The Mongols

Why were they historically significant?

What were the key factors that allowed fewer than

125,000 nomadic warriors to build the largest empire in

world history?

SO… HOW DID THEY DO IT???

What were the key factors that allowed

fewer than 125,000 nomadic warriors to

build the largest empire in world history?

• Military Power

• Adapting to conquered lands

cultures/talents

• Timing: conquering lands one by one

(think of puzzle pieces being put together)

Impact of the Mongols

• “The Mongols created a single economic and cultural world system”

– Mongol Exchange (Horses)

– New methods of warfare

– Trade from Venice to Beijing and beyond (The Silk Road)

– Demographic change because of the plague and major population shifts

– Altered the political histories of Russia, China, Europe

– Cultural Diffusion!!!

Strong Equestrians (Horsemen)

and Archers• The Mongols were oriented

around extreme mobility. They

carried their houses with them

(TENTS), drank their own horse's

blood to stay alive (GROSS), and

could travel up to 62 miles per

day (WOAH!)

• They had an elaborate priority-

mail-system which allowed orders

to be transmitted rapidly.

• Mongol archers were very deadly

and accurate.

– Their arrows could kill enemy

soldiers from 650 feet away

Read about this if you are

interested…If not, skip it.

Mongol War Equipment• The warrior carried a protective

shield made of light leather armor

– which was impregnated with a lacquer-like substance in order to make it more impervious to penetration by arrows, swords and knives, and also to protect it against humid weather

• The Mongol warrior used to wear Chinese silk underwear, if it could be obtained, because it was a very tough substance

– If arrows are shot from a long distance, it would not penetrate the silk

– It would also prevent poison from entering the bloodstream

• During winter they wore several layers of wool as well as heavy leather boots with felt socks on their feet.

• The legs were often protected by overlapping iron plates resembling fish scales, which were sewn into the boots.

• Each warrior carried a battle axe, a curved sword known as scimitar; a lance, and two versions of their most famous weapon: the Mongol re-curved bow.

– One of the bows was light and could be fired rapidly from horseback, the other one was heavier and designed for long-range use from a ground position

Read about this if you are interested…If not, skip it.

Psychological Warfare• Genghis Khan used combined fake retreats with accurate Horse

Archers to pick off his European enemies.

• Genghis Khan slaughtered cities in an attempt to scare all other

cities to surrender without a fight. He, being a practical leader, also

valued smarts more than bravery.

• If enemies surrendered without resistance, the Mongols usually

spared their lives, and they provided generous treatment for

artisans, craft workers, and those with military skills

• In the event of resistance, the Mongols ruthlessly slaughtered whole

populations, sparing only a few, whom they sometimes drove ahead

of their armies as human shields during future conflicts

“Pax Mongolica”

• Under the Mongols, there was unprecedented long-distance trade

• Mongols encouraged the exchange of people, technology, and information across their empire

Marco Polo en route to China

Pax Mongolica: look at all these routes!

Exchanges During the Mongol EraFrom

Europe

From

Southwest Asia

From

South Asia

From

East Asia

Honey

Horses

Glassware

Slaves

Textiles

Rugs

Incense

Finished iron products

Finished gold products

Spices

Gems

Perfumes

Textiles

Gunpowder

Firearms

Rockets

Magnetic compass

Porcelain

Silk

Maritime Technology

Paper Making

Printing

Tea

Christian missionaries

Italian merchants

European diplomats

Muslim merchants

Nestorian merchants

Muslim diplomats

Indian merchants

Indian diplomats

Buddhist religious objects

Chinese bureaucrats

Chinese artists, artisans

East Asian diplomats

Sugar cane Black Death

Intellectual Exchanges of Ideas, Art, Architecture, Knowledge was constant

The Mongol Empire at its height

The Mongols

The Good, the Bad & the Ugly

THE GOOD (accomplishments &

contributions)• Military Strategy &

Innovation – Cavalry, Horse Archers, surprise attacks, sieges - Genghis first needed to disband tribal loyalties

• Religious Tolerance (allowed people to convert to all faiths in region except Hinduism)

• Common Legal Code

• Utilized skills of conquered peoples –artisans, soldiers

THE GOOD (accomplishments &

contributions)

Discipline, obedience to own laws

Sense of honor and loyalty, respect for

these qualities in others, even opponents

High status of women

• These qualities attested to even by

European observers who generally

detested the Mongols

THE BAD – (failures & struggles)

• Constant in-fighting for power – “Khan”

• Genghis Khan never setup centralized rule,

• Kublai Khan failed to conquer Vietnam, Burma, Cambodia & Japan

• Inability to control China without considerable force

• Over-spending

THE BAD, cont…

• THE PLAGUE!!!

• Over-extension – loss of control in Persia

• Struggle between nomadic lifestyle and need

to settle (centralized government)

THE UGLY – (What!?! Those

Mongols were CRAZY!!)

• Surrender or Die

• Looting & Destruction of

Cities

• Massacres (1.6 Million in

1 Afghan city, as many as

18.4 Million total killed)

• Strange diet, hairstyles and odor

• Cannibalism

Fall of the Mongols

• The large amounts of money spent on public works projects greatly weakened the economy of the Mongol Empire.

• A failed conquest of Japan also weakened the military presence of the Mongols in China. This left the empire in a state that was ripe for rebellion.

• Following the death of Kublai Khan, power struggles emerged throughout the Mongol Empire regarding who would rule. Because of the empire's large size, centralized leadership was hard to maintain.

The Impact of the Mongols

POLITICAL

• Mongol conquest left Russia more divided culturally & less developed than Western European nations

• Introduced new military techniques & organization to Turks & Europeans – such as small organized units, the use of cavalry & the effective use of gunpowder

The Impact of the Mongols

ECONOMIC

• Global trade expanded dramatically under Mongol control

• Use of paper currency, control & management of Silk Road all increased trade in the Eastern Hemisphere

• Europeans were exposed to a much greater number of Chinese goods on a large scale – gunpowder & printing being among the most influential

• The global trade network became more intertwined

• Mongol decline made land travel more dangerous & a shift to seafaring occurred in Europe & China after 1400 CE

• Mongol conquest likely spread the Black Plague to the Europe which would have devastating economic effects

The Impact of the Mongols

SOCIAL

• Mongols practiced religious toleration in the Middle East & Europe and often converted to local religions – allowed Islam & Orthodox Christianity to continue to thrive

• The Black Plague devastated Europe in the 14th Century

• Mongol expansion & control of the Silk Road allowed for cultural diffusion & exploration on an unprecedented scale – including the journey of Marco Polo