Similarities Between Alexander The Great And Julius Caesar

1529 Words7 Pages

Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar are both great conquerors and leaders of the ancient world, creating massive empires. However, their achievements pale in comparison to Genghis Khan and the Mongolian Empire he built. Despite the lack of recognition in most history books, Genghis Khan and his descendants created the largest empire the world has ever seen. They were integral to the changes bought to the Asian Circulatory System, a cultural and economic system ranging from modern-day Japan to the Asia Minor. Furthermore, they overthrew the old aristocratic system and paved the way for the development of the modern world. In other words, the Mongolian Empire drastically restructured how the Asian Circulatory System worked: the Mongols united …show more content…

Consequently, he was met with oppositions from other traditional Mongolian leaders such as Jamukha and Ong Khan (Weatherford: 41). However, the combined power of Jamukha and Ong Khan proved no match against Temujin’s ever-growing military force. With Temujin’s victory, he became Genghis Khan and abolished the age-old steppe kinship-based social structure and emphasized the value of an individual’s loyalty and ability (Weatherford: 64). Weatherford writes, “Temujin Khan exercised a decisive ability to assess a man’s talent and assign him to precisely the right task based on his ability” (Weatherford: 40). For example, Jelme was one of Genghis’s most trusted general because of his display of dedication to Genghis when he sucked poison out of his khan’s system after a battle. The system of fictive kinship established by Genghis Khan allowed abled and talented commoners to rise through the social hierarchy, creating one of first meritocracy in history. As Genghis Khan would say, “‘We are always united in mutual affection’” (Weatherford: 130). However, despite Genghis Khan’s emphasis on talent and devotion, he kept the title of the khan within his own family. Though, it is important to noted that Genghis Khan implemented a law that states “the khan must always be elected by a …show more content…

To maintain control of his Mongol empire, Genghis Khan established the Great Law which derived from the steppe traditions and customs. To complement the Great Law, Genghis Khan permitted conquered societies to follow their own traditional law if it did not oppose the Great Law. This was radically different from the other laws at the time because it was not based on “divine revelation from God” nor “an ancient code of any sedentary civilizations” (Weatherford: 67-68). Before the conquest of the Mongols, rulers would conquer territories and rule over them in the name of God. An example would be Ashoka’s use of Buddhism “as a unifying ideology or imperial-level religion” to build the Mauryan Empire (Davis: 21). Another example would be Empress Wu Zetian’s use of Buddhism to legitimize her control by portraying herself as “Maitreya, the future Buddha” (Sen and Mair: 54). This is a stark contrast of politics and the use of religion before and during the Mongolian rule. In other words, Genghis Khan and the Mongols successfully separated politics and religion into two different entities. Furthermore, unlike the many kings and rulers who reigned above the law, the Great Law applied to Genghis Khan as well. The new political structure that Genghis Khan implemented in his empire was unprecedented and lead the way to the modern secular