In the 13th century, the Mongols, a nomadic people of Altaic stock who first appear in Chinese texts of the 11th century, traveled all throughout Afro-Eurasia conquering other civilizations by using destructive forces to gain power in that region. Genghis Khan, a leader of the Mongols, made war against the Tangut Kingdom of Xi Xia in Northwestern China from 1206 until 1209. Khan’s plan of attack made the Tangut Kingdom of Xi Xia acknowledge his newly acquired position as leader of the Mongols. Later in 1211, he began the conquest of North China starting with the Jin Dynasty.
His plan to make war against the Jin Dynasty was delayed due to his lack of advanced military tactics therefore he made the choice to pull back all of his forces. Years after in 1215, he attacked and violently defeated Beijing forcing recognition of his dominance from the Jin Dynasty emperor. This is an example of the violent behavior of the Mongols toward other people. In 1225, the Mongols had another encounter with the forces of Xia and by the end of the battle, all of Genghis Khan’s enemies were dead.
This also proves that the Mongols showed no mercy to others because the only thing they wanted was to achieve great power and control in Afro-Eurasia. After this battle, Khan divided his army into 3 parts. One third of them were to lay siege to the Xia capital at Ningxia. Another third were under orders of Ogadai, Genghis Khan’s eldest son, to go Westward against the Jin Dynasty. Genghis Khan then took the remainder southeastward to threaten the Jin southern border and block any reinforcements.
In the year 1227, the Xia emperor surrendered, but Genghis refused any peace overtures from the Jin Dynasty. With a suspicion of his death coming soon, Genghis set out to return to Mongolia. He died along the way, after telling his youngest son Tolui to continue the conquest of China that he was trying so badly to achieve. Tolui then destroyed the Jin forces by making them weak in cold mountain fighting, then chased them northward when they retreated only to meet with Ogadai who was now ready to attack.
The Mongols used the military tactic of feigned retreat where they would pretend to withdraw and lure the enemy into a vulnerable position to then secretly attack. The enemy would therefore be surrounded in a deadly trap. The Mongols were very destructive when it came to achieving what they wanted but many of their accomplishments are proof that their violent ways were effective. The Mongols were a devastating power across the Islamic Empire because of their widespread massacring of Muslim peoples along with much of Muslim culture, and the Mongols’ inability to maintain a successful and financially sound government.
First, the Mongols took over the Islamic Empire after a trivial offense to their leader, the great khan, responding by brutally slaughtering thousands of innocent Muslims. The shah of Khwarezm offended the great khan by refusing to extradite one of his governors in exchange for the death of two Mongol merchants, and this refusal was what provoked the onslaught of the Near East. Hulegu, also known as Il-Khan, a grandson of Genghis Khan, led the siege on Baghdad, sacking it in 1258, tearing it to the ground, and massacring “more than eight hundred thousand prisoners, men, women and children.
The devastation left by the Mongols rendered Baghdad uninhabited for some time. It is apparent that the Mongols’ choice to attack Baghdad over another Islamic city was intentional, as Baghdad was considered one of the most important cities in the Islamic world at the time, and its assault set a precedent for other nations that if they were to resist the Mongols, their influential cities would fall as well. Also apparent was the Mongols’ intent to instill fear through severe violence among Muslim peoples in order to establish themselves as as a powerful and threatening force.
Second, after the siege of Baghdad, Hulegu founded the IlKhanid dynasty, which, much like the Song dynasty of China, ensured luxuries for only the elite, and caused great economic uncertainty for the members of the lower class. “The Il-khanids relied heavily on Persian bureaucratic families to operate their oppressive financial administration,” and eventually the dynasty as a whole decline due to this instability, and was unable to acquire any new heirs to take control. As a result, the Il-khanids’ empire broke into four separate pieces, each weakened by the unsuccessful dynasty.
Because the majority of Muslim peoples during this time were not members of the elite, most struggled under the rule of the Il-khanids, and lived poorly, suffering from bankruptcy and the inefficiency of a collapsed government. Overall, the Mongols destroyed Baghdad, decimated countless Muslim peoples, caused poverty among many, and failed at creating a cohesive and long-lasting dynasty, which proves that the Mongols were a destructive force in the Islamic world. The Mongols isolated Russia from neighboring countries, destroyed their government, and discouraged art, which slowed the economic, cultural, and political growth of Russia.
Once the Mongols conquered Russia, they cut off communication and trade with neighboring countries, such as West Europe. At the time, West Europe was one of Russia’s only close civilizations, and by cutting off communication between these two countries, the Mongols effectively isolated Russia. This reduction in trade greatly slowed the cultural and economic growth in Russia. Without trade, fewer ideas were spread and less cultural diffusion between nations occurred, and therefore Russia made little progress compared to its neighbors when Mongols were ruling.
In addition to isolating Russia, the Mongols also disrupted their government system. Before the invasion, Russia had a veche, or small town council that ruled with democracy. After the invasion, all power came from the khan of the Golden Horde. Because the ruler of Russia was the Khan of the Golden Horde, not the prince, the veche could no longer function the same. They lost authority and were deprived of their traditional powers. The Mongols disrupted Russia’s government, which had been working fine before they arrived.
After overthrowing the veche, the Mongols did little to replace it with another system of government, leaving Russia in a state of chaos and without a government. After the Mongols left, Russia was forced to start over and replace their former system of government. This left them struggling to maintain order and worse off than they were before the Mongols arrived. Besides delaying Russia’s economic growth, the Mongols also halted their cultural growth. The Mongols conscripted craftsmen and skilled artists from the cities. This left almost no manpower, which was crucial to continue Russia’s industrial traditions, such as stone cutting.
The last Russian masterpiece before the Mongols arrived was the cathedral of St. George in luriev-Polsky. After the Mongols arrived, there was less industrial production and the building quality deteriorated. By conscripting most artists, the Mongols stopped advancement and destroyed many cultural traditions. After the Mongols leave, Russian buildings and stone cutting are still inferior to what they had been before. The Mongols were a devastating force in Russia as they slowed the nation’s overall growth by more than 150 years and left Russia worse off than before they arrived.