Nomadic Faction

What if Temujin died

in a hunting accident
when he was young

Week 3 essay - Alternate History

 Introduction

The Event

Aftermath

Essay Outline China

India

Persia And the Abbasid Caliphate

Balkans and Eastern Europe

Research - ekn , Qualiors Russia and the Caucasus

Writing - Aurelian
Edit & Design - Saikat Conclusion
 Introduction
It was a cold and windy morning in the east Mongolian steppes. Temujin was riding alongside his loyal
friends Jelme and Bo'orchu ahead of a vast sea of Khamag warriors. He felt it was a good day for a hunt and
smiled contently. His decision to summon the whole tribe for a nerge was the right one, he thought. They
needed to ride together as often as possible. Soon they would go to battle against the other tribes in order
to fulfil Temujin's dream - to unite Mongolia.
 The Event
Suddenly the young Khan noticed a massive silhouette in the
distance. As he was getting closer he noticed the figure was
covered in black stripes. A tiger! Temujin's heart started
pounding as he quickly galloped in the animal's direction.
His friend urged him to be cautious and wait. He did not
listen. This was surely a sign from Tengri. Eager to confront
the beast, Temujin knocked an arrow in his bow. When he
got close enough he drew and let loose. The arrow hit the
tiger directly in the chest, but seemingly did nothing more
than agitate it. The Khan circled around for another shot, but
as he came near his horse suddenly neighed in pain. Before
he could realize what had happened Temujin was on the
ground mere meters away from the beast. The last thing he
saw was the tiger swiftly closing the distance, ready to feast
on his flesh. All of Temujin's grand plans and ambitions were
wiped away in mere seconds. History will not remember
him.
 Aftermath
Can a simple hunting accident change the course of history?
What would have happened if Temujin never managed to
unite the Mongols. Let us explore and alternate history and
the world without the dreaded Genghis Khan.

After the death of Temujin the Mongol tribes continued

their internal conflicts. Their bitter rivals the Tatars briefly
rose to power, but were ultimately unable to rule for long.
The region was in turmoil for the next few centuries and the
Mongols were unable to influence the world as they did in
our timeline.
 China
China never had to experience the full brunt of Mongol
aggression and the Mongol Yuan dynasty never came to
fruition. In this alternate history the Song dynasty managed
to consolidate its power after defeating both the Xia and the
Jin. China enjoyed prosperity under their rule for the next
several centuries. Never tasting the bitter taste of defeat, the
Chinese sunk ever deeper into their superiority complex and
isolationist tendencies. Similar to our timeline they had to
wait for centuries to realize the world had caught up.
 India
India may have remained the same , although it
can be less centralized as the Mongol threat which
is constantly perceived by the Sultans at the Border
would be eased up and the sense of unity would not
develop as there will be no Mongol Threat .Also in
a way Giyasuddin Balban might not have strict
border security policy or Alauddin Khilji might not
implement the market control policy .Likewise
Timur might not have attacked India on the 14th
century Bc . In a way the Mughals might have not
come and any other ethnic groups might try to
invade India.
 Persia And the Abbasid Caliphate
In Persia ,despite the lack of Mongol raids, the Khwarezmian Empire was short-lived. Several Turkic dynasties took and subsequently lost power until the end
of the 13th century. The empire ceded territories after defeats to the emerging Georgian Kingdom and the Sultanate of Rum. Ultimately a competent and
capable ruler managed to stabilize the region and form a new Empire with a capital in Rhages. In Egypt and the Levant the Mamluks were quickly gaining
power and formed a formidable empire of their own. For the next century the three major players - Sultanate of Rum, Mamluks and Persia, fought over
control of Baghdad and the city changed hands multiple times. At the end this led to a stalemate and a balance of powers similar to what we observed in
Europe in our timeline. Baghdad was given autonomous status and treaties were signed ensuring no one would attempt seizing it. This and the fact that the
city was not sacked by the Mongols prolonged the Islamic golden age. Trade, arts and sciences flourished in the Muslim world. Baghdad became the most
prominent city in the world and eventually ushering in a period of great social change similar to the Renaissance.
Gradual decentralization of the Caliphate and neighboring kingdoms gives similar independent
status for other major cities in the Levant, in particular Damascus, Aleppo, Mosul, and Beirut.
These cities became a hub of trade and cultural development, creating a second Islamic Golden
Age in the 15th-16th centuries. This cultural development gave way to radical reforms in the
Islamic religion, as Syria became the hub of a new modernist movement in opposition to both
Sunni and Shia domination. After numerous religious conflicts in the 16th-17th centuries, the
Middle East effectively dismantled the ultra-conservative Islamic elite in favor of newer, more
decentralized sects.
 Balkans and Eastern Europe
In the Balkans, the second Bulgarian empire was not bothered by Mongol raids from the
north-east. They had soundly defeated the crusaders at the battle of Adrianople and
effectively dismantled the Latin Empire. Without external pressures Bulgaria was ultimately
able to resolve its dynastic struggles and soon turned its attention towards their long time
rival - the Byzantine Empire. The Byzantines had been able to reclaim Constantinople from
the Latins, but were under constant pressure from the Sultanate of Rum. The Sultanate did
not have to fear the Mongol threat and was poised to conquer the rest of Anatolia. Ultimately
the Byzantine Empire drew its last breath much earlier than in our timeline. Constantinople
quickly surrendered to the Bulgarian Tzar after a brief siege, choosing the lesser evil. The
great city remained Christian , albeit in Bulgarian hands. The Bulgarians conquered Greece
rather quickly, promising autonomy, while the Sultanate consolidated its power in Anatolia.
Ultimately the Greeks would rebel, forming their own kingdom with territory similar to
modern Greece.
The Bulgarians meanwhile would fight off the Cumans who would raid their territories and
gain control over Wallachia, bringing them in conflict with the Hungarians, their new main
rivals who were eyeing these lands as well. Rebellions in Greece would exacerbate the
situation and discourage further expansionism.
 Russia and the Caucasus
In the north the Russian Principalities were quickly gaining power. The
Russian principalities unaffected by the Mongol invasions, would be more
linked with Western Europe but also disunited and fighting amongst
themselves. The Teutons and Russians would still clash with the latter
being victorious, but the principalities would soon fight each other again.
The Georgians were at the peak of their golden age and eager to expand
their influence north of the Caucasus. However due to geopolitics and the
Caucasus itself, excursion of power would be temporary at best and the
Georgians would focus on consolidating power to the south, attempting to
take over Trebizond and being a main rival to the Seljuks. There would be
a Cuman Khanate ruling over the northern Black Sea Coast and start to
slowly lose lands to future emerging powers over time like Poland.
 Conclusion
In conclusion, the world without the influence of the Mongolian Empire is a much less Eurocentric one.
Western Europe without gunpowder could not overpower native tribes globally to the extent they did in our
world. Moreover without the Mongols, the Black death aka Bubonic plague was not been able to spread far
beyond its origins in China where it entered Europe and killed off an enormous percentage of the
population. Also the silk road will also not be operational for the last time in history . Islam is dominated by
more moderate sects as a result of the Islamic Golden Age and is considered a more progressive religion than
Christianity.
It is probable that after death of Temujin the Mongols or tatars remained one of the
tribes in the steppe region .
 Sources

https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1458/the-nerge-hunting-in-the-mongol-empire/
https://www.euratlas.net/history/europe/1200/index.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jin_dynasty_(1115%E2%80%931234)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Xia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genghis_Khan
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_Golden_Age
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khwarazmian_Empire
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sultanate_of_Rum
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamluk_Sultanate_(Cairo)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Bulgarian_Empire
The Nerge: Hunting in the Mongol Empire
Euratlas Periodis Web - Map of Europe in Year 1200
https://www.quora.com/What-would-the-world-be-like-today-if-the-Mongol-Empire-never-emerged