Running head: The Mongol Empire

The Mongol Empire

Sarah Brown
Jon Parker
SSC0051 410
November 21st 2013

The Mongol Empire

The Mongol Empire began as small tribes of nomadic animal herders

on the vast plains of northern Asia. In the 13th century, an empire arose from
the small tribes as they united and became an empire. Together, they set out
to invade and conquer neighbouring lands. The Mongol Empire only lasted
for 150 years, however it was sought out to be one the largest and most
powerful empires the world has ever seen. In the eyes of the enemies, they
were viewed as barbaric warriors, destroying all that came in their way.
Despite all of their evil tactics and ruthless ways they did make positive
contributions to the world today. The Mongol empire had a great impact on
world history.
The Mongol was vast grassland and plains of northern Asia. The Mongol
empire had a modest beginning, situated in a region known today as the
Eurasian Steppe. It was known for its extreme temperatures and severe
climate. During the winter, agriculture and natural resources for the horse
and sheep are very limited. The summers are hot, reaching temperatures of
40 Celsius. The Mongols were Nomads due to the harsh climates (Saldais,
Richard, 2011). They were in tribal groups constantly moving around. The
Mongols Nomadic tribes were divided into groups called clans by family. A
family leader was chosen, and led each tribe. The clans were separated and
only came together in desperate needs where there were breeches in
security.

The Mongol Empire

Mongols beliefs and virtues were based on a religion called

shamanism. (Saldais, Richard, 2011). The tradition involved communicating
with the spirits and a special person who can communicate and interpret
spirits, called a shaman. Not only were shamans used to giver prayers to the
Mongols but they were also used as forms of doctors. They had the ability to
create medicines from herbs and plants. Mongols were not forced to just
follow the shamanism religion, often some Mongols would believe into other
religions adopted from other countries (Saldais, Richard, 2011).
Genghis Khan, is a name we immediately think of, when we here the
Mongol Empire. He was regarded as the first great leader, but before he
began his reign as leaders of the Mongols, there was no single leader. The
clans were separated my families, and one ancestor lead each clan. Battles
between clans happened occasionally due to the lack of a head leader. Tribal
warfare was common for a lot of Mongol men. Mongol men were each head
of their families which consisted of multiple wives and children. (Saldais,
Richard, 2011). The men were always busy with the army, so the women
were responsible for the majority of the work, like managing livestock and
milking cattle. Men were considered natural leaders; however the women
did carry the majority of the responsibility. It was normal for the men to do as
the women say, and sometimes you would even see women working
alongside with the men in the army. It was uncommon for women to fight
with the men, but it was not unknown. (Saldais, Richard, 2011). Women were
also able to be shamans, whom had an impact on the clans.

The Mongol Empire

Genghis Khan took over the position of clan leader, following his
fathers death. He received the leader position as he was the eldest son in
the family. The clan was not happy such a young boy was chosen as leader.
They abandoned him, leaving him with his mother and his younger siblings.
The family fled to the upper reaches of the river between the steppe and the
plain for protection. They were forced were forced to live off the bare
minimum, only consuming berries, roots and some small animals. (Saldais,
Richard, 2011). As he began to get older, the other Mongol clans feared his
potential. One fearless clan, decided to capture and torment Khan. It is said
that all his weaknesses and troubles he went through, made him that much
more of a stronger leader.
Under the leadership of Khan, he and his Mongol army went on to
expand and conquer. The Mongol Empire was one of the largest in history. It
began expanding for numerous reasons. It first expanded between, when the
Steppe was experiencing unusually cold temperatures, causing there to be a
shortage of grass. The Mongols needed to expand in order to accommodate
the changes, and to find new sources for them and their animals to survive
(Saldais, Richard, 2011).
Mongol herders had been pushing the border of China for periods of
time. Eventually, in the 13th century Khan invades China, then immediately
after destroys a Turkish kingdom in Asia. Each invasion and conquest Khan
led, was very beneficial towards the Mongol Empire. His military began to

The Mongol Empire

constantly increase, and wealth was being fed to the Mongols. (Stearns N,
2011). Following the conquest of China, the incredible warriors had their eyes
on the Khwarezm Empire, a territory in central Asia. Previous to this attack,
Khan attempted to have trade with the Khwarezm Empire, but the governor
felt suspicious and counteracted with an attack. That raged Khan, so he went
out for revenge. He was insulted, so he planned one of the largest invasions
gathering 200 000 soldiers. The conquest was vicious. Numerous hits to the
population were acquired. Khan move onto Persia, than Northern India and
Afghanistan, and then finishing with Russia. By the time of his death in 1227,
the empire stretched 3000 kilometres from east to west (Saldais, Richard,
2011).
After the tragic death of Khan, his grandson Kubilai took over, organizing
attacks into Southeast Asia and India. He was the first to initiate seaborne attacks
on Japan, although they did not succeed (Stearn.N, 2011). The Mongols ruled or
influenced most of the Eurasian civilized world (Stearn.N, 2011). Stretching their

territory another 6000 miles.

The Empire began declining, when protest and riots out broke in China.
A dispute over Kubilai acquiring the leader position enraged some army
members. In the 14th century, China withdrew themselves from the
leadership of the Mongols. The decline of the Mongols not only affected its
empire, but made it very difficult and challenging for the other societies such
as Asia, Africa and Europe who depended on the extensive intercontinental
trade. China and Europe had to react quickly to the decline of the Mongols.

The Mongol Empire

Since intercontinental trade was no longer accessible, they resorted to

oceanic trade. We cannot pinpoint the decline one soul reason.
The rapid decline of Mongol happened for various reasons. An
important factor was their inability to acculturate their focus to social
traditions. The Mongol Empire also began constantly increasing, making it
difficult for one leader to administer. One of the most important single
reasons, was the disconnection between the size of the Mongol conquers
compared to the mass of the people. The Mongol began spiraling out of
control, the decline was quick.
The Mongols will forever have a long-lasting effect on world history.
They created their empire by invading ad conquering neighbouring countries.
The incredible fighting skills and discipline aided the army in defeating
enemies. The Mongol army was one of the most powerful and feared armies.
They had an ability to easily adapt to changes in their lifestyle, as well as
adapting fighting methods. The Mongols also resected their women and
entitled them to high positions and power. The Mongol Empire unified large
regions and helped travelers navigate through the country by providing safe
passages. The Mongols affected the conducts of war, inquired to
intercontinental contacts, and helped the Silk Road and much more (Saldais,
Richard, 2011). The Mongol was short lived; however, it had a significant
impact on world history.

The Mongol Empire

References

Davis-Kimball, J., Bashilov, V., & Yablonsky, L. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://www.csen.org/Pubs_Sales_Reviews/Nomads/Nomad-188579-002.pdf
Dutch, S. (2001). Retrieved from:
https://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/WestTech/xmongol.htm

The Mongol Empire

Saldais, M., Smith. R (2011) Oxford Big Ideas History 8: Australian

Curriculum. Sydney, Australia.
Stearns. N, Peter. (2011) Meridians: Sources in World History Pearson Canada
Inc.