Question: How should the Mongols be viewed in history?
Thesis: Within China, the Mongols should be viewed as morally reprehensible people who brutally murdered and raped millions of people, using pure evil tactics to take over nearly all of Eurasia.
The Mongols were a group of nomadic people that used brutal military techniques to conquer large amounts of land in very little time. Within a century, the Mongols conquered nearly all of Eurasia and China, with an empire that stretched from the Arabian Peninsula to the Pacific Ocean. The Mongols leader, Genghis Khan, had one simple rule “Whoever submits shall be spared, but those who resist, they shall be destroyed with their wives, children and dependents” (Strayer, 534). This quote gives a brief sense of how the Mongols operated. If you
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Furthermore, the Mongols raped any women they wanted to, which resulted in many additional deaths.
The Mongols used brutal military tactics to conquer so much land in so little time. For example, one key tactic they used involved a fake withdrawal, where the Mongol army would pretend to have been defeated, and when the enemy troops started to leave the Mongol army would come out of nowhere and proceed to ruthlessly slaughter the enemy (Asia for Educators). In addition, the Mongols had technology that was much more advanced than their enemies. Khan used the “hit and run” style of fighting where his army would come in on their horses and quickly shoot down their enemies and then retreat into the steppes and mountains (Asia for Educators). The Mongols had the key advantage in fighting and combat for two main reasons. First, the Mongols lived in one of the most harsh environments on the planet. The weather was extreme and
The Mongol Empire had many impacts on modern day Asia and other parts of the world. Genghis Khan led an empire from the steppes of Asia during the 13th century, called the Mongols. They conquered a lot of land, from to Korea to Poland, and also from Vietnam to Syria. Because they ‘terrorized’ much of Asia, they were known as barbarians. They were thought to live beyond civilization, and known as evil. The Mongolians of the Asian Steppe had a negative impact on the world during their rule of the Asian continent from 1206 to 1368 by influencing violence, destruction, and the falling of cities.
The Mongols used well planned military tactics that undoubtedly lead them to victory time and time again. The soldiers were very obedient and listened to the appointed chiefs well. One tactic they used to beat there enemy and expand their empire was this; the prince appoints an officer to every ten men, one to every hundred, one to every thousand, and one to every ten thousand, as stated in the book, and document 1 and 4. Another tactic used by the Mongols was as follows; the Mongol army would pretend to retreat, therefore making the rival believe they had won, when in reality that was just the start. The Mongols would then turn and fire arrows at there opponents, killing them and conquering there land that strengthened as well as add growth to their empire.
Genghis Khan was so ruthless that he would sometimes kill all adult males to remove potential rivals and breakdown old loyalties to other clans or tribes. When conquering China, the Mongols burned cites to the ground and killed all of their inhabitants. The ruthless nature of Genghis Khan was well known throughout Asia and Europe; therefore, many so greatly feared the Mongols that they surrendered without a single battle (Exploring the Middle Ages 305-306). The Mongols were known to attack one day, and have the entire city slaughtered the next. When the Mongols fought against the Khwarezm Empire, and they didn’t keep their word, Genghis Khan slaughtered city after city of theirs’.
The Mongol Empire was the largest continuous land empire in history, taking control of many Afro-Eurasian societies in the thirteenth and fourteenth century. Not only were the Mongols militarily powerful, they were also administratively powerful. The Mongols had a major impact on societies of Afro-Eurasia during this time period because their conquests ruined cities, their cultural diverse population adopted controlling positions, and their administrative efficiency promoted economy.
Throughout the 13th century world, the Mongols constantly showed displays of continuous violence, drinking, brutality and unfair treatment. They were considered to be savages, and people who lived far beyond what we would know as a “civilized world.” They single handedly became one of, if not the most powerful empires to have existed, building their empire through violent and barbaric manors. The Mongols were very barbaric people, for they portrayed many inhumane and mannerless actions while their empire lasted, causing death destruction and the downfall of all of the land they took over.
The Mongols had a very skilled and strong arming and never lost battles outnumbered. They would travel by horse and split into small groups to surround the enemy to trap them. They were also falsely retreat the attack. To have a skilled and strong army they must have a great which was Genghis Khan. [From The Mongols Movie Worksheet and Document 2]
The world has viewed the Mongols as destructive barbarians; however, the Mongols viewed themselves as soldiers. The perception of themselves is important because they did not believe it was destructive to unite a world empire. They believed that because they were soldiers, anyone in their path could be taken down by force. The nations that defined Mongols as destructive are the same people that resisted joining their empire. The Mongol’s obsession with power, dedication to their leader, and their need to possess land is why I believe they should not be remembered as destructive barbarians. Instead, I think they should be known as the empire that failed to unite the world.
The Mongols were very harsh and brutal like no one else in their era but I believe that they are not barbarians. The Mongols had a strong dominating military that was almost always successful, they contributed to many of the ideas that are still around today, and made a very stern set of laws that kept their community civilized which is why I believe that the Mongols were not barbarians.
The Mongols came about when Genghis Khan united all of the Mongol tribes and clans, creating an army of up to 125,000 whose main goal was to conquer. One of his more effective tactics was enemies were treated fairly unless they resisted. Ones who resisted were killed. Kublai Khan was successful in reuniting the empire prior to a power struggle but was able to conquer all of China by 1276. However, he was not successful in conquering Japan by sea because of harsh storms and shipwrecks. Other countries Mongols had taken over included, Tibet, Persia, Russia, Poland, Hungary, and eastern Germany. People taken over by the Mongols had no choice to cooperate because failure to would result in them being slaughtered. Genghis Khan granted religious
The Mongols, a small tribe 800 years ago expanded and conquered a lot of Asia, Eastern Europe and the Middle East. The Mongols are known for being ruthless warriors and having a negative reputation, being called “Barbarians”. They were in fact Barbaric, but how Barbaric were the Mongols really? The Mongols were extremely barbaric and were unmerciful. The Mongols caused so much destruction, caused many deaths and ruined people's lives, and not to mention how inhuman, savage and evil they were.
The Mongols originated in central Asia and conquered one after the other, earning the reputation of “barbarians.” It started off with Genghis Khan and the Mongols who first attacked their neighbors, then the Persian empire of Khwarazm, another wave which included Russia and Eastern Europe, and a third wave of The Middle East. At their peak, the Mongols had conquered 4,860,000 square miles of land, making them larger than what Napoleon Bonaparte, Adolf Hitler, Attila, and Cyrus the Great had conquered combined. Were the Mongols really as barbaric as they sounded or was it all just rumors? The Mongols were a barbaric empire that would do whatever it took to succeed. The Mongols were an extremely barbaric empire because of how soldiers who fled were treated, the cruel and unusual deaths of prisoners, and how adultery was conducted.
The Mongols were one of the most treacherous and fearful groups in the 13th century CE, creating an empire that was not to be messed with. They used threats and techniques that no other tribe dare use, making them come off as ferocious. Even today, they have been remembered as a savage and barbaric tribe; although some disagree at this point. Based on documents 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7, it can be concluded that although most other empires were fiercely savage, the Mongolians were the most barbaric out of them all. An additional document that could be used would be evidence of how the Mongols didn’t always use violence to conquer land.
During the 13th century, Central Asia was taken aback with a force that demanded to be reckoned with, the Mongols(later knowns as Khans), although astounding conquerors, were barbaric in their ways of gaining power. This can be seen through their military tactics, treatment of enemies, and casualties of war.
They thoroughly thought how to conquer lands and empires and how to do it. For example, “...sometimes they make figures of men and set them on horses. They do this to give the impression that a great crowd of fighting men is assembled there.” Also, they draw out lines of who they are about to fight and who they have already fought so they don’t make the same mistakes they’ve already made it older battles. Mongols also try and protect everyone; men have their children next to them and women folks on the horses. For weapons against other empires they use catapults for sling shootting large stones and
Even though some sources very likely exaggerate the number of soldiers, it is still clear that Mongol armies were huge. However, it is not the most important factor when it comes to that army’s capability. Above all the army had extraordinarily skilful archers. As George Lane puts it, they “were famous for their ability to fire their arrows in any direction while mounted and galloping at full speed.” They were also quick to learn new strategies and to adapt new weapons. They got explosives from China and learnt to use them effectively. More importantly, they learnt to besiege cities, which was something they did not initially know how to do effectively. This skill became very important later when they were attacking Khwarezmian Empire.