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The Mongols are remembered chiefly as the nomadic
warriors who more than once have overrun the civilized
and urban world that existed beyond their steppe
grasslands. Genghis Khan, perhaps, is the best known
Mongol conqueror who united the various tribes and
created a vast empire that included parts of China and
the Middle East. The Mongol tribes comprised mainly of the Naimans,
Keraits, Uirats, Merkits and Jalair who occupied the
vast plains of Central Asia. They were mainly split into
two groups; the sheep herding pastoralists of the
grasslands and the poorer hunting-fishing clans of the
forest fringe. All Mongol males were hunters and
warriors and remained so until the age of sixty.
Everyone learned to ride in childhood and was adapted in
using the bow while on the horseback.
Archery skills were very advanced although other
military skills may have been inferior to many of their
foes. For the bulk of the Mongol army, military training
revolved around hunting. The most important hunt was the
annual 'nerge', a massive expedition in search of game
to provide meat for the long Mongolian winter. In it, a
large ring of horsemen will gradually draw together
forcing the trapped animals into a small space. The
leader would shoot the first arrow signaling the start
of the slaughter. The tactics of the 'nerge' were
applied to Mongol warfare.
While their neighbors were influenced or converted to
Buddhism, Islam or Christianity, the Mongols remained
mainly Shamanist. The shamens were their spiritual
leaders who communicated to the spirit world through
prayer and ritual on high places. Few details are known
about their animist beliefs which seem to revolved
around a multitude of spirits. They recognize a supreme
god identified as the `Everlasting Blue Sky'.
The Mongol society had its ruling clans and military
elite which were very fragmented until Genghis Khan came
along. He was a natural leader and fine general who
united all the tribes. In 1206, he was proclaimed the
Great Khan of all Turkish and Mongol tribes who lived in
felt tents in eastern Asia. Thus, the Mongols became a
single entity and turned its attention to its rich
neighbors. His troops raided the rich but peaceful Hsi-Hsia
kingdom of western China and forced the king to
recognize the lordship of Genghis Khan. They raided but
faced stiff opposition from the Chin State. The Mongols
were more successful in the west. They had dramatic
victories over the Persian kingdoms and reached the
Middle-East and Europe.
As Genghis Khan's empire grew, his army became
decreasing Mongol in the ethnic sense. Turkish warriors
greatly out numbered Mongols whose role was that of a
leading elite. Military disobedience or lying to a
superior were serious crimes. The tactical organization
of the Mongol army reflected age-old Turco-Mongol
tradition. They relied on horse archery and were known
to their foes as the 'devil's horsemen'.
After Genghis Khan's death, his empire did not
disintegrate like many of his predecessors. He left
behind the foundations of an administration and a legal
code. His family the Golden Clan, generally managed to
agree on the succession issue. His equally famous
grandson, Kublai Khan, conquered China and founded the
Yuan dynasty in 1292.
Some historians view Genghis Khan as a savage who led
the Mongols on a worldwide rampage of death and
destruction while others look upon him as a genius who
took the Mongols from primitive obscurity to the
pinnacle of world power. |
