The speed of expansion and success of the Mongol Empire is a result of their strategic actions and sophisticated ideology shown through brilliant and aforethought military strategies, the encouragement of commerce, and acceptance for other religions and cultures, which are all attributes not inherently barbaric. The Mongols had an incredibly disciplined army which was unrivaled for most of the empire’s reign. As shown in Document 1, Genghis Khan, the first Khan of the Mongol Empire, conquered 4,860,000 square miles, which is larger than the continental United States today (Document 1). Conquering such a vast amount of land is a feat only possible with an army created around order and unity, two attributes never found in barbaric societies. …show more content…
In Carpini on Battle Tactics, Carpini explains how they won all their conquests: with non-stop fighting in shifts, weakening the other side, fake surrenders, which makes the other side vulnerable, and beguiling the citizens to come out, keeping those which will be of use to the Mongols and getting rid of the hindrance (Document 3). Their strategies won them territory repeatedly and surely for centuries because they killed to conquer and keep peace. Premeditated, smart tactics used by the Mongols weren’t brutal or barbaric; they were thought-out and deliberate attacks pursuing the conquest of more territory. Moreover, the Mongols didn’t just accrue land, they also encouraged the spread of commerce in all parts of their territory. They improved trade with their increased connections and interests. As Mongol Commerce in China and Persia states, “[The Mongols] built canals to improve transportation and communication…the Persian silk industry also benefitted from the Mongol conquest because of the contacts that opened up with China”(Document 6). The encouragement and added convenience of trading the Mongols increased and strengthened trade networks all over the
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
Genghis Kahn conquered a total of 4,860,000 square miles. That’s more than two times the amount lassoed by Alexander the Great, the second most successful conquerer. The amount of land that Genghis Kahn conquered is over one million square miles greater than the entire area of the United States, Alaska and Hawaii not included. (doc A) The pain inflicted by Khan and his army during their conquests was unfathomably merciless, demented, and “barbaric.” His victories resulted from actions and inhumane methods. (doc D and doc F) The law code he enforced was ruthless and unyielding. (doc K and doc N) Very few of his successful methods were harmless. (doc L) Enormous inhabitant deaths occurred. (doc E and doc I) The only religions acknowledged were monotheistic. (doc H, doc G, and doc M) The Mongol Empire was infinitely more barbaric than any other empire seen before the thirteenth century.
Many people ask “How Barbaric were the Barbarians”. The truth be told, the mongols were more barbaric than they were peaceful. They were able to conquer more than 4,800,000 miles of land using brutal and strategic military tactics, destroy and conquer cities, along with using extremely harsh punishments for their prisoners. Because of this, the mongols were able to stay in power for about 300 years. Many people believe that they mongols were more peaceful than they were barbaric because of how economically stable they were. However the mongols killed thousands and left millions terrified across Asia.
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.
The Mongols, a nomadic society in the 13th century, were quickly able to conquer a vast amount of land in Eurasia. The Mongols were able to accomplish expanding their empire so widely and so fast because they had many military tactics, and their army was extremely well trained. These both got them a leg up on their enemies. The Mongols were incredibly ruthless at times in battle and used interrogation tactics to gain intel. Plus, their soldiers were trained from a very young age and always prepared.
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.
In document 1 it shows they have conquered the most land with 4,860,000 miles. This concludes that the Mongols were really powerful and for a comparison the United States is 3,036,885 square miles excluding Hawaii and Alaska. Also, in document 1 the map shows they conquered major cities like Daidu (Beijing), Moscow, Baghdad, and Karakorum which was Mongol’s capital at the time. This shows even though the conquered a lot of land, they conquered valuable lands.
grew and lasted for about 108 years until they failed by trying to conquer India and were weak the Ming Dynasty overthrew the rulers. The Mongols were not afraid to kill. If one person refuses to do something for them their whole clan will pay, they would leave no survivors. That's what helped make them so successful, many had heard about their gruesome approach and surrendered and accepted submissions. 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, warfare and uniting China.
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.
In the 13th century BC, the Mongols rose to power and conquered an empire whose size still has yet to matched. The Mongols conquered lands such as China, leaving such a lasting influence on them that their legacy still lives on. However, despite the Mongols success, their actions have left a constantly ongoing debate on whether they were barbarians, seen and portrayed by different societies of their time as people with no morale or modern civilities, or civilized people who were just feared by other societies. Although the Mongols are generally now seen as Barbarians because of their violent and barbaric war tactics they used to instill fear in people, they are actually civilized because they had a strategically organized army, and because they were accepting of the customs of other peoples. These two elements would eventually lead them to their success.
Even though the Mongolian Empire did have some form of being civilized through their public works, the fact that they had harsh, strict laws and gruesome military tactics make them truly barbaric. It may seem as though the Mongolian Empire was advanced when looking at their public works, but since their citizens lived in fear, the Mongols did not develop to their fullest extent. In addition, their ruthless military tactics and severe laws suggest that they had no sense of mercy for others. As a result, the Mongols deserve to be referred to as barbaric. Still, it is important to recognize both sides of the story so that the Mongols are given the credit they deserve.
When Westerners such as ourselves and people native to Europe are asked what they know of the Mongols the answer is usually ruthless barbarians intent upon world domination. After all these years you would expect that the educational points presented to the different generations in school would have given a different view of the Mongol civilization. Leaving this vision instilled upon generation after generation is detrimental to learning the different positive aspects left behind by such a powerful empire. The nomadic lifestyle that the Mongols endured empowered them to become hardy warriors. The Mongols began their conquests in response to Ghengis Khans personal missions as well as a disruption in trade and the ecology of the land upon which they inhabited.
They pushed along the Danube from Moldavia, across the Carpathian Mountains from Poland, and Czech lowlands to be met in the center of Hungary. The sheer size of the army was enough to destroy any opponent. The Mongolian expansion was based on the blitzkrieg tactic, and was not intended to acquire territory the way it was done by European, Roman, Greece, Persian, or Arabian empires. these empires wanted to create material wealth from taxes imposed on the population, which meant very little to Mongols. the acquisition of the territory meant thorough destruction of land, destroying any possible landmarks, killing entire populations, and even damaging the habitable environment. the environmental damage in Central Asia is still visible to this day. Another effective Mongol tactic was to kill all the ruling elite, as was done in Baghdad. The most convincing reason I can think is their cavalry. In those days’ cavalry played the same role in warfare as air force does in modern world. Not just Mongols, Turks too were extremely successful in medieval era. The triumph ace was abundance of extremely high quality horses in central Asia. These horses gave a distinct
Mongol rule over the Great Khanate in China (1271-1368) and the Golden Horde in Russia (1240-1502) affected both the political and economic aspects of the original empires. Politically, the Mongols enforced their own, new government in order to fit their attitudes toward the conquered people. Economically, actions taken by the Mongol elite were performed with the goal of producing a profit with the help of the resources and people already in the conquered region. The significant political and economic changes brought by Mongol rule to the Great Khanate and the Golden Horde differed, ultimately determining the success of each.
Being led by Chinggis Khan, the Mongol Empire was the largest and most powerful of all time. As shown in the previous examples, these Mongols were also seen as being a barbaric