions, and unification amongst China.
The Mongol empire was the world’s largest empire. The Mongol’s practices and beliefs had both positive and negative effects. The large Mongolian empire promoted communication and diversity; however, despite this positive effect, the Mongolian empire housed the deaths of many innocent people. In addition to this, the Mongol empire fostered various religions, but enforced the same practices on everyone, no matter what religion they may follow; this brought order amongst the Mongolian empire.
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.
While the Mongol desire for power grew bigger and stronger, they conquered over 11 million contiguous square miles. The Mongols were a small tribe from the grasslands who were nomadic people. As the empire thrived in the 13th century, they successfully taken over Asia, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe. The powerful ruler, Genghis Khan, helped the Mongols emerge from the nomadic tribes. The empire grew rapidly under his leadership and also under his descendants. However, should the Mongols be considered barbaric or did they create a civilized society? Due to their strong military, tolerance for the different religions, and their positive principles in the community, the Mongol empire established a sophisticated society.
8% of the mongol men living in the former empire were related to Genghis Khan. The Mongols would rape women and if they had a husband and kids they would make them watch their mom or wife get raped then kill everyone except the mother after. This is only the amount of women Genghis Khan raped there is no telling how many the other warriors raped all together. This was truly a ruthless way of showing strength and power. While the mongols ate dinner they had people suffocating underneath the table they were eating on. This is showing that the only rule the mongols lived by was eat sleep and kill. The poor people under the table are having their last breath while the mongol warriors are 3 inches away having the time of their life. They also killed 11.8% of the population in their period of ruling. That adds up to 1.8 million deaths of people per year from 1206-1227. This is in the top 5 for deaths in war and we have way more advanced technology today then they will have ever seen. If that isn’t bloodthirsty and merciless i can’t tell you what
3. In David Morgan’s piece, “Who Ran the Mongol Empire?”, Morgan utilizes and plethora of contemporary and primary sources, as well as employs rhetorical analysis in order to persuade the reader that even though the Mongols incorporated foreign aspects into their empire, that they still remained dominate to their subjects. The author relies on the primary works of Rashid Al-Din, Marco Polo, and alludes to The Secret History of Mongols, as well as the contemporary works of Dr. Igor de Rachewiltz and Dr. Paul Buell in order to advance his rhetorical argument. 4.
Beginning in 1209 and dissolving in 1368, the Mongol Empire is history’s largest contiguous land empire. Temüjin, who later earned the title of Genghis Khan, was known as the overlord of all Mongol dominions and it was his leadership that brought the Mongols out of the plains and into Eurasia, which it conquered with advanced archery skills and military techniques. I believe history should judge the Mongols positively because of their leadership and military successes, the aspects of Mongol society, and the cultural exchange the Mongols facilitated.
Where the mongols lived in China and Persia, they kept the economic interests and adapted to them. Mongol emperors made canals for more transportation and communications, also helping China’s agriculture continue. Persian silk industries grew and started trade with China and in Persia, Armenia-Georgia, Central Asia, and China had benefited from text free zones. With this information, this proves that the Mongols weren’t as barbaric as people thought, they helped countries prosper and let the people live well. (document
Jack Weatherford’s Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World provides a refreshing and insightful perspective on the Mongol Empire and their impact on history. Weatherford ardently dispels stereotypes often associated with Genghis Khan and the Mongols while highlighting their significant achievements that immensely induced them and the modern world. As Weatherford explained the history of Temujin, I found myself admiring how he overcame various hardships and created a destiny for himself. He not only created an empire, “he built a new and unique system based on individual merit, loyalty, and achievement.” (Weatherford xix)
The Mongols were excellent in learning from obstacles, doing without, and making the best out of what was given with them. Their ingenious thought process led to them being one of the most successful empires of all time. Unlike no other empire of their time, their war-like way of life is what brought them to the top and is what they’ve left in history. The Mongolian empire was successful due to their vast understanding of characteristics needed in an empire, dealing with environmental setbacks, and makeshift
The rise of the Mongol Empire can be attributed to a famous emperor, Genghis Khan. He led his armies through the Great Wall of China and crushed the Jin Dynasty. “In the twelfth and thirteenth centuries the Mongols were far from more barbarous than their neighboring tribes. For this reason Genghis Khan, as the cultivated Chinese put it, was nothing more nor less than a barbarian. However, this barbarian possessed a number of qualities that enabled him to become one of the greatest conquerors in the history of the word” (Hartog p.139). Unfortunately, he has a sudden death in 1227 while in the war against the Xia Dynasty. Before his passing Genghis ordered his second son, Ogedei Khan, as his inheritor to split his empire into four khanates between his children and grandchildren to complete his invasion. Many years pass after Genghis Khan died, and several Mongol leaders attempted to continue the mission of the Great Khan. It isn’t until his grandson Kublai Khan, succeeded in creating a more powerful domain during his establishment of the Yuan Dynasty
The start of the Mongol Empire began as a system of nomadic pastoralists who were extremely well experienced horsemen and traveled with their flocks of sheep, goats, cattle, and horses over the vast steppes of the prairielands of Central Asia. At the start of the Mongols rise to supremacy was the formation of tribal coalition known as “All the Mongols” (Saunders 1971) While the early tribal coalition was successful at establishing itself as a power in Manchuria and North China, it wasn’t until the rise of a well-known figure did the Mongols ascend to a force to fear and respect. That
The following report will discuss the leadership qualities of Borjigin Temüjin and the organizational culture of his people, the Mongols. Readers might be confused on who Borjigin Temüjin is, he was the man known today as Genghis Khan. This paper will illustrate how Temüjin’s ability to lead developed by exploring his beginnings and how through his exceptional leadership skills he went on to create the largest contiguous empire in history. The first part of the paper will concentrate on Mongol culture in the 12th century, Temüjin’s upbringing in that culture and how he changed it through the consolidation of the many Mongol tribes. The second part will discuss the rise of Borjigin Temüjin to the post of Genghis Khan and