In this book Weatherford presents an extremely biased view of the Mongols. He only talks about the wonderful things that the Mongols did, as well as their victories. His presentation only makes the Mongols sound immaculate. To other nations, he might sound as if he were terrifying, therefore making his immaculate picture a biased view.
Due to the cruel fighting tactics of the Mongols, some may argue that the Mongols were absolute barbarians. For example, in Persian chronicler Juvaini’s account of the massacre at Nishapur, he states that the Mongols had slain the people and plundered the town, leaving everything laid in waste (doc 4). Furthermore, during times of resistance form the opposition, the Mongols would throw the melted human fat of the dead onto houses with catapults and often the fat was set with Greek fire, this mix being n...
Before Chinggis Khan came into power, Mongolia had a loosely defined set religion; the word “set” would also be loosely defined and used in the case. Native Mongolian religion mainly focused on the spiritual powers that came from the heaven and earth. The Mongols worshiped the sky god Tenggiri over all other spirits and gods, though others were important to them as well. This worship was so extreme at times, that the followers of Tenggiri became extremely cult like. Almost like Mormonism. Despite having such devoted followers, there was no priesthood and very few full-time practitioners. Prognostication was common among practitioners of this native religion, most of it coming through the form of divination through the cracks that appeared in the scapula and other bones of sheep. Shaman were also very common within this religion.1
Smitha, F. E. (n.d.). Genghis Khan and the Great Mongol Empire. In fsmitha.com. Retrieved December 11, 2013
Amitai-Priess, Rueven and David O. Morgan, The Mongol Empire and It's Legacy, Brill Publishing Co., Leiden, Boston, Koln, 1999.
The Mongol empire and Alexander The Great’s empire were two of the most interesting and powerful empires of all time. Yet, even with many similarities there are many differences as well between these two great empires. The Mongol empire began during the 13th and 14th centuries in which it was the largest land empire in all of world history. It was located beginning in the Central Asia and eventually spread all the way to Central Europe. Alexander The Great’s empire, Macedonia, was a Greek empire located in Central Greece. Both of these giant civilizations became the biggest empires the world has ever seen.
The Mongols were a group of nomadic people who were known for not only their ferocity in battle but also their tolerance of other cultures. Over the course of their many empires, the Mongols conquered lands from as far as the Korean peninsula to the Islamic civilizations of the Middle East. The movement of the Mongol people into these areas was met with mixed opinions, as members of some societies respected the braveness of the Mongols while others saw them as destructive. According to Ala-ad-Din Ata-Malik Juvaini, 15th century Korean scholars, and Rashid al-Din, the Mongols were a group of tolerant people who attempted to eradicate injustice and corruptness (1,3,4). However, members of other societies viewed the Mongols as coldhearted and merciless because of the damage they dealt in the conquest of Russian cities and the taxes they forced upon their conquered societies (1,2). Nonetheless, some scholars and historians recognized the Mongols power and braveness, but were indifferent with their views of the Mongol civilization.
The Mongols were an influential group of people. They’re rule reached the far reaches of the globe even reaching places in Europe. The Mongol impact is clearly seen in the Persian and Chinese societies. Although it was the Mongols who took over both these societies, they still differed in many aspects.
Later, on the year of 1177, the young boy was captured by one of his father’s old tribes, the Tayichiud. These men enslaved and tortured him. It wasn’t until a father of the tribe, Chilaun, helped him escape. He soon joined forces with other men and his name spread quickly around the Mongols. At this time, he started studying the “difficult political climate” between the tribes and grew up to learn the truth of society which included tribal warfare, thievery, raids, corruption, and continuing acts of revenge.
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”.
Many people ask “How Barbaric were the Barbarians”. The truth be told, the mongols were more barbaric than they were peaceful. They were able to conquer more than 4,800,000 miles of land using brutal and strategic military tactics, destroy and conquer cities, along with using extremely harsh punishments for their prisoners. Because of this, the mongols were able to stay in power for about 300 years. Many people believe that they mongols were more peaceful than they were barbaric because of how economically stable they were. However the mongols killed thousands and left millions terrified across Asia.
The Mongols were a tough, strong, and a fierce Asian group of people. Their reign
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.
The Mongols were a group of barbarians led by Genghis Khan. They were ruthless and destroyed everything in their path, but they also led to many positive things in the world. The Mongolians of the Asian Steppe had a positive impact on the world during their rule of the Asian continent from 1206 to 1368 by influencing laws, uniting China, and spreading messages and inventions. Many people liked the Mongols despite their destructive ways.
The Mongols were nomadic people that were raised from birth to defend their empire, had superior military equipment, used advanced military tactics that Europeans did not even use, and spread fear throughout the world due to the rumors that spread by unconquered civilizations. As a result of Mongols conquering many civilizations, they were able to spread their legacy of destruction and disruption, which is still discussed today. Using these fear tactics along with their superior military equipment and military tactics the Mongols expanded their empire across vast distances. Examples of this can be seen in 1209 when the Mongols began to raid the His-Hsia Empire and finally conquered it in 1227. Another example was the conquering of the Khwarazmian