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Mongol Empire Mini-Unit

Mongol Empire Mini-Unit. Overview. Introduction Timeline Geography Background Genghis Khan Mongol Military Government & Culture Pax Mongolica Downfall Legacy. Mongol Empire Vocabulary List khan Karakorum ordu Yam Yassa Kurultai Silk Road Ain Jalut Kublai Khan. Introduction.

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Mongol Empire Mini-Unit

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  1. Mongol Empire Mini-Unit

  2. Overview • Introduction • Timeline • Geography • Background • Genghis Khan • Mongol Military • Government & Culture • PaxMongolica • Downfall • Legacy • Mongol Empire Vocabulary List • khan • Karakorum • ordu • Yam • Yassa • Kurultai • Silk Road • AinJalut • Kublai Khan

  3. Introduction • The main idea of this mini-unit is to see the impact that the Mongols had on the world • They were very unlikely candidates to ever be a major empire, but under the leadership of Genghis Khan, they changed the world forever

  4. Timeline • Genghis Khan (1206 – 1227) • Ogedai Khan (1227-1241) • Power Struggles (1241-1264) • Kublai Khan (1264-1294) • Khanates & Decline (1294 – 1368) • Fall and Relict States (1368-1783)

  5. Background • The Mongol culture was originally a nomadic horse culture • The Mongols were also very tribal, with frequent raids and clashes between tribes and small groups • Their environment was perfectly suited to train their warriors as durable cavalry soldiers • The Mongol culture was not “civilized” before Genghis Khan’s reforms

  6. Genghis Khan • Genghis Khan “rose from obscurity” (he was born an ordinary person who made himself into one of history’s most influential leaders) • He promoted meritocracy, not aristocracy • He first united the Mongol tribes, then led them to conquer large parts of Central Asia • He also brought order and discipline to the entire culture in a short amount of time

  7. Mongol Military • Based on cavalry; horse archers were their key component • Leadership & loyalty were a result of the yassa system (meritocracy) • Organization was superb, based on decimal system • Their speed and mobility was unmatchedby any of their opponents • They were vicious, cunning opponents who would win using any means necessary (psychological warfare, terror, distractions, etc.)

  8. Mongol Culture • The Mongol culture was sometimes called “parasitic” by historians: they produced little of their own, compared to other empires • However, they encouraged the advancements and arts of conquered peoples, and facilitated trade through tolerance and cultural exchange

  9. Mongol Government • Beginning with Genghis Khan, yassa laws that enforced strict order in the empire • Trade was encouraged, so it could be taxed • Foreigners were conscripted to serve in various parts of the empire • The yam system of relay riders helped them keep control over the empire through fast communication • One weakness was succession: by law, the Kurultai had to meet to elect a new khan; this stopped several conquests at inopportune times

  10. “PaxMongolica” • An unprecedented era of peace and trade in Asia • Trade led to advances in art, science, and public works • This also led to Mongol tolerance of cultures and religions, for the sake of trade and peace within the empire • This cultural exchange led to a greater connection between the different parts of Asia (most notably, through the Silk Road) • Even Europe began to desire trade with Asia

  11. Downfall of Mongol Empire • Main Idea: The transition from uncivilized to empire was probably doomed to fail at some point…. • Failed conquests of Japan, Indonesia, and the rest of the Middle East cost $$ and manpower • Civil wars and power struggles erupted between the different khanates, especially over succession (old tribal ways) • Gradually, the Mongols assimilated into the cultures they had conquered, as their political and military power faded away

  12. Legacy • Much of the academic thinking about the Mongol Empire has changed recently • They were not simply bloodthirsty savages, as earlier historians thought. • Their methods of conquering were barbaric, but as rulers they were surprisingly tolerant • They promoted cultural exchange and connections between East and West • They destroyed the remnants of the old feudal system ways in Asia • They had a severely negative impact on the Muslim world, in particular by completely destroying Baghdad in 1258 (the academic and cultural center of Islam at the time) • They killed millions of people throughout Asia (perhaps as many as 60 million in China alone!) • Historians have argued that they made the Muslim culture of the Middle East and the nation of Russia both extremely xenophobic • Their conquests and trade directly and indirectly inspired Europeans to seek trade with the “Orient” (Polo, Columbus, etc.) which led to the eventual rise of Western Europe

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