How Barbaric Were The Barbarians? Does strategy excuse barbaric behavior? The Mongols were powerful conquerors and warriors of Asia, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe. Eight hundred years ago in the 13th century The Mongols gained the name “barbarians” for their harsh battle tactics, laws and punishment. So how barbaric were The Mongols really? The barbarians were a ruthless band of nomads who slaughtered entire towns, enforced strict militia rules, and forced people to submit to The Mongol rule. In the spring of 1221 The Mongols planned an attack on the town of Nishapur and began to slay and plunder. Then they drove the surviving women and children out into the plain to be slaughtered not even leaving dogs or cats alive. They were so ruthless that they severed the heads of the slain and heaped them up in piles. …show more content…
They believe that if their warriors flee in battle they will be slaughtered if they return, and if someone from your group runs off and you don't bring them back you will be killed as well. Also when the barbarians storm a city they choose who they want to capture and take as slaves and artisans. The people who are not taken are killed with an axe (Doc 3). The Mongols were willing to kill many of their own men just to prove their power and set an example for other warriors thinking of doing the same. Document 2 and 3 show how The Mongols enforced strict military laws and customs. After Genghis Kahn died, The Mongols pushed for further conquest. The first city to fall was Riazan in the eastern Russian frontier (BE). The city was destroyed. Men, women, and children were killed but a few survivors were allowed to escape to carry the warning of The Mongols. If you did not submit to them you would be killed as well. By May 1242, Mongol patrols were just 60 miles from Vienna (BE). The Mongols slayed cities destroying everything for no