Mongol Empire Research Paper

Transformation of the Mongols The Mongols were a group of pastoral nomadic peoples whose expansion into Central Asia led to the dispersion of ideas, culture, and technology throughout the continent. Until 1206 AD, the Mongols were a group of warring tribes. The Mongols centralized, expanded and transformed under their charismatic leader, Genghis Khan. The Mongol empire expanded into Russia, Afghanistan, Persia, and Ukraine. The Mongols consumed most of Central Asia through a series of brutal invasions but soon absorbed the religious and political traditions of the Chinese. The Mongols were originally a group of nomadic people who practiced nomadic pastoralism. Nomadic pastoralism is defined as a form of pastoralism where
Conditions were bearable in the winter and thriving in the summer. The Nomads devoted their entire life to taking care of the animals. Consequentially, this devotion made the Mongols vulnerable and somewhat weak in the early years of their development. The tribes depended on alliances because they had to depend on others to survive. Therefore, there was a great bond between tribes. Furthermore, this all changed when a charismatic leader, Genghis Khan, came to power and united the Mongol tribes in the Thirteenth Century. Genghis Khan’s coming to power was one of the most remarkable events in history. In 1167, Genghis Khan was born under the name Temujin. His father was the leader of the Kiyad sub-clan and also controlled a small group of clans. After his father was killed by a rival clan group of the Mongol’s, Temujin was forced to assume power over his father’s tribe. However, because of this young age, Temujin was not trusted and he, his step-brothers, and his mother were forced into a life of hardship. In the beginning, he had little political power and few followers. Soon, Temujin was
In 1211, Genghis Khan invaded China and took over in about three years. One Chinese scholar wrote: “The Mongols brought violence and destruction to all aspects of China’s civilization. [They were] insensitive to Chinese values, distrustful of Chinese influences, and inept heads of Chinese government.” Genghis used insensitive, violent actions to take control of the Chinese. For example, he burned and robbed cities. In 1227, Genghis Khan died and his empire was divided amongst his sons. The empire continued to expand under Kubilai Khan and at this point it was the largest empire the world had ever seen. Soon, peace was established between the Mongols and the Chinese which further encouraged trade. China experienced materials from all over the world because of the increase in trade as a result of the Mongols large, powerful, empire. Because of this, the Mongols began to adopt some of the Chinese culture. For example, the Mongols began using gunpowder. As a result, the Mongol’s military became more powerful. Moreover, many Mongols became Buddhists because of the Mongols religious tolerance. The Mongols began to adopt some of the culture and ways of the Chinese culture. The Mongols lived a simple, nomadic lifestyle therefore, they did not have a true culture to define as their own which resulted in them looking to the places they