Women’s Role within the Mongol Empire The Mongols were nomadic people that lived in tribes in Asia during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. The joining of numerous tribes would eventually form one of the biggest empires in history. With the lack of rain though the region, the Mongols did not have wide spread agriculture, instead they would herd sheep, cattle, goats, horses, and camels that thrived on the grasses and shrubs of the steppe lands where they lived. The Mongol tribes would travel with their herds to lands with copious amounts of grasses so their animals could graze. When their herds exhausted the vegetation, they would migrate to a new area. The tribes were self-sufficient, they not only lived off the meat, milk, and hides provided by their animals, but also used them for trade purposes. Despite the fact that the Mongols were nomadic people, they still utilized a caste system, of chieftains and khans that controlled the various tribes. The Mongols did not permit intermarrying within the clans, so abduction of women from other clans was not an unusual occurrence (Hartog 4). The stealing of woman however caused many conflicts between the different tribes. Although leaders of the tribes could have many wives, it was only the chief wife and her offspring that would inherit the tribe and continue the lineage after his death (Lane, Genghis Khan 4). The role that women played in the Mongol society was often a complex one. Mongol woman were often bought or stolen by their husbands. The women were often treated like property and used just like any other type of bartering tool. However during the rule of Genghis Khan, the women were not merely mothers and tent wives, they also enjoyed considerable power within the family ... ... middle of paper ... ...e or in the time since the Mongol empire, have women enjoyed so much power or influence over so many people (Weatherford, The Secret History) (Kindle Location 97). Works Cited Hartog, Leo de. Genghis Khan: Conqueror Of The World. London: Taurisparke Paperbacks, 2004. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 22 Feb. 2014. Lane, George. Daily life in the Mongol empire. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 2006. Print. Lane, George. Genghis Khan and Mongol rule. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2004. Print. Stearns, Peter N. Gender In World History. New York: Routledge, 2000. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 22 Feb. 2014. Weatherford, Jack. The Secret History of the Mongol Queens: How the Daughters of Genghis Khan Rescued His Empire. New York: Broadway, 2011. Kindle Edition. Weatherford, Jack. Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World. New York: Crown, 2004. Print.
The people that the Mongol Empire overthrew were the only ones to suffer under Genghis Khan’s homicidal ways. Khan’s army was forcibly traumatized under maniacal methods as well: “Genghis Khan ordained that the army 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. [...] When they are in battle, if one or two or even more out of a group of ten run away, all are put to death; and if a whole group of ten flees, the rest of the group of a hundred are all put to death, if they do not flee too. [...] Likewise if one or two or more go forward boldly to the fight, then the rest of the ten are put to death if they do not follow and, if one or more of the ten are captured, their companions are put to death if they do not rescue them.” (doc B) Every group of ten was expected to perform at a homog...
Rossabi, Morris. "Life in China Under Mongol Rule: Religion." The Mongols in World History | Asia
Most classical society’s political and social organization revolved around the idea of patriarchy, a male dominated social system. This system exacerbated the inherit difference between men and woman and assigned gender roles based on these observations. Men were generally regarded as superior to woman therefore given greater religious and political roles as well as more legal rights. As the natural inverse, women were subordinated and seen as week; their main roles reproductive and domestic. Information about patriarchy in the classical era, though abundant, was, for the most part, written by men, therefore history does not give us an accurate depiction of women’s viewpoints. Four societies of the classical era, India, China, Greece, and Rome, adopted a patriarchal system, however, due to many factors, each developed identifiable characteristics.
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 were also known for their surprise attack which spread to other armies, making it a keen warfare used all around the world. This battle tactic consisted of a group of men who are fighting out on the battlefield and they begin to retreat only to draw the enemy into a trap. The enemy runs into a rain of arrows as the rest of the men are hiding off to the side with loaded weapons, and fierce ground fighters ready for combat. This is one key that the Mongols had to help them conquer Asia. Lastly, the Mongols had a positive impact on the world because they united most of Asia.
The Abduction of Women in “The Secret History of the Mongols” The Mongols livelihood was based on tribal raids en-order to survive. During the twelfth century the Mongols wanted to be ruler over the Khitans, and Jurchens, which consisted of a majority of wandering individuals that continued to reside in the east, and learned to become skilled at assets from China. The Turks were another group of peoples that wanted to become ruler over the Khitans, and Jurchens. This particular group of individuals was well trained in working with metal, but revolted against the Rouruans, which previously conquered the eastern Silk Road of Central Asia , and continued to the region of Mongolia. In the twelfth century war rage between the Jurchens, and the Khitans, as a result the Jurchens became victorious, therefore gained further access into China. Unlike, the Khitans and the Jurchens, who adapted to the Chinese customs, the Mongols never wavered from their traditional way of living. Before the enormous invasion the Mongols did have any rural communities, or suburbs, therefore had to transfer their livestock according to the seasons. The Mongols dwelling consisted of circular tents known as yurts, instead of houses. The yurts were made big enough for a whole family to live in, as well as waterproof. The area the Mongols lived was cold, and the land was not adequate for farming, therefore their diet normally consisted of meat products, along with milk from cows, or goats. The Mongols did not have adequate means of keeping food fresh, therefore was often concerned with the health status of all livestock’s. The Mongols had to face many hardships that affected their food supply, like the cold seasons, or illness. Since the land was not adequate for ...
Throughout history, women have played a vital role in civilization, despite the overlook of their incessantly underappreciated qualities. However, in classical societies such as Rome, Greece, China, and India, a woman’s social status was valued more than that of their political status.
By the start of the 13th century, Genghis Khan unified all the clans of the Mongol. Genghis Khan has bestowed the mandate to subjugate the un-submitted peoples of all people. Consequently, the once isolated population of migration started to interact with people of different cultures. The Mongol conquest of China allowed them to control the trade routes. By 1279, the Mongol’s influence had spread to the eastern shores of China and Eastern Europe with the entire trade route under their control. As the Mongol
Henrik Ibsen once said, “A woman cannot be herself in the society of the present day, which is an exclusively masculine society, with laws framed by men and with a judicial system that judges feminine conduct from a masculine point of view.”(Notable Quotes) Ibsen’s statement exemplifies what life was like for women during ancient times. In many of the organized ancient civilizations, it was very common to find a primarily patriarchal civilization in government as well as in society. The causing factors can be attributed to different reasons, the main being the Neolithic Revolution and the new found dependence on manpower it caused. As a result of this, a woman found herself to be placed into an entirely different view in the eye of society. In comparison to the early Paleolithic matriarchal societies, the kinds of changes that came about for women due to the introduction of agriculture are shocking. Since the beginnings of the Neolithic era, the role and rights of women in many ancient civilizations began to become limited and discriminatory as a result of their gender.
The Mongol invasions of the 13th century resulted in the far-reaching and vastly influential Mongol Empire. While these conquests brought much bloodshed and many atrocities, they were exceedingly important as they made the world more connected than ever before. At the heart of the Mongol Empire was its creator and first emperor, Genghis Khan. This “Great Khan” was able to unite nomadic tribes to form a shockingly powerful empire. Without him, the Mongol Empire likely would have never came to be. Genghis Khan’s strong and persistent character is the reason for this great empire that truly altered the world in a tremendous manner.
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).
The reason why women are scarcely mentioned throughout the history textbooks are because women are conformed in their status of the private sphere. Women are related to “nature” considering their roles in society such as child bearers and housewives. Culture is considered as a sustaining force that transcends nature to create and control a new interest. Because of this “nature” status put on women, they are considered inferior to men. However, this is not the case for everyone and not all society understands culture and nature like westerners do. Some consider what women and men do rather than the symbolic attributes that are placed on them.
...strict social norms determining who becomes what. Not just subordinate but they can also become warriors, mothers and workers. Mongol women had the right to choose their partner, divorce from him and remarry again. They had a right to inherit property from their deceased husbands and eventually become the breadwinner of the family. Compared to US, woman who had been married before carried no stigma at all and husband will accept the children as his own.
However, it did not have the same composition that it was built on. In this instance, Genghis Khan’s daughters- in-law took matters into their hands and decided to obtain power. They were not ordinary house wives, “…they had grown up at the center of political and diplomatic life and been exposed to the intrigues that simmer and periodically explode in every power center,” 94 These women were not naïve and had a knowledgeable background in regards to controlling an empire. They knew exactly what needed to be done and how it had to be implemented. They reign until there son’s were old enough to rule for themselves. Toregene, Ogodei’s widowed prove to be worthy to rule her dead husband’s empire. She managed to, “ in pursuit of her own policies, she dismissed all her late husbands’s ministers and replaced them with her own,” (95). Not only did she care for the empire, she also had her own agenda in mind and was ready to start. She later managed to appoint a woman named Fatima to the highest governmental positions in the empire instead of her sons. “Despite being the mother of five sons, she chose not to move them into high positions of critical importance in her new government,” (95). Toregene knew better than to place her own blood into high occupations because they were to young and did not have any experience. She managed to conquer more lands but at the expense of getting rid of the
Weatherford, J. McIver. Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World. New York: Crown, 2004. Print.