The Mongols

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The Mongols
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I. Background

1. The Mongols were nomads from the eastern Asian
   steppe (fields). They lived in clans (family
   groups).

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II. Unification

1. In 1206, a clan leader named Temujin unified the
   Mongols
2. He took the title Genghis Khan, or universal
   ruler.

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• According to legend, Temujin was born with a
  blood clot in his fist. In his lifetime, his
  hands were covered with the blood of others. When
  Temujin was about nine, the Tatars, a rival clan,
  poisoned his father. When in manhood, he fought
  and defeated the Tatars, slaughtering every male
  taller than a cart axel.

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III. War Machine

1. Mongols were skilled horsemen
2. Use many weapons and learned to use canons from
   the Chinese

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• C. Strategy-
• 1. Mock retreats tricked the enemy
• 2. Flag signals
• 3. Terrified enemies into surrender
• If a city refused to open its gates to him, he
  might kill the entire population upon capture

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• Mongol armies used a system of signal flags
  during battle. The black and white flags sent
  orders to Mongol units who moved swiftly while
  overwhelming their disorganized opponents. At
  night, lanterns and flaming arrows were used in
  place of flags.

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• Each Mongol soldier wore a long silk undershirt.
  When hit with an arrow, he could remove it by
  carefully pulling on the silk, which usually
  entered the wound with the arrow. Upon witnessing
  Mongols pulling arrows from their bodies, some
  became convinced that the Mongols were
  superhuman!

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• Mongol soldiers often died of infection from
  battle wounds caused, in part, to poor hygiene.
  Mongol warriors rarely washed. When they did,
  they used urine from their horses. Their clothing
  was often worn until it literally rotted off.

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IV. Vast Empire

• The Mongols conquered much of Eurasia.

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By 1260, the Mongols had divided their huge
empire into four regions, or khanates. A
descendant of Genghis ruled each khanate.
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• B. While ferocious warriors, the Mongols were
  tolerant rulers.

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V. The Pax Mongolia

• Mongol Peace
• The Mongols provided stability and order across
  Eurasia.
• Traders and travelers enjoyed safety along the
  Silk Road.

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• The plague also spread through trade between
  Europe and Asia.

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VI. Kublai Khan

• Genghiz Khans grandson, who founded the Yuan
  dynasty in China.
• He reserved govt jobs for Mongols. The Chinese
  resented this.

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• The walls were covered with gold and silver and
  the Dining Hall was so large that it could easily
  dine 6,000 people. The palace was made of cane
  supported by 200 silk cords, which could be taken
  to pieces and transported easily when the Emperor
  moved. There too, the Khan kept a stud of 10,000
  white horses, whose milk was reserved for his
  family and for a tribe which had won a victory
  for Genghis Khan.

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D. Marco Polo, an Italian merchant, traveled to
the Yuan Dynasty, stayed for 17 years and
interested Europeans to trade more with Asia.
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VII. Decline

1. Lands were too large and diverse to govern
   effectively.

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1. Mongols had little experience in govt.

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1. The Mongols got pushed back behind the Great Wall
   by the Ming dynasty.

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1. Russia resented the Mongols for centuries of
   isolation

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Mongol Empire

• Textbook page 309

From World History Connections to Today
Prentice Hall, 2003
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