Mighty Mighty Mongols!

-- largest empire ever

Mongols are responsible for wiping away the last vestiges of the crumbling empires in the medieval
world –next major era, the Early Modern Period [End of PostClassical]
Founder: Genghis Khan – Chinggis Khan [ his title, not name]
Lived in c. 1167-1227 CE
Original name: Temujin
1206 CE: Named Genghis Khan [universal leader] – by the Mongol Chieftains
Lived in extended family clans – nomadic – followed the herds in the steppe region of Mongolia – great
horsemen.
The different clans were constantly fighting each other – constantly stealing each other’s stuff
-figuring how to unite the different warring clans channeled the energy outward
-brilliant military leader/strategist/peacemaker/diplomat/coalition builder
-Father was killed, was kidnapped by a rival clan, imprisoned, mom was exiled
-escaped, took control of his father’s clan, got revenge, and in the process, married his great
love, and become the greatest leader of world history
Established the new capital of the Mongol empire: Karakorum
First conquered westward into central Asia, then the Northern part of China (the Jin)
Super scary warriors – were able to ride and sleep in the saddle -- particular type of pony [shorter,
stockier, but designed for long distance travel]
Why did the Mongols Succeed ? – motivated by money, but also believed that it was their duty to bring
their way of life and their vision of society to other places. Were tolerant.
-Tough nomads – expert horsemen, especially compared to the sedentary societies
-Superior weaponry (esp. bows)
-Good intelligence/tactics: like in China, captured Chinese engineers, and how to make catapults, scaling
towers, etc – learned from their enemies – extensive use of spies
-psychological warfare: important because there weren’t many troops compared to the large empires
that they were attacking – terror psychology – most places just gave up without a fight
-Ruthless!
-Central Asian shah: