The Mongols: How Barbaric Were the 'Barbarians'?

1366 Words3 Pages

Genghis Kahn conquered a total of 4,860,000 square miles. That’s more than two times the amount lassoed by Alexander the Great, the second most successful conquerer. The amount of land that Genghis Kahn conquered is over one million square miles greater than the entire area of the United States, Alaska and Hawaii not included. (doc A) The pain inflicted by Khan and his army during their conquests was unfathomably merciless, demented, and “barbaric.” His victories resulted from actions and inhumane methods. (doc D and doc F) The law code he enforced was ruthless and unyielding. (doc K and doc N) Very few of his successful methods were harmless. (doc L) Enormous inhabitant deaths occurred. (doc E and doc I) The only religions acknowledged were monotheistic. (doc H, doc G, and doc M) The Mongol Empire was infinitely more barbaric than any other empire seen before the thirteenth century. The people that the Mongol Empire overthrew were the only ones to suffer under Genghis Khan’s homicidal ways. Khan’s army was forcibly traumatized under maniacal methods as well: “Genghis Khan ordained that the army should be organized in such a way that over ten men should beset one man and he is what we call a captain of ten. [...] When they are in battle, if one or two or even more out of a group of ten run away, all are put to death; and if a whole group of ten flees, the rest of the group of a hundred are all put to death, if they do not flee too. [...] Likewise if one or two or more go forward boldly to the fight, then the rest of the ten are put to death if they do not follow and, if one or more of the ten are captured, their companions are put to death if they do not rescue them.” (doc B) Every group of ten was expected to perform at a homog... ... middle of paper ... ...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.

Show More
Related

  • How Barbaric Were The Mongols Essay

    625 Words  | 2 Pages

    When attacking cities, the mongols often had their prisoners go first, creating a bigger target for them. Also, prisoners were often put to work where they received bone breaking work and brutal beatings. In many cases, the mongols would often bury their prisoners alive head first, or shoot and kill them with a bow and arrow from extremely close range. Sometimes, they would use these punishment as warnings for rivalry tribes, showing them the this is what we do. In the end, they mongols were extremely barbaric with the punishments their prisoners received.

    Read More

  • Mongol Empire Dbq

    505 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Mongol empire was the largest land empire 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. To begin, one factor that supported the Mongols in their conquests was their capacity for foraging, allowing them to survive under harsh living conditions.

    Read More

  • Essay On Mongols Barbaric

    475 Words  | 1 Pages

    The Mongols were barbaric because of their cruelty. In document 4 it states, “They then drove all the survivors, men and women, out onto the plain; and… it was commanded that the town should be laid waste in such a manner that the site could be ploughed upon; and that … not even cats and dogs should be left alone” (Document C). This document shows they would kill everything that

    Read More

  • How Did The Mongols Conquer China

    340 Words  | 1 Pages

    The Mongols killed a lot of people trying to capture all of the land that they did. They killed 800,000 to 2,000,000 people trying to capture the Persians.when they raided the Kozelsk people they killed all of them.The Mongols also executed the persian’s that they captured by shooting them point blank in the chest with arrows and they buried their heads in the ground while they are still alive.

    Read More

  • Genghis Khan and the making of the Modern World

    1542 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Mongols

    1046 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Summary Of Genghis Khan

    854 Words  | 2 Pages

    Genghis Khan, as it is well-acknowledged, is renowned for governing the extensively immense Mongol Empire. Despite the common argument that he indiscriminately (done at random or without careful judgement―by definition) slaughtered millions of people, Genghis Khan aspired to conquer new territories and, in accordance to their religion, animism, “the sky god made it their goal to unite the land under one sword.” How else would he have done the preceding? Just as the Mongol Government Official stated, “war is inevitable,” especially when capitulation is refused. Moreover, Genghis Khan noted that peace usually follows surrender. Though Prince Kiev attempted to confute the aforementioned, he was mistaken when he said that “war sparked between the two peoples” as a result of an attempt at peace. In response, Genghis Khan’s negation included that war arose as a consequence of their mistrust of him and the denial of a viable peace

    Read More

  • Mongol Empire Dbq Analysis

    496 Words  | 1 Pages

    The speed of expansion and success of the Mongol Empire is a result of their strategic actions and sophisticated ideology shown through brilliant and aforethought military strategies, the encouragement of commerce, and acceptance for other religions and cultures, which are all attributes not inherently barbaric. The Mongols had an incredibly disciplined army which was unrivaled for most of the empire’s reign. As shown in Document 1, Genghis Khan, the first Khan of the Mongol Empire, conquered 4,860,000 square miles, which is larger than the continental United States today (Document 1). Conquering such a vast amount of land is a feat only possible with an army created around order and unity, two attributes never found in barbaric societies.

    Read More

  • Conflict In Ancient Asia Essay

    672 Words  | 2 Pages

    Genghis Khan's conquest of Asia caused huge changes to the entire area. Many cities were permanently destroyed from the Mongol's assault, such as the caravan cities of Merv and Balkh (Gordon 140). Centuries couldn't repair the damage done to some cities, and the Mongol's managed to destroy religion as well. The Buddhist culture in present-day Afghanistan was wiped out by the Mongols, who murdered everyone in the area (Gordon 140). The taxes the Mongols enacted and the loot the Mongols stole made the Mongol capitals extremely luxurious, with many expensive goods to sell (Gordon 141). Genghis Khan's way of fighting and leadership was passed down to his many descendants, who continued his legacy for decades.

    Read More

  • Genghis Khan Pros And Cons

    219 Words  | 1 Pages

    Between the early 1200's and the mid 1300's the Mongol Empire, led by Genghis Khan, took control of around 9,300,000 square miles of Eurasia. Genghis Khan first started conquering neighboring clans before setting his sight on the rest of the world. When they would conquer a city, the Mongols would give the city a chance to surrender and if they declined and the Mongols succeeded in conquering them, then all of the citizens would be slaughtered. Under Genghis Khan, the Mongol Empire grew to encompass Central Asia, parts of the Middle East, and east to the borders of the Korean Peninsula. In 1227, Genghis Khan died, which led to the empire being divided into four khanates that would be ruled by his sons and grandsons. Genghis Khan's descendants

    Read More

  • Essay On The Mongols Barbarians

    825 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Mongols could be considered barbarians because of the violent and barbaric war tactics they used to instill fear in people. They often took advantage of their organized army to carry out many of these military tactics. When the Mongols attacked places such as fortresses, they would first surround it, breaking up their army into groups and periodically switched them so that they could attack day and night while the fortresses inhabitants tired themselves out trying to protect themselves (Doc 3). When they were not able to capture the fortress like this, they would take the fat of enemies they killed, and, after melting it, they would catapult it onto houses and set fire to it; these fires were nearly impossible to put out (Doc 3). The Mongols would also often take over entire cities, slaying all its inhabitants and burning it to the ground after taking any valuables. ...

    Read More

  • Ap World History Dbq Mongols

    836 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Mongols believed a conquered city should be able to be plowed upon; and that not even cats and dogs should be left alive (DOC E). Once the Mongols conquered new land, with the exception of those they wished to have as slaves or artisans who could contribute to society, they murdered with an axe (DOC D). Their killing was so severe, sometimes, the Mongols ended up killing whole cities, most histories estimate the number they killed to be in the millions (Green). By being this ruthless, the societies around the Mongols would hear of the Mongols treatment of prisons and often surrendered the second the Mongols arrived, just to escape slaughter (Green). Being ruthless also meant the Mongol army had nothing stopping them from doing exactly what they wanted because they didn’t care at all about sacrificing enemy casualties and huge groups of people dying.

    Read More

  • The Influence Of The Mongols On The World

    597 Words  | 2 Pages

    grew and lasted for about 108 years until they failed by trying to conquer India and were weak the Ming Dynasty overthrew the rulers. The Mongols were not afraid to kill. If one person refuses to do something for them their whole clan will pay, they would leave no survivors. That's what helped make them so successful, many had heard about their gruesome approach and surrendered and accepted submissions. 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 trade, warfare and uniting China.

    Read More

  • Why The Mongols Be Civilized

    842 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • To What Extent is Knowledge Provisional

    1335 Words  | 3 Pages

    Weatherford, J. McIver. Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World. New York: Crown, 2004. Print.

    Read More

More about The Mongols: How Barbaric Were the 'Barbarians'?

Open Document