PART 1: MONGOLS

THEME: DEALING WITH CONQUERED PEOPLE

Lesson 27

ID & SIG:
Genghis Kahn, Genghis Kahns military advances,

Mongols

Mongols
The Mongols were

nomadic people who lived on the high steppe lands of eastern central Asia Traditionally, their strong loyalties to kinship groups made it difficult for them to organize a stable society on a large scale In the early 13th Century, however, they would unify

Karakorum

Modern day Mongolia was the center of the 13th Century Mongol Empire. Karakorum (present day Har Horin) was the capital

Temujin
Temujin was born about 1167 into a noble family However, when he was about 10 years old his

father was poisoned and Temujin grew up in a precarious and dangerous way In order to survive, he learned to master the art of steppe diplomacy which called for displays of personal courage in battle, intense loyalty to allies (as well as willingness to betray allies or superiors to improve ones position), and the ability to entice previously unaffiliated tribes into cooperative relationships

Genghis (Chinggis) Kahn

Temujin gradually

strengthened his position using all these tactics and eventually brought all the Mongol tribes into a single confederation In 1206, an assembly of Mongol leaders recognized Temujins supremacy by proclaiming him Genghis (Chinggis) Kahn (universal ruler)

Modern mural depicting Genghis Kahns inauguration

Genghis Kahns Military Advances

Organization of the army Characteristics of the

troops Breaking tribal connections Mobility Light cavalry Strategy and tactics Psychological warfare New technology

Organization of the Army

Genghis Kahn created a

command structure that facilitated flexibility He organized the Mongol soldiers into groups of multiples of 10 with each group of soldiers having a leader who would report to the next higher level This allowed the Mongol army to attack en masse, divide into somewhat smaller groups to encircle and lead enemies into an ambush, or divide into small groups to track down and destroy a fleeing and broken army

Mongol Army Organization Tumen: 10,000 man division, made up of ten minghans, led by a noyan appointed by the Khan. Minghan: 1,000 man regiment, made up of ten jaguns, led by a noyan appointed by the Khan. Jagun: 100 man squadron, made up of ten arbans. The arban leaders selected their own leader for the jagun. Arban: 10 man unit. The men in the arban selected their own leader.

Characteristics of the Troops

The Mongol army also was highly

flexible due to the durability of its soldiers Mongol soldiers were extremely tough, disciplined, obedient, and tireless They could go on extended campaigns with only meager provisions Genghis Kahns army was relatively small (100,000 to 125,000 Mongols plus some allies), but his success was built on quality not quantity

Characteristics of the Troops

Mongol soldiers were used to living in the

harsh steppe climate and required little in the way of comfort And in case of great urgency they will ride ten days on end without lighting a fire or taking a meal. On such an occasion they will sustain themselves on the blood of their horses, opening a vein and letting the blood jet into their mouths, drinking till they have had enough, and then staunching it
Marco Polo

Breaking Tribal Connections

Genghis Kahns personal experience had made

him distrustful of Mongol tribal organizations so when he organized his army he broke up the tribes When integrating new soldiers into the army, he put them in new military units with no tribal affiliations He chose high military and political officials not on basis of kinship or tribal status, but because of their talents or their loyalty to him

Mobility
Mongol horsemen were

among the most mobile forces of the pre-modern world, sometimes traveling more than 62 miles a day to surprise the enemy Superior mobility and excellent political and military organization, gave Genghis Kahn advantages in speed, surprise, and intelligence gathering

Light Cavalry
The core of the Mongol army

was its light cavalry Mongols grew up riding horses and possessed outstanding equestrian skills which they honed by hunting and playing competitive games on horseback Mongol horsemen could shoot an arrow at full gallop Stirrups allowed the cavalrymen improved maneuver and the ability to stand while shooting

Light Cavalry
Mongols didnt favor close

combat, instead preferring to fight from a distance with their excellent bow marksmanship from horses They never let themselves get into a regular medley, but keep perpetually riding around and shooting into the enemy.
Marco Polo

Strategy and Tactics

Before invading a territory, the Mongols would

conduct extensive preparations at a meeting of the participating commanders called a quriltai Intelligence was a key planning consideration The Mongols would usually advance in three separate columns The flanking columns would spread terror, gather intelligence, and eliminate smaller opponent armies When the time was right, the columns would reunite to defeat the main opposition
The technique of advancing in separate columns facilitated

independence and the detailed planning facilitated concentration

Strategy and Tactics

A favorite Mongol tactic was to

feign a withdraw only to lead the enemy into an ambush And you perceive that it is just when the enemy sees them run, and imagines that he has gained the battle, that he has in reality lost it, for the Mongols wheel around in a moment when they judge the right time has come. And after this fashion they have won many a fight. Marco Polo Battle of Sajo Bridge, April 27, 1241

Psychological Warfare
If enemies surrendered without resistance, the

Mongols usually spared their lives, and they provided generous treatment for artisans, craftsmen, and those with military skills In the event of resistance, however, the Mongols ruthlessly slaughtered whole populations, sparing only a few, whom they sometimes drove before their armies as human shields or allowed to spread the word of Mongol power to intimidate future adversaries

New Technology
The Mongols developed a

composite bow, made out of horn and sinew, that gave them a significant advantage over their enemies The Mongol bow had a range of more than 350 yards The European crossbow was accurate only up to a range of 250 yards

New Technology
The Mongols originally

had no knowledge of siege warfare, but later became masters of it through careful acceptance of new technologies In some cases, the Mongols used trebuchets to hurl diseased corpses into the besieged city

Death of Genghis Kahn

Genghis Kahn died in

1227 He had united the Mongols, established Mongol supremacy in central Asia, and extended Mongol control to northern China in the east and Persia in the west

Growth of the Mongol Empire Under Genghis Kahn

1204, before Genghis Kahn

1218

1227, when Genghis Kahn died

The Empire of Genghis Kahn

Genghis Kahn was a conqueror, not an

administrator He ruled the Mongols themselves through his control over the army, but he did not establish a central government for the lands that he conquered Instead, he assigned Mongol overlords to supervise local administrators and to extract a generous tribute
Contrast this technique with the other means of

maintaining order and population control

The Mongol Empire After Genghis Kahn

Genghis Kahns death touched off a struggle for

power and his heirs divided his realm into four regional empires (Similar to what happened after Alexander the Greats death)
Khanate of the Great Kahn (China) Ended in 14th Century Khanate of Chagatai (central Asia) Ended in 18th Century Khanate of the Golden Horde (Russia) Ended in 16th Century Ilkanate of Persia Ended in 14th Century

The Mongol Empire After Genghis Kahn

Genghis Kahns Place in the History of Warfare

The Mongol army transformed the scope of warfare Made it an intercontinental affair fought on multiple fronts stretching

across thousands of miles. Sustained the campaign over years of constant fighting. Innovative fighting techniques made the heavily armored knights of medieval Europe obsolete, replacing them with disciplined cavalry moving in coordinated units. Speed, surprise, and effective siege techniques helped reduce the reliance on defensive fortifications and helped make walled cities obsolete. In twenty-five years, the Mongol army subjugated more lands and people than the Romans had conquered in four hundred years. Whether measured by the total number of people defeated, the sum of the countries annexed, or by the total area occupied, Genghis Khan conquered more than twice as much as any other man in history.