The Mongols played a very significant role in the Eurasian societal

way of life. Important aspects of the Mongol Empire include the violence
and weaponry that existed during this time, the horses that provided the
Mongols with a military advantage, as well as the battles that occurred
under the leadership of Chinggis Khan. In addition to these significant
characteristics of what life consisted of for the Mongols during the
thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, it is essential to consider the
reasons behind the eventual decline of the Empire. Following the death
of the Mongolian leader Chinggis Khan, the Mongol Empire was divided
into four different khanates which is also known as a territory ruled
under a khan, a military ruler of the Mongol peoples (Morgan, 2009).
The division of the Empire included the Khanate of the Golden Horde,
the Chaghatai Khanate, the Ilkhanate, and lastly the Great Khanate. In
order to thoroughly understand the decline and downfall of the Mongol
Empire, it is necessary to describe the events that led to the collapse of
each of these four khanates.
The four khanates of the Mongol Empire were ruled by Chinggis
Khans successors. Each were leaders of the Mongol royal house and
had many differing views and beliefs which often resulted in conflict.
However, it has been argued that the primary cause of the decline of the
Mongol Empire was the fact that it simply was not able to operate as a
centrally-directed policy (Morgan, 2009). In addition to the warfare that
existed, alliances were also created by the Khanate of the Golden Horde
between the Mongol regime and a non-Mongol regime in hope of
overpowering their fellow Mongols of the Ilkhanate. Therefore, it was
clear that the goal of unity between all Mongol people no longer existed.
The Mongols are often known for their violence and conquest over many
regions. Mongols had conquered the Khanate of the Golden Horde but
they did not occupy it as they had with both Persia and China because
they felt as if Russia had little to offer in terms of its economy (Strayer,
2016). The Mongols were then influenced less by Russian cultures than
their counterparts in China and Persia (Strayer, 2016, p. 479).
 One of the most significant arguments regarding certain khanates
lasting longer than their counterparts is the difference between nomadic
and sedentary societies. During the Mongol moment, pastoralists had
an agricultural way of life where they settled in different regions
depending on the season. Others had a more nomadic lifestyle where
their settlement patterns followed the changes in water supplies and
vegetation that came along with the different seasons (Strayer, 2016).
Regarding these ways of living, it is stated that the Khanate of the
Golden Horde and the Chaghatai Khanate likely survived longer than
the Ilkhanate and the Great Khanate because they retained more of
their nomadic lifestyle. Although there are many different factors that
scholars have noted regarding the fall of the Mongol Empire, much of
the evidence that researchers have provided in terms of what attributed
to its collapse was its ultimate conquest by external military forces
(Morgan, 2009). Despite the fall of the Empire, the Mongols left behind
many contributions and played a very significant role in the Eurasian
world and way of life. Evidence of Mongol life during the thirteenth and
fourteenth centuries proves that although imperial collapse may be
inevitable, different circumstances paved the way for the factors that
contributed to the decline of the Mongol Empire.