Mongol Empire: Rise And Fall Of One The World’s Largest And Fearsome Empires

Ellen Lloyd - AncientPages.com - The year is 1206. The Mongol tribal leader Temüjin (1158 – 1227) gathers several nomadic tribes and declares himself Genghis Khan. By doing so, he lays the foundation of what would soon become one of the greatest and fearsome empires in world history.

Between 1206 and 1294, Mongol warriors struck fear into the hearts of those who opposed them.

Mongol warriors were feared and they seemed unstoppable. Credit: Adobe Stock - Lunstream

The Mongols conquered central Asia, China, and large parts of today’s Russia and the Middle East.

Europeans feared the Mongol invasion, and people knew it would be extremely difficult to resist the forces of Genghis Khan. Was Europe doomed?

The Birth Of Genghis Khan’s Mongol Empire

Once Temüjin rose to power as Genghis Khan, he did not waste any time enjoying his new elevated social status. We must keep in mind that “Genghis Khan is a title, not a name.

While the word Khan is associated with the name Genghis, it is not Genghis’ last name. The word Khan is used by the Mongols to denote position or authority. So when we read his name, Genghis Khan, what we are really saying is Genghis, ruler or Genghis the ruler.” ¹

Genghis Khan ordered his Mongol warriors to attack neighboring cities and countries. The Mongol fighters, who were masters of strategy, were sent in every direction. Mongol armies were merciless, and resistance seemed pointless. Those who refused to succumb to Genghis Khan paid the highest price, and few survived his brutal massacres. Villages and cities were burned, and opponents were executed. It cannot be denied that Mongol warriors under the rule of Genghis Khan were very violent. When they appeared on horseback approaching the enemy, riding as fast as they could, many thought these warriors were simply unstoppable.

Let us also not forget that not all Mongol warriors were men. Khutulun who was a cousin of Kublai Khan was a great female Mongol warrior. According to Marco Polo, she would often leave her father’s side, ride up to the enemy, grab one, and then bring the enemy soldier back to her father.

In any case, Genghis Khan’s numerous successful conquests turned the Mongol Empire into the largest contiguous Empire in history. The Mongol Empire covered 9 square miles of territory at its greatest extent.

It should be added that not all of Genghis Khan’s invasions were successful military achievements. His invasion of Burma and Sakhalin led to the loss of a large number of Mongol warriors. Genghis Khan’s attempt to conquer Northern and Southern Vietnam turned out to be a military disaster, and his warriors were defeated.

Looking through our eyes, Genghis Khan may appear like a truly horrible man whose war machine spread nothing but blood, pain, and death whenever it found a new target. However, there was also another, often neglected side of the Mongolian military leader. Genghis Khan was naturally a conqueror, but he was also an intelligent man who regarded himself as a ruler of people.

“One of his first acts was to ban or make illegal the kidnapping of women.  After this, he declared that the selling of women for marriage was also outlawed and illegal. Then, he declared that all children were legitimate in the eyes of the empire, no matter who their parents were.

The Mongol Empire grew rapidly. Credit: Wikia.com

Other accomplishments included the regulating of hunting. This act made more meat available to all people. He also made the stealing of animals a capital offense. Even taking lost property was considered to be theft in his eyes.

Along with all of this, he began record keeping and had the Mongol language put down on paper. He also created official seals and an official, who oversaw all judicial decisions plus had the power to give the death sentence if needed.” ¹

Countries that accepted the Mongol Empire benefitted from trade, the spread of technology, scientific achievements, and cultural and social ideas.

After the death of Genghis Khan in 1227, there were some disputes between his heirs about who should become the ruler of the Mongol Empire. There wasn’t really much to discuss because Genghis Khan had made it clear before he died he wished his third son Ögedei (1186 - 1241), to be the next Khan.

Ögedei Khan Continues Expansion Of The Mongol Empire

Ögedei Khan continued the Mongol invasions and expanded his father’s already huge Empire. Persis was added to the Mongol Empire, and the Mongols expanded their territories into the Middle East. Georgia and Armenia were conquered, and Korea was invaded.

Meanwhile, looking at these events from a distance, Europe trembled. It was now only a matter of time before Ögedei Khan’s warriors reached Europe.

The Mongols attacked Europe in 1241, but the invasion was stopped when news about the death of Ögedei Khan reached the Mongol horde. A new Khan had to be selected.

Recently, scientists put forward a theory suggesting something unusual stopped the Mongol hordes from conquering Europe.

Historians know that Ögedei Khan had granted permission to invade the remainder of Europe, all the way to the "Great Sea", the Atlantic Ocean, but his death prevented the invasions from continuing west.

What happened next has always been somewhat of a historical mystery. Some historians have argued that Batu Khan, who commanded the Mongol invasion after the death of Ögedei Khan turned back toward the Mongol capital of Karakorum for the election of a new leader.

However, Batu Khan never returned to Mongolia. Instead, he stayed in southern Russia to rule the Golden Horde.

Findings from Princeton University researchers cast a new light on why the Mongol invasion of Europe failed. Scientists say the bloodthirsty Mongol horde was stopped by weather that prevented their forces from raids on European cities.”

Some historians argue climate change was insufficient to stop the army from entering Europe. It was a significant factor that saved Europe from the Mongols, but the lack of a strong leader was also a contributing factor that stopped the planned invasion.

Ögedei's death in 1241 brought the Mongol invasion of Europe to a premature end. ²

The Beginning OF The End Of The Mongol Empire

After the death Ögedei Khan, a power struggle lasted from 1241–1251, and for the first time, the Mongols were no longer united.

In a separate part of the empire, Kublai Khan, one of the most powerful people in human history, rose to power

Kublai Khan, the grandson of Genghis Khan re-unified China and was the first emperor who laid the foundation of today's territory of China. He “seized power in his forties but he perceived China rather than Mongolia as the key to empire. He was very interested in the culture of the Chinese and studied Buddhism and Confucianism, the philosophies of Ancient China.”

Kublai Khan died on February 18, 1294, at the age of 79. In the 14th century, the ineptitude of his successors provoked rebellions that eventually destroyed the Mongol dynasty.

When the Mongol Empire was split into four Mongol empires, the Golden Horde Khanate in the northwest, the Chagatai Khanate in Central Asia, the Ilkhanate in the southwest, and the Yuan dynasty in the east, based in modern-day Beijing, it was the beginning of the end. Each one of these khanates pursued its interests and goals. It was just the scenario Genghis Khan wanted to avoid when he 1206 united the Mongolian tribes.

The Genghis Khan statue complex Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Credit: Adobe Stock - Nuttee

Splitting a powerful Empire into fractions can occasionally open a new chapter of prosperity, but it can also weaken or even destroy the empire's former glory. The four Mongol khanates declined gradually until they fell.

The Mongol Empire was not meant to last. Today, Mongolia is a small country measuring 1,486 miles (2,392 km) from west to east and, at its maximum, 782 miles (1,259 km) from north to south. With a population of just 3.3 million living on 603,909 square miles.

The glory and power of the huge Mongol Empire are nothing but ancient history, but this small country, located in Asia between Russia to the north and China to the south, have had incredible rulers and warriors few ancient kingdoms and modern countries could ever compete with.

No matter how small the country is today, rest assured Mongolia's significance can never be erased from history books.

Did you know Genghis Khan has 16 million relatives? This number alone clearly shows how powerful and vast the Mongol Empire once was.

Updated On November 8, 2023

Written By Ellen Lloyd - AncientPages.com

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