The Mongols - Essay Example

The term used today, Mongols is actually a term which is derived from the 8th century during the Tang Dynasty. It may also be used to define a portion of the Khitan dynasty which occupied the 11th century. The most common application of the term Mongols is used to refer to a people assembled under the infamous warlord Genghis Kahn. To apply the term Mongols to this particular group of people, it is important to understand their place in history under Genghis Kahn. Kahn was responsible for gathering and unifying multiple nomadic tribes of North Eastern Asian origin. Kahn managed to dominate a great deal of this geographic area as well as most of central Asia. After his death, Kahn’s legacy continued through his sons and grandsons who perpetuated his domination of Asia on into Eurasia. The Mongolian legacy is one of power and domination, as they are still known to this day to be fierce warriors. The Mongols as a whole, made up a tribe of roughly 700,000 people. They were mostly herdsman and laborers, perhaps by today’s standards, ‘blue collar’ workers. They are said to have first inhabited the area of the Gobi desert, most likely the location of many of their land area used for herding. Though said to be illiterate, the Mongols were known for their incredible capacity for strategizing and maintaining great discipline. The Mongols were particularly skilled in the art of war and used a bow and arrow as their main weapon of choice. Most historical documentation leads us to believe that the Mongols spoke a language which came from the region of the Altay Mountains, hence an Altaic language. Though the origin and demographics of the Mongols is the Asian continent, their language is unlike traditional Asian languages that we know of such as Chinese or Japanese. During the time of the 12th century, a man began to rise in power by the name of Temujin. One of his attributes was that he was a born manager and leader. He had a 2 particular knack for gathering people together who possessed certain skills and talents. Temujin started out as apprentice to a leader by the name of Ong Khan. Ong was so fond of Temujin and so impressed with his leadership abilities, that he essentially made him his adopted son. Ong however, had a blood son who would under normal circumstances, be in place automatically for his father’s throne. A small battle broke out between the followers of the natural son of Ong, Senggum, and the followers of Temujin. In the end, Temujin and his people were victorious making Temujin at the age of 42, the Universal Ruler. The term Universal Ruler is actually what Genghis Kahn translates to, making Temujin, the individual known today as Genghis Khan. The mission of Ong during his rule, was to overtake the Tatars which were located to the east. The people under Khan’s rule, the Mongolian people, were quite proud of their position and felt that the gods favored them in particular. Essentially, they felt as though they were a superior group of people under a powerful leader who would one day conquer most of the earth. Both Khan and those under him, saw the Mongols as the race of people placed at the center of the Universe and because of their enormous pride and faith in Khan, were willing to give their lives to help him conquer as much of the world as possible. Like many dictators, Khan established rigid laws which mainly tended to favor those who had shown loyalty to him and him alone. Those who were against him were defeated and destroyed. Incidentally, one law which Khan implemented was the ban on the kidnapping of women. This particularly savage act, along with the selling of women into slavery, had become a relatively large issue of contest between various Mongolian 3 tribes. Khan experienced the kidnapping of his wife at one point in his life, and thereby sympathized with the savagery of such an action thus making it illegal. The theft of animals was also considered to be unlawful by Khan and was punished severely. Around the time of 1210 A.D., Kahn was challenged by a people known as the Jurchen who were of the Jin Dynasty. The Jurchen demanded the Mongols to submit to them by way of becoming vassals. Certainly, had Khan needed nothing from these people, he would have not hesitated for a moment as to whether or not to declare war on them. As it stood however, Khan required an alliance with the Jurchen as they were in control of most of the trade which took place along the Silk Road. The Silk Road was the central route of travel for trades, exports and commerce. After much deliberation, Khan chose to respond to their demand with an invitation to war. This decision was certainly not without influence of the fact that the Jurchen has long been enemies of the Mongols, having killed and tortured countless Mongolians to date. Throughout the battle, the Mongols had an upper hand due to their regular consumption of meat and dairy products such as yogurt and milk. The Jurchens on the other hand, ate a steady diet of grains and produce. This meant that during a stretch with no food or water, the Mongols had a heartier supply of stored fat which allowed them to continue in battle with less fatigue and propensity for starvation. The Jurchens who resided in the area of today’s China, were conquered after a 6 year battle. The Mongols come back to their homeland with a plethora of goods and supplies as well as skilled workers who they had taken captive. These workers included doctors, engineers and other masters of trade. Though guilty of many deaths as well as the taking hostage of many for the benefit of the Mongols, Khan and his followers were 4 not a people who engaged in killing for sport. The Mongols for the most part, avoided acts of torture or other savagery. They however, were victim of quite a bit of savagery when captured by their enemies. After his defeat of the people of China, Khan and his troops pursued battle with the peoples of the Middle East such as Afghanistan and Persia. At the height of his rule, Khan and the Mongols ruled all of the geography between Beijing and the Caspian Sea. Khan’s goal throughout his reign was to open up free trade for the Mongols as well as to see the long suppression of the Mongolian people put to an end. He is remembered for being a heartless warlord but truly, Khan had a heart for his people, the Mongols. He is very unlike many of the historical figures known for their strict leadership and conquests; Khan possessed a certain amount of honor which is typically not portrayed in many assumptions about him. Despite the neglect of women’s rights and humanitarian issues which prevailed during the 12th century, Khan made certain violations towards women punishable by death as well as banned the use of torture and other heinous war crimes against humanity. Khan’s rule was certainly characterized by an attempted takeover of much of the known world at the time; but in the name of his people which he loved, the Mongols. Throughout his rule, though quite uncomfortable if one was so inclined to be in opposition with Khan, served to single-handedly unify the Mongolian people who today are numbered at over 5 million. Many of the Mongolian people of today; live in what is known as the Mongolian People’s Republic. After the end of the reign of Khan, the Mongolian people were dominated by Chinese rule. It has just been within the past few 5 decades that they have been able to make progress in their newly emerged freedom from Chinese rule. The Mongolian People’s Republic is in fact, a financially prosperous and economically stable subculture. The last few decades has been marked with Soviet intervention within the area with some assistance from parts of Europe. Though the rule of the Mongols came to an eventual end to either defeat or absorption, the Mongols managed to secure a place in permanent Asian history as well as to lend much of their culture and ideology to other parts of the world. Though a smaller subculture in Asian history, the Mongolian Empire remains an important part of world History as it is a permanent imprint left by a people that still grace the earth today. Works Cited: ------------------, (2008) “Mongolian History”, retrieved from website Novemebr 15, 2008 at: http://countrystudies.us/mongolia/3.htm Curtin, Jeremiah, (1996), “The Mongols: A History”; Combined Books, Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. Edwards, David. (1996), “Mongolia”, National Geographic Magazine, Howorth, Henry Hoyle, (1888), “The History of the Mongols”, Longmans Green and Company, London. Morgan, David, (2007), “The Mongols”, Blackwell Publishing, New York Read More