The Mongols were pastoralists which means that they domesticated and herded animals. Mongol people were always moving and looking for better land. The Mongols traveled around, they were Nomadic. Meaning they followed a seasonal pattern and went back to the same place on a regular basis. Back to the same campsites where everything is familiar. These nomads depended on their animals for food, clothing, and housing. Their diet was meat and animal milk. The mongols had clothing made of wools and skin, and they lived in movable tents called yurts. Steppe nomads traveled together in groups/clans. The members of each clan claimed to be descended from a ancestor. Clans would join when they needed a larger force to attack neighboring settlements or a common enemy. The life of traveling Nomads and settled peoples resulted in constant interaction between them. The Mongols of the Asian steppe lived their lives on the move. They prided themselves on their skill on horseback, their discipline, their ruthlessness, and their courage in battle. Each cavalry warrior wore silk underwear, which arrows often did not pierce. The warriors could use the silk to help pull the arrow cleanly out of a wound. They also had a big desire for wealth and glory, which soon exploded into violent conflicts that transformed Asia and Europe forever. Because of their interaction of different settlements, they engaged in peaceful trades. They exchanged horses, for grain, metal, cloth, and tea. However, they were often got greedy and forcefully took what they wanted. Which resulted in settlements living in a constant fear of attacks. Sometimes, a nomadic group was able to conquer and rule the whole empire. The ones who were rulers of these empires commonly became part of the empire they conquered. There were a lot of loosely organized nomadic tribes wandering the eastern steppe, it would take military and politically smart person like Temujin (Genghis Khan) to unite the Mongols. For more than 21 years, Genghis Khan led the Mongols in taking over a large portion of Asia. They invaded the north part of the Jin Empire in china, destroyed city after city. They took over Utrar, Samarkand, and Bukhara. Several characteristics behind Genghis Khan’s success were he was very good at organizing and strategizing the attacks, and he used cruelty as a weapon to pressure other people to surrender. Using this technique towns would surrender without a fight, because the were afraid Genghis would kill all of their people. When Genghis Khan died of a disease in 1227, both his sons and grandsons continued to conquer. They finished their conquest of northern China and managed to invade Korea. By 1260, the Mongols divided the empire into four regions/Khanates. These four Khanates were ruled by decedents of Genghis Khan (Mongolia and China), the Khanate of Chagatai (Central Asia), the Ilkhanate (Persia), and the Khanate of the Golden Horde (Russia). They were all ruled by a descendant of Genghis. The Mongols were strong in war, but quite tolerant in peace. The mongols didn’t force their ways upon the people the conquered they even adopted part of the culture of the recently conquered. By adopting local cultures caused the empire to weaken. Also the bubonic plague first spread by the Mongols because of the trade routes. Which was passed on by infected Mongol soldiers. For a while in history, Mongols were known as the lords of city-based civilizations in Asia, including parts of China.
Mongol Empire
