The Mongolian Empire

The Legend of the Khans

Early Mongolia

• Mongolia is located in Central Asia, north of China

• Early Mongolia was broken up in different nomadic territories by tribes controlled by warlords

• Mongolian culture revolved around hunting, fishing, and fighting.

Mongolian Terrain

• Northern Mongolia: Basins and Lakes

• Eastern Mongolia: Gobi Desert

• Western Mongolia: Mountainous Terrain

• Southern Mongolia: Fertile Basin

• Mongolia’s three main mountain ranges are the Altai, Gobi, and Hangayn.

Genghis Khan

• Temujin was born in one of the more combative areas of Mongolia

• Many of his family members died in battle or were assassinated by in-fighting within the tribe.

Genghis Khan

• Temujin’s wife was kidnapped by a rival tribe

• At this time, he was a skilled leader who collected the most talented soldiers and military minds to be in his inner circle

• Temujin went on a tare and started his conquest of Mongolia

• In 1206 he became Genghis Khan, which translates into Universal Ruler

Unification

• Genghis proclaimed he was the rightful leader of the known world

• He created a new government and destroyed all tribes that did not demonstrate loyalty to him.

New Laws

• Kidnapping of women is forbidden

• All children are legitimate

• Women could no longer be sold into marriage

• The stealing of animals is a capital offense

• Regulation of hunting to the winter time

New Mongolian Order

• Genghis Khan created a supreme officer of the law to oversee trials and introduced record keeping, put the native language into written form, and created an official seal

Conquering China

• Genghis thought it was his destiny to conquer the world

• China was a powerhouse in peril

• In 1211, the Mongols crossed the Yellow River and seized Northern China

Strategy

• Khan used a divide and conquer method to obtain military victory in China

• Many Chinese communities feared the Mongols, so Genghis showed them benevolence and adopted them into his new empire

• Those who opposed were ravaged with terror and bloodshed

Mongolian Attacks

• The Mongols would start a battle with a rain of arrows

• The Mongol army would surround and enclose their enemy on horseback.

• Mongols wore silk shirts and light armor for quickness and to absorb arrow attacks

Military Conquests

• Genghis captured Afghanistan and Persia to increase trade

• Genghis captured Armenia and parts of Eastern Europe to open up access to the Caspian Sea

• The Mongols also captured Korea, parts of Russia, and Hungary

• The Mongolian Empire was 4 times the size of the Greek Empire

Failure in Japan

• Genghis Khan looked east to Japan, but found a rare defeat

• Mongols were shipwrecked as they attempted to sail over themselves and their horses to the Japanese coast

Next Generation

• Ogodei Khan took over for his father in 1231• He continued Mongol conquests and was at the

gates of Vienna before his death in 1241

Mongol-French Alliance?

• Louis IX was concerned about the growth of Islam and recognized the military skill of the Mongols

• He reached out to Mongke Khan for an alliance against Islam, which was turned down

Kublai Khan• Kublai Khan was seen as the next great

Khan

• He stabilized Mongol government and their territories

• Kublai launched a new assault on Japan - a Mongol, Chinese and Korean force with 23,000 troops, catapults, horses, combustible missiles, bows and arrows

• They were defeated by a hurricane off the south coast of Japan

Mongol Success

• The Mongols found success due to their hands off policy of rule

• After they conquered a community, they did not disturb that community’s way of life

• Religious and Social Tolerance was a key factor in keeping the empire together

• The biggest change was the taxes went to the Mongols to fund their wars and to build a new infrastructure

Mongolia Today

• Mongolia fell under Chinese then Russian control until 1981

• Today people travel to Mongolia for a wilderness vacation. This also includes a “Golf Across Mongolia” vacations.

• Mongolians today face ethnic discrimination in China