A Critical Analysis of the Secret History of the Mongols This piece of literary work is one of the few surviving historical literature detailing about the Mongolians existence. The author is not known and even if people date it back to the year 1240, the real date when it was written and the literatures original title is still a debatable matter. Nevertheless, irrespective of these uncertainties, one thing is known to be for sure; the secret history of the Mongols is a piece of literary works that bears a lot of importance in literature and history. It owes its importance to the fact that it serves as a recount of the Mongol Khans genealogy and the times and life of Genghis Khan who founded the state of Mongol. The story tries to unveil the mysteries of great legends that existed in history. This story can be summarized by dividing the story into three major sections that represent a genealogy of the Genghis Khan ancestors, the lifestyle of Genghis Khan and the story of Genghis son and Ogodei his successor. This piece of early time’s literature was translated and edited by Jack Weatherford and it was not released until 16th February, 2010. The piece of work restores early history’s most prominent figures to the positions they rightfully deserves. It clears the picture of the nomadic lifestyle of the Mongols and it is rich with information regarding the society of the Mongols in the 12th and the 13th centuries” (Kahn, 2005). The first part gives a record of the historical legend of the Mongols as obtained from pre-medieval oral traditions, legends, myths, historic events nad stories. This part starts by narrating the legend that a bluish wolf was the Mongolians forefather and this wolf was born destined from the heavens. Mor... ... middle of paper ... ...form the only copies surviving of the epic on the secret history of the Mongols. Nevertheless, this epic was well known in China since it was used to teach the Chinese people how to write and read the Mongolian language. Copies of this epic went into extinction and by the advent of the 19th century, only a few copies of the epic could be traced. This epic is used by many historians in understanding the Mongolian language and also in understanding their culture especially when it comes to assessing how the culture treated women in society. References Kahn, P. (2005). Secret History of the Mongols: The Origin of Chingis Khan. USA: Cheng & Tsui Waley, A. (2002). The Secret History of the Mongols. USA: House of Stratus. Weatherford, J. (2010). The Secret History of the Mongol Queens: How the Daughters of Genghis Khan Rescued His Empire. USA: Crown Publishers
Rossabi, Morris. "Life in China Under Mongol Rule: Religion." The Mongols in World History | Asia
The most important constituent to the Mongols success was ‘a ruthless use of two psychological weapons, loyalty and fear’ (Gascoigne 2010). Ghengis Khan, the Mongol leader from 1206-1227, was merciless and made a guileful contrast in his treatment of nomadic kinsfolk and settled people of cities. For instance, a warrior of a rival tribe who bravely fights against Ghengis Khan and loses will be r...
The Mongols are one of the biggest motorcycle gangs and organized crime groups. This writer will examine the Mongols criminal activity to prove that they are an organized crime group. This will be done through the examination of the group’s involvement in racketeering, murder, guns, drugs, and assault.
When the word “Mongol” is said I automatically think negative thoughts about uncultured, barbaric people who are horribly cruel and violent. That is only because I have only heard the word used to describe such a person. I have never really registered any initial information I have been taught about the subject pass the point of needing and having to know it. I felt quite incompetent on the subject and once I was given an assignment on the book, Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern Age, I was very perplexed for two reasons. One I have to read an outside book for a class that already requires a substantial amount of time reading the text, and secondly I have to write a research paper in History. I got over it and read the book, which surprisingly enough interested me a great deal and allow me to see the Moguls for more than just a barbaric group of Neanderthals, but rather a group of purpose driven warriors with a common goal of unity and progression. Jack Weatherford’s work has given me insight on and swayed my opinion of the Mongols.
Weatherford, Jack. The Secret History of the Mongol Queens: How the Daughters of Genghis Khan Rescued His Empire. New York: Broadway, 2011. Kindle Edition.
The Mongols; a vicious and destructive military force, feared throughout its empire and under the rule of one man, Chinggis Khan. This picture of the Mongols and their empire is one often painted by our modern society. However, much of what we think we know about the Mongols has been exaggerated and biased from the point of view of the people that were conquered. In reality, the Mongols, although at times violent and destructive, bore many similarities in tactics and practices to the classical empires that had preceded them. They were not just simple barbaric savages looking to destroy whatever they could. They were a people united for a common purpose, trying to achieve it the same way that prior civilizations had done so: military force. Even though a Western perspective may find the actions of the Mongols objectionable, it must be understood that this was not a Western society, nor did it house the same values as one. The Mongols were not the destructive barbarians they are often made out to be, but rather an effective military force working for unification.
The military exploits of the Mongols under Ghengis Khan as well as other leaders and the ruthless brutality that characterized the Mongol conquests have survived in legend. The impact of the invasions can be traced through history from the different policies set forth to the contributions the Mongols gave the world. The idea of the ruthless barbarian’s intent upon world domination will always be a way to signify the Mongols. Living steadfast upon the barren steppe they rode out of Mongolia to pursue a better life for their people.
parts of the Mongolian legacy that are very important and that have changed the history of the
Women around the world have played either a small or no role at all in the success of their societies. Empires such as the Mongol empire succeeded through economic rise and land expansion. In “The Secret History of the Mongol Queens”, by Jack Weatherford, the Mongol Queens helped raise the empire into a great one, but due to an incident “war on women” it collapsed from staying cohesive. Genghis Khan’s daughters were in charge of maintaining healthy relationships with other tribes, and of expanding the empire. Yet, Ogodei, one of Genghis Khan’s sons decided to overthrow his father’s legacy and do things his way. The Mongol empire would have lasted longer and remained well integrated but because of Ogodei’s greed, violation of laws towards women,
... were positive, one may argue that these individuals only saw the tolerant and fair-minded side of the Mongols, and not the relentless warrior part of the society who was known for its “dirty” tactics of war, which went as far as launching diseased-ridden corpses over the walls of castles during sieges. Alternatively, one may argue that the scholars who provided negative documentation of the Mongols only saw the destructive side, not the open-minded side of the society who were known for their cultural acceptance. Although these accounts allowed for an adequate idea of the nature of the Mongols, a record from a peasant who was not a member of the upper class in their society, as all reports presented were from historians, scholars, and political leaders. This would allow for a different perspective on the issue and would produce a better understanding of the topic.
Throughout history the Mongols were viewed negatively, people would view the Mongolians as savages and barbaric people. For example a major scholar of Chinese history wrote: “the Mongols brought violence and destruction...” 1 People during the age of the Mongols would not make word of them ever being civilized, respectful or ever say anything positive about the Mongolians. Even historians have recorded the Mongolians in a negatively view. In the 13th-century a Persian historian wrote of the Mongol campaigns: "With one stroke a world which billowed with fertility was laid desolate, and the regions thereof became a desert, and the greater part of the living, dead, and their skin and bones crumbling dust, and the mighty were humbled and immersed in the calamities of perdition." 2 Viewing the Mongols history through the lens of people who have been affected negatively by the Mongolian campaign only shows one side of the Mongols story. As much as the Mongols have seem to only cause destruction and value little about life, its was quite the opposite. The Mongols were not savages and little did they value spending their time destroying towns; they were people who had governance, order, and hospitality. The Mongols, like many East Asian culture, had the belief and understanding of having respect for their elderly as well as the deceased, in other words their ancestors. In my research paper I plan to explore the broad view of Mongolian funeral practices and as well as the burial construction and the history of Mongolian burials. I want to shed some light to how this act of respecting and taking the time to prepare for the dead makes them more human than society has known to make them as barbaric and uncivilized savages.
In the 13th century BC, the Mongols rose to power and conquered an empire whose size still has yet to matched. The Mongols conquered lands such as China, leaving such a lasting influence on them that their legacy still lives on. However, despite the Mongols success, their actions have left a constantly ongoing debate on whether they were barbarians, seen and portrayed by different societies of their time as people with no morale or modern civilities, or civilized people who were just feared by other societies. Although the Mongols are generally now seen as Barbarians because of their violent and barbaric war tactics they used to instill fear in people, they are actually civilized because they had a strategically organized army, and because they were accepting of the customs of other peoples. These two elements would eventually lead them to their success.
The Mongols were a tough, strong, and a fierce Asian group of people. Their reign
Even though the Mongolian Empire did have some form of being civilized through their public works, the fact that they had harsh, strict laws and gruesome military tactics make them truly barbaric. It may seem as though the Mongolian Empire was advanced when looking at their public works, but since their citizens lived in fear, the Mongols did not develop to their fullest extent. In addition, their ruthless military tactics and severe laws suggest that they had no sense of mercy for others. As a result, the Mongols deserve to be referred to as barbaric. Still, it is important to recognize both sides of the story so that the Mongols are given the credit they deserve.
Weatherford, J. McIver. Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World. New York: Crown, 2004. Print.