It is just about fact that you cannot have a successful empire as a nomadic civilization. That is, "Unless you're the Mongols" (Green). The Mongols are often portrayed as brutish, mustachioed villains, who oppress women, kill indiscriminately, and are generally uncivilized, but were they? This is something people typically don't think about. It is also one of those things that Hollywood loves to take and run with into historical inaccuracy land. So come with me on a not very, or at all magical journey, as I attempt to convince you all, to love the Mongols. Not really. Actually, I want to convince you to rethink what you may or may not have as a definition of civilization, using the Mongols as a body that can sometimes be considered more civilized than our modern day society.
Now let it be said that the Mongols are, by no means people to base your own moral character on, but they are a good group to use when we need to rethink what we define as civilized. For instance, when we're shown a movie about the Mongols, more often than not they're barbarians, capable only of death and destr...
...trospectively. The menacing creature that is Genghis Kahn went overboard to gain as much power as he did. His strategies didn’t allow failure. Unfortunately, his success was from a sociopathic standpoint. Every win by Khan, was a loss for all others. (doc D and doc F) The law codes composed by Kahn were ridiculously unjust and ignited insolence in all men. (doc K and doc N) The yam system was the only completely harmless innovation/method created by Kahn. (doc L) Meanwhile, millions of people were still systematically murdered by Genghis and his stupendous army. (doc E and doc I) All but monotheistic religions were practically snubbed. (doc H, doc G, and doc M). The Mongols will always remain the “barbarians,” for if a society were to emerge that, by some supernatural force, exceeds the brazenness of the Mongol Empire, it would be the end of the world as we know it.
In conclusion, the mongols were more barbaric than they were peaceful. They were able conquer and destroy entire cities, use brutal and strategic military tactics, and provided harsh and cruel punishments for their prisoners daily lives. Many say that the mongols were the greatest civilization that has ever
Rossabi, Morris. "Life in China Under Mongol Rule: Religion." The Mongols in World History | Asia
Mongol empire was the largest land empire of the world has ever seen. First began as a nomadic group of tribes. Mongols were united and emerged into an empire that conquered lands stretching from Europe to Central Asia under the rule of Genghis Khan. The Mongol empire was able to succeed in expanding, and conquering was due to their ability to adapt to any living conditions, their sheer brutality force, and their strong military organization.
Both the glorious empires, the Mali established in 1230 by the founder Sundiata and Mongol founded by Genghis Khan in 1206 contain much more differences than similarities. When the rise of the Mali and Mongol Empires began to arise they had significant effects towards the areas in which they were located. Some similarities include religious tolerance and cultural growth by trade. Some differences include violence methods and religion. Even though both of these superlative empires arose in difference regions they shared some common views as well.
There has been great conversation about whether the Mongols were barbarians or acted Barbaric throughout their lifetime. When looking at the Mongol civilization to determine if they are barbaric or not depends on several factors, what does barbaric mean, how do the Mongol cities act, and how do their people act away from their cities. The major thing to look at when determining if the Mongols are barbaric, what classifies a barbarian and what does it mean to be barbaric. We can see that in the times of ancient Rome, barbarians are just foreigners to their land. The term barbaric has changed as time has changed from being a foreigner to acting uncivilized and being a savage people. So if we are using the old Roman term for barbarian; then yes the Mongols were barbarians, but we are
The Mongols were definitely a civilized group, just not in the sense that most people see civilization. The mongols were civilized in the ways that they acted in warfare, even if it often seems that they were not, in the ways that they governed their people, and they were of great aid to the development of societies all over the world.
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.
When Westerners such as ourselves and people native to Europe are asked what they know of the Mongols the answer is usually ruthless barbarians intent upon world domination. After all these years you would expect that the educational points presented to the different generations in school would have given a different view of the Mongol civilization. Leaving this vision instilled upon generation after generation is detrimental to learning the different positive aspects left behind by such a powerful empire. The nomadic lifestyle that the Mongols endured empowered them to become hardy warriors. The Mongols began their conquests in response to Ghengis Khans personal missions as well as a disruption in trade and the ecology of the land upon which they inhabited.
Historians and much of the world deem the Mongols as the most barbaric empire of all time for their exceedingly brutal war tactics and cruel punishments. Before conquering nearly 4,860,000 square miles, this empire started as a small tribe from the steppes and thrived off of horses and trade out of central Asia. In order to maintain and secure imperium, the Mongols used their advanced battle strategies and military organization to overtake other territories and instill new authority. In truth, the Mongols were undoubtedly barbaric on the battlefield, but within their empire, they were rather tame and sophisticated in their judicial system, social infrastructure, and religious views.
Many nomadic tribes were uneducated and illiterate, much like the Mongols, because the Mongols were so uneducated this made it harder for them to navigate along the oversea trade routes of Europe. The Mongols were a nomadic group known for their skills of horse riding and their ability and skill to shoot a crossbow over amazing distances. Since the Mongols were so great by horse back, the trade in Europe went from to the majority of people trading by land.
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.
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
could have many problem going on in one area that he didn’t know about because he was thousands of miles away. After a while they had to find a different way to keep all of his large amount of land in one peace and controlled.