it mean's that In 1206 one chieftain, Temüjin, united the myriad nomadic tribes of the Mongolian plains and was duly named ‘universal ruler’ - Genghis Khan. These united tribes would soon conquer most of the known world. In less than a century the Mongol Empire would cover most of Asia, swathes of the Middle East, and even threaten Europe.
There is more to Genghis Khan and the Mongolian Empire than warfare and military success though.
This was a pluralistic empire built on meritocracy, diplomacy, and religious toleration with relatively strong women’s rights. As the Mongolian Empire expanded and peace flourished in the interior, trade along the Silk Road blossomed. This connectivity and exchange brought a cultural flourishing to Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
Violence and brutality were, however, the foundations on which this great empire was formed.
Brutally effective in the field one of the Mongolian horde’s greatest siege weapons was terror. Towns that refused to surrender were annihilated upon capture so as to dissuade any similarly stubborn garrisons to rethink their mentality. Genghis’ own military expeditions cost so many lives in fact that the earth was cooled by a few degrees.
At the same time Genghis welcomed any useful person or technology. These were in turn used to capture further towns and cities. In this way Genghis’ great horde grew ever greater with victory. As renowned historian John Man explained: “Part of Genghis’ genius was to see that he was an ignorant barbarian”.
His tactical and martial genius ensured Genghis’ name would be etched in history alongside Alexander the Great, Xerxes, Tamerlane, and Attila the Hun. His legacy would be far greater than these other names though. This was largely due to his system of governance.
During his lifetime Genghis had rewarded people based on their performance and ability. On his death Genghis’ empire was divided among his sons and grandsons with his third eldest, Ögedei, named as his successor.
The reliance on support from the home tribes tethered Genghis’ successors politically and militarily. When Ögedei passed away, despite being on a weak Europe’s doorstep, the horde returned to Mongolia to resolve the succession. Despite this slight weakness the Mongolian Empire continued to grow.
The greatest period of growth came during the reign of Genghis’ grandson Kublai. Continuing his grandfather’s promotion of merit and adoption of foreign practices Kublai was able to grow the Mongol Empire until it covered a fifth of the world’s inhabited land.
This was largely due to his conquering of the remaining Chinese territory and establishing of the Yuan dynasty. Kublai’s reign was marked by disunity though and by the time of his death in 1294 the Mongol Empire had begun to break up.
Despite the disintegration of the empire the central Yuan dynasty remained. This would become the basis from which modern China would eventually emerge. Despite being “a very minor part, of a small clan, of a tribe that nobody had heard of in the outside world” Genghis Khan became one of the most influential figures in history.
Explanation:
yea it has the answer somewhere in there lol hope it helps :D
