Mongolian Empire Thesis

Their military prowess was unmatched, and they were masters at both acquiring and maintaining territories, an art that enabled them to be the biggest empire. Many would call the Mongolian empire a group of destroyers whose only mission was to take up what they liked killing and destroying anyone that stood in their way. Actually, in their reign, they are believed by historians to have killed over forty million people in battles, which was a whopping ten percent of the world population at the time. I, however, have reason to think otherwise. This is because, in my view, I think the Mongolians were some of the greatest pioneers of the modern age, and what we have today could be traced, in one way or another, to the Mongolians and their activities back then.

By the 13th century when the empire was at its peak, what started in Steppe in central Asia, was by then around 9 million square mile of territory. Military Setup Despite the military organization of the Mongolians being simple, it was very effective. The military was based on Steppe’s tradition which was a decimal system where the army comprised of squads of ten men each referred to as arbans, which constituted a company of one hundred soldiers referred to as a jaghun3. The hundreds would then make a thousand, and the thousand constitute a regiment of ten thousand, which in the modern military set-up is the division. As opposed to other fighters from different kingdoms, the Mongols were not only effective in the art of the siege, but they were equally comfortable.

Careful planning, reconnaissance as well as gathering of crucial information was critical in all military campaigns especially to help in understanding the forces and territories of the enemy. The Mongol army’s mobility, organization, and success allowed them to engage in various fights at the same time. For a man to join the army, one must be aged 15 to 60 years and at the same time be capable of undertaking rigorous training. With becoming a soldier being a source of honor in the community, having men to join the army was never a challenge in the empire. The other aspect that demonstrates the improved organization of the Mongolian military was their ability to cover long distances even during cold winters where they even encountered frozen rivers.

Those who traveled to regions under the Mongol Empire from other regions especially from Europe, they were amazed by the level of organization as well as strict discipline observed even by the civilians. The law strictly forbade vandalizing and stealing of civilian property, guaranteed religious tolerance, and also advocated the selection of generals and other leaders on the basis of merit. A non-democratic parliamentary style referred to as central assembly was used in governing the empire where Mongol chiefs would meet with the Great Khan and discuss both foreign and domestic policies7. Additionally, the empire leadership demonstrated a liberal as well as tolerant attitude towards the beliefs of communities they conquered and never relied on religious grounds to persecute people. The empire even made significant contribution to trade, which continued even after the fall of the empire.

Another notable technological development that began from the Mongol Empire is an international postal system, which remained effective and efficient for the following five centuries following the collapse of the empire without any other society managing to come up with its match. Additionally, it was the Mongolians who started to create standardized banknotes as well as paper currencies centuries before the technology was adopted in Europe. Other than sticking with the knowledge gained, the Mongols spread whatever they learned to other cultures. As a result, this led to an explosion of ideas in all regions that came into contact with the Mongols. For example, a century after coming into contact with the Mongols, the age of exploration began in Europe. As merchants would travel without fear of raids, trade flourished leading to economic prosperity.

In a time when the world experienced religious infighting, the Mongols brought a new leadership approach that halted religious persecutions10. The laws and governance of the empire required everyone to be religiously tolerant and this played a major role in not only maintaining the empire together but also in limiting the number of deaths emanating from religious intolerance. This serves in disapproving the widely held view that the Mongols were ruthless in dealing with persons from the conquered territories leading to deaths of millions. Rather, religious tolerance assumed a noteworthy job in constraining the conceivable number of deaths. doi:10. 1017/chol9780521243315. Bold, R. "Military Aspects of Mongolian Geopolitics. " Mongolian Journal of International Affairs 2, no. " Mongolian Journal of International Affairs 0, no. doi:10. 5564/mjia.