Mongol Empire Dbq Essay

The Mongol Empire was the largest contiguous empire in history occupying 12 million square miles of land in Central Asia (Lewis, p. 1, 2002). When looking at a map of the Mongol Empire it is clear that it grew rapidly as it initially occupied its existing neighbors in 1207 and then went on to conquer the neighboring nations, taking control of the rest of central Asia by 1227 (Document C). It was created and controlled by Temüjin, who adopted the title Ghenghis Khan, meaning universal leader, from 1206 up until his death in 1227 (Lewis, p. 1, 2002). To many people Genghis Khan was considered a genius for his military strategy which partially led to his overwhelmingly successful conquest, but to others he was considered a violent, illiterate

Historian Frank Mclynn said “At the heart of the Mongols’ success were the horse-mounted archers” which were a “quantum leap in military technology” (2015, p. 1). An example of the success that these strategies achieved was in the city of Gurganj which is modern day Turkmenistan, where “after it succumbed to a five-month siege, 50,000 Mongol soldiers slaughtered ten men each” (Mizen, p. 5, 2018). The deployment of tactics like this, among others, produced great results for the Mongols. They allowed the Mongols to complete several sieges with great success. Ruthlessness was certainly another factor. Genghis’s strong army with polished, and unheard of, military tactics were able to take control of any region he desired. Ultimately, Genghis Khan’s military tactics were important, but do not fully explain his

This was seen where a Mongolian tribe, the Naimans, were planning to overthrow Genghis Khan and asked for the support of a Turkic Tribe, the Onngut, in Central Asia. However, the Onngut contacted Genghis Khan and informed him of the Naiman’s plans, this allowed Genghis Khan to prepare for the invasion and initiated his conquest of Mongolia and the rest of Central Asia. It states in a document that “Genghis Khan would never forget the favour shown to him by the Onggut. Genghis Khan now controlled all of Mongolia” (Document A). This demonstrated Genghis Khan’s strategy in creating allies which was based on loyalty, and acknowledging help. Additionally, at the beginning of Genghis Khan’s journey in growing his empire Genghis used his connections and alliance with Toghrul, a formidable leader of another tribe in Central Asia, who aided Genghis Khan in attacking the Merkit, another Mongolian tribe and winning back his previously stolen wife (Mizen, p. 3, 2018). This demonstrated that Genghis Khan was able to form allies through displays and promises of loyalty. His ability to strategically create allies served him greatly in his journey to power. The success in defeating the Merkit allowed Genghis’s rise to power, to commence and create the intimidating reputation of the