Mongols Flashcards
Mongol time period
Started with Chinggis Khan in 1206, lasted until 1236
Chinggis Khan
-Born Temujin in 1162
-Descendent of Kabul Khan (united Mongols)
-Father died
-Kidnapped, escaped
-Grew into strong military leader
-Became khagan in 1206
Chinggis Khan conquering
-Tangut/Xi Xia (north China)
-Jin (Jurchens in China)
-Kara Khitai (central Asia)
-Khwarazm (persia area)
-Spared artisans’ lives and let them come to Karakorum
Khwarazm
-Empire led by Muhammad Shah
-Bukhara and Samarkand
-Taken by Mongols
Mongols as a nomadic society
-Lived in Central Asian steppe
-Goat+sheep herds (food, clothing, shelter)
-Rode horses for days at a time, relied on their for herding, war, and hunting
-Tribes/clans
-Confederations when needed
Kuriltai
-Meeting of all Mongol chieftains
-To select a supreme ruler (khagan)
Khagan
-Supreme ruler of Mongol tribes
Tumens
-Fighting forces of 10,000
-Units of 1000, 100, 10 underneath
-Each with their own commander
Mongol Tactics/Weapons
-Heavy and light cavalry, scouting parties, messengers
-Short bow
-Chinese helped develop siege weapons (battering ram, catapults)
-Fake retreating
Jebe
“The Arrow”
-Shot Chinggis Khan’s horse right out from under him
-Stood his ground when his army was being defeated
-Impressed Chinggis so much that he became a high up Mongol military post
-Demonstrates Chinggis Khan’s generosity to his bravest foes
What religion did Chinggis Khan practice?
Shamanism (nature spirits)
Pax Mongolica
-Empire held together
-Cultural exchange
-Trade
-Internal peace
-In towns, scholarship flourished along with the arts
-Secure trade routes led to prosperous merchants and wealthy cities
Karakorum
-Mongol capital
-Lavish tent-palace
-Scholars brought here
Who did the Mongol land pass down to when Chinggis Khan died?
-His three sons
-His grandson Batu (son of Chinggis Khan’s dead son)
Ogedei
-Chinggis’ third son
-Became the new Khagan after Chinggis Khan’s death
-Not super strong in military, but very clever and a great diplomatic force
Four Khanates
-Golden Horde (Russia)
-Ilkhan (Middle East)
-Chagatai (Central Asia)
-Great Khanate/Yuan Dynasty (China)
The Golden Horde
-One of the four khanates (subdivisions) of the empire after Chinggis Khan’s death
-Named for the golden tents of the western khans
-Led by Batu, invaded Russia
Batu
-Leader of the Golden Horde who led the invasion of Russia
-Grandson of Chinggis Khan
How was Russia organized in the 1200s, and how did this hurt their defense against the Mongols?
-Divided into kingdoms, each ruled by a prince
-The princes refused to collaborate with each other, making defense hard
What did the Russians call the Mongol invaders led by Batu?
Tatars /Tartars (people from hell)
Why did the Mongols only invade Russia in the winters?
-Horses could walk more easily on the frozen ground
-Rivers were frozen over, easier to access areas
Kiev
-Great walled trade city
-Mongols defeated it when they returned in the winter of 1240
-Spared St Sophia’s cathedral though)
Why was Novgorod spared?
-Their prince, Alexander Nevsky temporarily submitted to Mongol demands
-They wanted to move on to more western European conquest
Effects of Mongols in Russia
-Princes vassals of the khan and had to pay tribute
-Peasants had to give their labor and crops to not only their prince but to the Mongols, so they fled to remote areas or became serfs for protection
-Moscow rose (tribute collector, Orthodox Church)
-Became isolated (cut off from Renaissance)