The Mongols

·        Nomadic horseman from central Asia (descendants of Tukic-Palioasiatic heritage)

·        1206- Genghis Khan (“ruler of limitless strength”) united Mongol tribes

 

Early Conquests

·        1214-1215 attack N China (under Jurchen Jin Dynasty), capture Jin capital of Beijing

·        1218ish, defeated Khwarazm Empire ( C Asia, controlled Silk Road, capital in Samarkand)

·        began reconnoitering westward territories in 1220’s, finally absorbed Jurchens and Tanggut (W China)

·        reasons for success- very skilled horseman/archers, very efficiently organized militarily, very adaptive (learned siege warfare from Khwarazm)

·        Genghis died 1227, son Ögödei took over, expanded into China, hit S Song in 1241 (conquered in 1260’s), forced Korea into tribute in 1231

Later Conquests

·        Nephew Batu given command of large invasion force (European-bound) in 1236, 1237-1240 got most of Ukraine and Russia, 1240-2 moved into E Europe,

·         didn’t get far ‘cuz- Ogodei died in 1241, had to return ‘cuz chaos over who would rule next, and unfamiliar w/ European landscape (mountainous instead of flat)

·        Golden Horde ruled in Russia for ca two centuries

·        Captured Baghdad in 1258

·        Persia, Syria, Caucasus, much of Turkey, halted by Mamluks in 1260 at Battle of Ain Jalut

·        Pax Mongolica (Pax Tatarica)- period when Mongols ruled most of Eurasia, Mongols adopted Turkish lang. of Uighur for written script, law code (yasa) borrowed from several cultures, paper currency (from China), postal system (yam), generally adopted religion of conquered peoples

·        Divided into four hordes after Mongke’s death, Domain of the Great Khan (Mongolia, E Asia), Golden Horde, Jagadai Khanate (C Asia) Il-Khan Domain (Middle East)

 

Breakup of Mongol Empire

·        Civil war in 1260 after Mongke’s death

·        Kublai Khan in Mongolia and China (Yuan Dynasty (1279)- not very nice to Chinese, booted in 1368)

·        Golden Horde- challenged by Czars of Muscovy after demanding Russians pay tribute- intermarried w/Russians and made Russia uniquely European-Mongolite

·        Il-Khan- adopted Islam, intermarried, attacked by Jagadai Khanate, displaced by Ottoman Turks (1370’s)

·        Jagadai Khanate- Timur Lang ruled, conquered Crimea, S Russia, Persia, N India, C Asia, parts of Middle East (1370-1405) conquest ended w/ Timur’s death, Jagadai ruled over Samarkand/Silk Road into 1500’s

 

Impact of Mongols

·        Allowed other cultures to mix and flourish

·        Dispersed different ideas/traditions around Eurasia (paper money, Turkish lang., Magyars, Finns, Estonians…Mongolesque languages)

·        Made Russia unique