The founder of the Mongol Empire, Genghis Khan, became one of the most feared and respected leaders in the eleventh century. Under his leadership, the nomadic Mongolian tribes became an empire and conquered land across Asia to the Middle East. As a feared leader, Genghis Khan showed his strength and justice to his people at the same time. However, the invasion of Central Asia and the Iranian Plateau was not only to demonstrate Genghis Khan’s power and influence as the leader of the Mongol Empire, but his personal pride and his ability to deliver justice was on the line as well. Before they were known as the Mongol Empire, Mongol were nomadic. The Mongol tribes from North Asia, now Mongolia, relied on the nomadic lifestyle of constant movement …show more content…
As his territory was expanding, Genghis become wiser and used his wisdom and experience as a warrior to create various effective strategies. It was well known that Genghis Khan used terror as a weapon of war. For instance, before he destroyed a city, he offered the people a choice, and if they did not fight and surrender to the Mongols, he spared the bloodshed, but they would go under Mongol control. On the other side, if the city did decide to stand their ground and fight, then Mongols massacred everyone, including the civilians. This reign of terror contributed to the mass and successful expansion of the emperor in short amount of …show more content…
They interest lied mostly in other worldly pleasures. Further, during his expansion towards the west, Genghis Khan, and his empire got into contact with the troops of Sultan of Khwarazm, one of the strongest empires in Asia. At this time, Genghis wanted to open more trade relations and not be hostile towards the sultan. Even though the sultan believed that this gesture was a way to invade this empire, he still allowed emissaries to trade within his empire. In 1218, Khwarazm’s governor reported that one of Mongol trading member was spreading lies about the power of the Mongol leader while praising of the generosity and his tolerance in the religious matter, and they also fear that he was a spy for the empire. Without getting any agreement from the sultan (Khwarazm), the governor massacred the merchants. They claimed that the sultan gave his permission; even though, there was not written
To start, the mongols were able to used brutal and strategic military tactics that helped them conquer more than 4,800,000 miles of land. The Mongols leader “Genghis Khan” was a very smart and strategic leader. He organized his army into groups of ten, hundred, and one thousand. If such groups runs away or flees, the entire group was put to death. Genghis Khans army was able to succeed in conquering land due to horses. His army
The Mongol empire was the largest land empire the world has ever seen. First began as a nomadic group of tribes. Mongols were united and emerged into an empire that conquered lands stretching from Europe to Central Asia under the rule of Genghis Khan. The Mongol empire was able to succeed in expanding, and conquering was due to their ability to adapt to any living conditions, their sheer brutality force, and their strong military organization. To begin, one factor that supported the Mongols in their conquests was their capacity for foraging, allowing them to survive under harsh living conditions.
When the word “Mongol” is said I automatically think negative thoughts about uncultured, barbaric people who are horribly cruel and violent. That is only because I have only heard the word used to describe such a person. I have never really registered any initial information I have been taught about the subject pass the point of needing and having to know it. I felt quite incompetent on the subject and once I was given an assignment on the book, Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern Age, I was very perplexed for two reasons. One I have to read an outside book for a class that already requires a substantial amount of time reading the text, and secondly I have to write a research paper in History. I got over it and read the book, which surprisingly enough interested me a great deal and allow me to see the Moguls for more than just a barbaric group of Neanderthals, but rather a group of purpose driven warriors with a common goal of unity and progression. Jack Weatherford’s work has given me insight on and swayed my opinion of the Mongols.
The Mongols; a vicious and destructive military force, feared throughout its empire and under the rule of one man, Chinggis Khan. This picture of the Mongols and their empire is one often painted by our modern society. However, much of what we think we know about the Mongols has been exaggerated and biased from the point of view of the people that were conquered. In reality, the Mongols, although at times violent and destructive, bore many similarities in tactics and practices to the classical empires that had preceded them. They were not just simple barbaric savages looking to destroy whatever they could. They were a people united for a common purpose, trying to achieve it the same way that prior civilizations had done so: military force. Even though a Western perspective may find the actions of the Mongols objectionable, it must be understood that this was not a Western society, nor did it house the same values as one. The Mongols were not the destructive barbarians they are often made out to be, but rather an effective military force working for unification.
The weather turned these nomads into very tough, rugged people as well. Having to deal with such cold temperatures most times of the year would turn anyone into a very stalwart person. The constantly changing storms also helped to mold the Mongolian nomads into very stout people. The heavy snows and ice on the steppe made these people into the unyielding warriors we imagine when reading about the Mongols. Drought ...
Genghis Khan, as it is well-acknowledged, is renowned for governing the extensively immense Mongol Empire. Despite the common argument that he indiscriminately (done at random or without careful judgement―by definition) slaughtered millions of people, Genghis Khan aspired to conquer new territories and, in accordance to their religion, animism, “the sky god made it their goal to unite the land under one sword.” How else would he have done the preceding? Just as the Mongol Government Official stated, “war is inevitable,” especially when capitulation is refused. Moreover, Genghis Khan noted that peace usually follows surrender. Though Prince Kiev attempted to confute the aforementioned, he was mistaken when he said that “war sparked between the two peoples” as a result of an attempt at peace. In response, Genghis Khan’s negation included that war arose as a consequence of their mistrust of him and the denial of a viable peace
Genghis Khan once said, “A leader can never be happy until his people are happy.” Genghis Khan claims that he truly cares about his people and wants to make them feel content otherwise he doesn't think he has fulfilled his duty. Before he ruled the fierce Mongols, they lived in the steppes northwest of China where the climate was harsh and the natural resources were limited. They lived a nomadic lifestyle in tents, called yurts. In the late 1100s, Genghis Khan began to build a strong army. By 1206, the Mongols were united under Genghis’ rule. The Mongols were civilized because they had well thought out battle tactics, an advanced economy, and they maintained law and order.
Before Genghis Khan, the great Mongolian leader, established the Mongol Empire in 1196, the land in Asia was separated into small states. The expansion of the Mongol Empire, mostly towards the south, was driven by the desire of obtaining greater variety of goods (Weatherford:
Between the early 1200's and the mid 1300's the Mongol Empire, led by Genghis Khan, took control of around 9,300,000 square miles of Eurasia. Genghis Khan first started conquering neighboring clans before setting his sight on the rest of the world. When they would conquer a city, the Mongols would give the city a chance to surrender and if they declined and the Mongols succeeded in conquering them, then all of the citizens would be slaughtered. Under Genghis Khan, the Mongol Empire grew to encompass Central Asia, parts of the Middle East, and east to the borders of the Korean Peninsula. In 1227, Genghis Khan died, which led to the empire being divided into four khanates that would be ruled by his sons and grandsons. Genghis Khan's descendants
The Mongols were a group of nomadic people who were known for not only their ferocity in battle but also their tolerance of other cultures. Over the course of their many empires, the Mongols conquered lands from as far as the Korean peninsula to the Islamic civilizations of the Middle East. The movement of the Mongol people into these areas was met with mixed opinions, as members of some societies respected the braveness of the Mongols while others saw them as destructive. According to Ala-ad-Din Ata-Malik Juvaini, 15th century Korean scholars, and Rashid al-Din, the Mongols were a group of tolerant people who attempted to eradicate injustice and corruptness (1,3,4). However, members of other societies viewed the Mongols as coldhearted and merciless because of the damage they dealt in the conquest of Russian cities and the taxes they forced upon their conquered societies (1,2). Nonetheless, some scholars and historians recognized the Mongols power and braveness, but were indifferent with their views of the Mongol civilization.
Firstly, they were taught and trained from a very young age. All men over the age of fourteen were expected to undertake military duty (DOC B). By training their soldiers so young, by the time they were ready to fight, they were amazingly fast and strong which helped to conquer other lands. Second, the Mongols were very well organized which helped with communication. Organization flourished under Genghis Khan, the leader of the Mongols, control because he instituted new rules. For example, “Genghis Khan ordained that the army should be organized in such a way that over ten men should be organized in such a way that over ten men should beset one man and he is what we call a captain of ten” (DOC C). By instituting standardized methods and rules of battle to create organization, they were able to work together, as one, as a team. Everybody was on the same page, and nobody left people behind and fled. This organization united them and brought them to move like each other, learn from one another. Lastly, the Mongols were always prepared, another characteristic that added to why they were able to conquer so much land. When soldiers are prepared, they can be confident and brave. The Mongol army needed that advantage. So soldiers were equipped for travel. They were expected to carry cooking pots, dried meat, a water bottle, files for sharpening arrows, a needle ad thread and other
The Mongols were a tough, strong, and a fierce Asian group of people. Their reign
In 1206, Temujin became known as Genghis Khan, which means “oceanic ruler”, and the Mongol tribes became unified as the Great Mongol Nation. Because the spoils of conquest were used to reward and pay the soldiers, Genghis Khan and his army had to expand their territory to gain new wealth.... ... middle of paper ... ... Maintaining the dress of the common man, “the greatest of civilizers never slept indoors and only once set food in a building” (Lessem, 2009).
This story can be summarized by dividing the story into three major sections that represent a genealogy of the Genghis Khan ancestors, the lifestyle of Genghis Khan and the story of Genghis son and Ogodei his successor. This piece of early time’s literature was translated and edited by Jack Weatherford and it was not released until 16th February, 2010. The piece of work restores early history’s most prominent figures to the positions they rightfully deserves. It clears the picture of the nomadic lifestyle of the Mongols and it is rich with information regarding the society of the Mongols in the 12th and the 13th centuries” (Kahn, 2005).
Weatherford, J. McIver. Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World. New York: Crown, 2004. Print.