LibGuides: MS Rise & Fall of Empires: Mongolian Empire

The Rise and Fall of the Mongol Empire

The Mongol Empire grew from humble beginnings to control the largest contiguous empire in history. Spreading east into China, west into the Levant, and north towards the Baltic, fear of the Mongols reached even further, cementing their legacy as some of history’s fiercest warriors. But how did a tribal leader named Ghengis Khan lead a nomadic people to apparently unstoppable success, and how did it all fall apart?

Emergence of the Mongols

Genghis Khan – or Chingis Khan – was actually born Temüjin, around 1162 near Lake Baikal, around what is now the border between Mongolia and Siberia. His father was a member of the royal Borjigin clan, but was killed in a local blood feud when Temujin was young, leaving him to grow up as an outcast.

Between 1195 and 1205, Temüjin managed to gain control over all of the clans in the region, defeating his enemies in a series of military victories. Temüjin quickly developed a reputation for sharing the spoils of war with his warriors and their families, rather than just the aristocracy. It was unpopular with the noble minority, but won Temüjin popular support and a growing army.

In 1206, Temüjin was crowned emperor of the Great Mongol State and assumed the title Genghis Khan – something like ‘the universal leader’. Genghis restructured the army into highly organised units and created laws that forbade the sale of women, theft, hunting animals during the breeding season, exempted the poor from taxation and encouraged literacy and trade. The Mongol Empire was born.

Genghis ruled over an area of the Eurasian Steppe, the belt of land that connected Europe to Central, East, and South Asia. The Steppe saw the emergence of the Silk Road that allowed the movement of goods across vast distances. Genghis fostered trade, but also saw in the surrounding regions territories and peoples that were ripe for the taking. With an efficient, loyal army, he looked in every direction for targets.

Source: https://www.historyhit.com/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-mongol-empire/