Sent on a mission by their respective kings, both Ibn Fadlan and John of Plano Carpini gave us a look inside the culture, religion, and military prowess of the Viking Rus and the Mongols. Ibn Fadlans journey to the Bulgar king was not an easy one as he met with the Rus people near the Volga River. The same holds true for John, as he travels to the Mongols to learn much about them and their intentions behind their unprecedented military skills. The Viking Rus and the Mongols have similarities and difference in their culture, military conquest, and religion. The Rus tribes are believed to be the descendant of the Vikings and slave (Fadlan, 387). They are gigantic in their physical appearances and are well known for their raid and trade throughout …show more content…
In this case, Fadlan is seen narrating each and every step of the ceremony. In the Vikings culture, the burial ceremonies differ from social class to social class. If a slave has died, they leave him as he is until he becomes the food of dogs and birds of prey (Fadlan, 389). On the other hand if a chief has dies the ceremony is quite different. One of the different things that happen after the death of a rich man is, one of the chiefs girls will have to resigns herself to death. Although they are not forced, the girls can not change their mind after they have offered themselves to be cremated with their master. For Fadlan, the crimination and the self-sacrificing act gave Fadlan a strange viewpoint on the Vikings burial system that is different from his culture. ‘One of the Rus was at my side and I heard him speak to the interpreter, who was present. I asked the interpreter what he said. He answered, ‘He said, You Arabs are fools.’ ‘Why?’ I asked him. He said, ‘You take the people who are most dear to you and whom you honour most and put them into the ground where insects and worms devour them. We burn him in a moment, so that he enters paradise at once.’... These discrepancies between Fadlan’s culture to the Vikings shows how different and difficult it is to outsiders to understand the viewpoint of the people living in …show more content…
After their great leader—Genghis Khan, the Mongols were unstoppable in their military conquest. Starting there conquest in northern china and then to west conquering Turkestan, which was the great Muslim power, then to Russia, Mongols succeeded in all direction. As Christopher Dawson—a historian, put it, ‘Genghis Khan succeeded in destroying a larger portion of the human race than any modern expert in total warfare.’ It was after this conquest that John of Plano Carpini was sent on a mission to identify there intentions. After his arrival, he was able to observe Mongols living style. As an envoys John said that the Mongols had treated them better than other envoys (John, 416). When he arrived, John was able to see their custom of hospitality. The Mongols gave them a tent and a provision. In the next few days, John noticed the preparation for the enthronement of the Cuyuc. One remarkable things that John noticed was the way they change their cloth. “On the first day they were all clothed in white velvet, on the second in red, on the third they were all in blue velvet, and on the fourth a finest brocade (John, 417). In addition, he noticed their affection towards mare’s milk and drinks. In john’s cultural viewpoint this was something that he was not accustomed to. “…. They kept plying us with drinks to such extent that we could not possibly stand it, not being used to it…. (John,
The Mongols, or as the Western Europeans called them, the Tartars, were a nomadic, militant people that dominated the battlefield during the pre-industrial time period (“Tartars” 7). Over the span of the 13th century, from the Central Asian steppes in the east to the Arabian lands to the west, the Tartars subdued the unfortunate inhabitants and expanded their empire vastly. To the fear and dismay of the Western Europeans, the Tartars desired to triumph over all of Eurasia; therefore, the Western Europeans were to be conquered next. News of the imminent Tartarian attack rapidly spread through West Europe like a wildfire, and the powerful Holy Roman Church contended to prepare a strategy against the onslaught. In the year 1245, Pope Innocent IV, the head of the Church at the time, sent a group of Friars led by Giovanni da Pian del Carpini to gather some knowledge about the Tartars. It was a dreaded mission, one that would probably end in a terrible death, since the Tartars were a cruel people towards outsiders. Nevertheless, Carpini valiantly ventured into the unknown darkness, and returned to his homeland with valuable information about the Tartars. Through the insight he gained during his travels, he wrote his account of the Tartars in a report called the “Historia Mongalorum” (“Tartars” 19), which is known today as “The Story of the Mongols Whom We Call the Tartars”.
Both the Mongols and the Muslim Caliphates had similar beginnings. Each of these cultures rose from unexpected origins. The Muslim Caliphates and the Mongols share certain characteristics unexpected of such different cultures. The Caliphates relied on the Persians to govern their territories while Genghis Khan demanded complete and undisputed loyalty to himself from his followers. Yet, under both of these cultures trade flourished and people were organized into very specific groups with certain rights.
In the following paper, I will be comparing the five institutions between the Mongols and the Pakistanis, discussing the unique qualities that distinguish these cultures from one another. These five institutions include topics such as religion, economics, education, politics, and family.
Anne F. Broadbridge’s Kingship and Ideology in the Islamic and Mongol Worlds is comprised of the contrasting positions held on different ideologies in the Medieval Islamic world. She distinguishes the between attitudes held toward political rule in the Middle East and Central Asia, specifically examining the years from 1260 to 1405. Where the influence of the Islamic religion had been playing a major role in how rulers defined their sovereignty, Mongol invasions led to unsettling comparisons to be established in order to clarify a ruler’s purpose as an administrative leader. The primary difference addressed is the conflict between Mamluk Sultans and Mongol Khans, which led to an even greater sense of dissimilar forms of political legitimacy
The wide spread writings of Marco Polo and William of Rubruck provide an early account of world travel during the 13th Century. These dual accounts give readers a different perspective of the Mongol’s way of life, their social hierarchy, and their method of commerce. The Mongols, whether beheld as barbaric conquerors or as an Empire for its multiplicity, were transcribed in the writings of Polo and Rubruck. Details are important to establish a sense of place and their surrounding peoples as well as a personal view of foreign people. Polo’s lack of makes Rubruck’s account equally more reliable with his daily interactions with the social life and his descriptive nature of his trips.
The Mongols had an original idea for how their empire was set up. Obedience and supporting their own kind was most important to them. The Mongol warriors always listened to their superiors and the “leaders are to personally examine the troops… and to punish those lacking any necessary equipment” (document b). The discipline was not soft either “whoever gives food or clothing without permission of his captor is to be put to
Genghis Khan once said, “A leader can never be happy until his people are happy.” Genghis Khan claims that he truly cares about his people and wants to make them feel content otherwise he doesn't think he has fulfilled his duty. Before he ruled the fierce Mongols, they lived in the steppes northwest of China where the climate was harsh and the natural resources were limited. They lived a nomadic lifestyle in tents, called yurts. In the late 1100s, Genghis Khan began to build a strong army. By 1206, the Mongols were united under Genghis’ rule. The Mongols were civilized because they had well thought out battle tactics, an advanced economy, and they maintained law and order.
The Mongols built an empire that stretched from the Pacific Ocean to the Baltic Sea. One of the richest parts of that empire was the land of the Rus - but how did the Mongols conquer it so quickly? This lesson examines how, as well as how the Mongols ruled their new territory.
...y populations were put into action as siege experts, and even the cavalry was a mixture of Mongol and other nomadic groups.
The Vikings were impressive international tradesmen of their time. In fact, one of the most prominent features of the Viking Age was the immense trade network that the Norse maintained, which stretched from Greenland in the west to Baghdad and central Asia in the east, and comprised virtually all of the communities who lived in between. Moreover, Northern Europe’s economy was renovated from an exchange system into a commercial trade economy. For the Vikings, trade was the principal focus of all their settlements. In fact, the Vikings passion for trade led to numerous enhancements of various civilizations. For example, the Vikings introduced concepts and goods that would not have been assessable for some civilizations, which possibly saved a
Another focus in Smith’s analysis is about the logistical difficulties the Mongols faced during their campaigns outside of the steppes. Their logistic difficulties were primarily caused by the number of horses in their army. By calculating the amount of water and grazing land needed for the horses, as well as supplies for the men, Smith is able to demonstrate that maintaining a large Mongol force in this region is difficult. For Smith, the Mamluk success at Ayn Jalut was caused by both the Mamluk’s training and the Mongol’s inability to overcome with horse power
The Mongol group lead by Genghis Khan had a reputation for their barbaric behaviors and actions, but their advancements of bows, treatment of horses and respect for their group proves that the Mongols are not always the barbaric type that they were known for. The Mongols used their development of a composite bow to give themselves and better chance when fighting against a foot soldier. This bow gave them an accurate 350 yard shot helping attack from a far distance away. This showed their fighting soldiers that they are trying to figure out a way to keep them safer so they don't have to risk their lives to attack another group.The Mongols also had high respect for their horses, which turned out to be one of the most helpful strategies in battle.
Vikings were warriors that were still culturally rich, inspiring warriors, and daring masters of the sea. Their obsession with ships help them achieve greatness with their amazing craftsmanship and how cunning the Vikings were. Their fighting strategies are not old in the weapons but also in their religion. The weapons why used played a big role in the viking reputation, but also symbolized how good or wealthy the Viking was. The conclusion to this paper is that Vikings were more than just barbarians but they were a great civilization that believes in multiple gods and goddesses but were fierce in battle.
Located in the province of Xianjing, the Uyghurs are isolated by massive mountains, deserts, Communist China, and extreme poverty. The Uyghurs are of Turkic origin, and were one of the 9 original tribes. One of these tribes, the Ottomans, sacked Constantinople in 1459, starting the rein of the Sultans for 400 years. The superpower carved a massive empire, from its roots in Turkey, to spread from the Russian steppes to the Alps to India, and stamping their name on history in blood. European history in the 1400‘s, 1500‘s, and 1600‘s centered on the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire and the Arabic people carved two massive empires in an extremely short time. They crushed the medieval christian kingdoms around Jerusalem, and quickly started attacking Christian kingdoms in Spain, Greece, and the Balkans. These conflicts between Muslims and Christians have been the longest and bloodiest in the history of the world, and still persist today. These Ottomans are, understandably, the most wel...
Cohat, Yves. The Vikings: Lords of the Seas. Trans. Ruth Daniel. New York: A Times Mirror Company, 1992. Print.