The Mongol Empire

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The Mongol Empire

• Chapter 12
• Sections 2 3

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Mongol Location

• The Mongols began in Central Asia
• Steppe dry, hard grasses, cold winters, hot
  summers. This area was mostly grassland (no
  agriculture), so the people were nomadic
  pastoralist.
• Pastoralists herdsman of domestic animals, they
  did not wander aimlessly, they had patterns that
  they followed to certain campsites.

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Mongol Conquests

• When Early in the 1200s
• Their Leader Genghis Khan
• Temujin was his given name given the name
  Genghis Khan which means universal ruler.
• Over the course of about 20 years the Genghis
  Khan led the Mongols to conquer all of Central
  Asia

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Mongol Conquests

• Factors that made the Mongols successful when
  they overthrew people
• 1) Their military was very organized
• Based on the decimal system into groups of ten,
  these ten were like a family
• 2) Genghis Khan was a great strategist and leader
• Demanded unwavering loyalty from his soldiers
• 3) Mongols used Cruelty as a weapon
• The Mongols would usually give their enemies a
  chance to surrender, but they would slaughter
  some to make an example.

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• He said Mans greatest good fortune is to chase
  and defeat his enemy, seize his total
  possessions, leave his married women weeping and
  wailing, and ride his horse.

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The Mongol Military

• Mongol Way of Fighting
• Small units of men made up large armies
• The Mongols were horsemen
• Each soldier had 3 - 5 horses, mostly mares
  (females) and the could live off the horse milk
  if they needed.
• Or they would put a small gash in the neck of the
  horse and drink the bloodmmm, good!
• The Mongols trained to be fighters
• One unique training method that the Mongols used
  was huge hunts organized annually on the steppe.
  The Mongol horsemen would make a great circle,
  and drive all manner of animals in toward the
  center. Practicing the dynamic maneuvers that
  would also be used on a battlefield, the Mongols
  would trap all the animals of various types in
  their encirclement, and on the order of their
  commander, begin the slaughter. This was an
  excellent way for the Mongols to train, and enjoy
  the recreation of hunting, as well as gather huge
  amounts of food for massive feasts.

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The Mongol Military

• They used spies
• Prior to the invasion of Europe, Batu and Subutai
  sent spies for almost ten years into the heart of
  Europe, making maps of the old Roman roads,
  establishing trade routes, and determining the
  level of ability of each principality to resist
  invasion.
• Communication in Battle
• their use of flags to communicate movement orders
  during combat was unmatched until the advent of
  radio 700 years later.
• Weapons
• The reflex bows used by the Mongols were among
  the best of the age. Plate armor could be
  penetrated at close range, using special heavy
  arrows. Hitting targets up to 300 yards was
  possible, almost 50-100 yards more than the
  legendary English long bowmen. The Mongols used
  composite reflex bows on horseback and longbows
  while on the ground.

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The Mongol Military

• Mobility
• They showed mobility unheard of by armies of the
  time--up to 120 miles/day.
• The could ride for up to 10 days at a time!
• Tactics
• The Mongols were masters of the feigned retreat,
  which is perhaps the most difficult battlefield
  tactic to execute. Pretending disarray and
  defeat, they would turn and run, only to pivot
  when the enemy was drawn out, and destroy them at
  their leisure.

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Pax Mongolica

• When mid-1200s mid-1300s
• With the Mongol take over of so much land, there
  was one major byproduct PAX MONGOLIA (Mongol
  Peace).
• This provided for
• 1) better trading between Asia and Europe
• 2) Mission opportunity for churches
• 3) transfer of technology (like gunpowder).
• ?One negative thing brought over the trade routes
  was the bubonic plague.

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Genghis Khans Death

• G.K. died in 1227
• Even after he died his sons and grandsons
  continued to expand the empire

Empire when Genghis Khan died.
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