Impact of The Mongol Conquest in The Middle East - Essay Sample

Introduction

The Mongol empire was located in Mongolia; it was a community of pastoralists who mainly depended on the products from their livestock and trade to acquire their daily livelihood. They existed independently from civil war until the reign of Chinggis Khan. Chinggis was a son of a low-status family and grew up seeing the potential its country had, during a fight for his wife who had been kidnapped, Chinggis displayed incredible military techniques which lead to his elevation to Khan. He gained popularity among the people, and they elected him as Khan.

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Chinggis Khan's success is attributed to his ability to turn the poor against the rich. He was much liked by the poor for his basis for judgment was not on status but rather on one's ability. He conquered many kingdoms and dynasties by destroying the leaders and taking the neglected in society as his own. During his rise, he was able to quickly establish a powerful military force because of the availability of horses which became a war machine; they were able to traverse a great deal of land in a short time. The pastoralists at this time were also good at archery which made them dangerous against any enemy army on foot. They were centered in speed and accuracy which in return made them unbeatable.

Being traders, the Mongol reestablished trade routes; they ensured that there was safe transit of from one part of the territories they had conquered to the other. The opening of the Silk Road trading route was one such achievement; it opened Europe to the Asian continent which then brought about the smooth transfer of goods. The main commodity traded using the Silk Road was in fact silk. It was manufactured in China and then transported to Europe and the Middle East. Contrary to the common misconception, these routes were used for other trade means such as raw materials from Europe and even tasks that originated from Eastern Africa. It however worth noting that this route was not a single channel, it was an interconnection of routes and even channels across the sea. The Mongols opened and transformed the lives of the Middle Easterners. They introduced them to various commodities that would have been unavailable were it not for their presence. The trade also significantly reshaped the nomadic life of the Mongol; they had turned from being a low-class community to an influential trade boss.

Being nomads with little exposure to other communities, the Mongols were inexperienced in many fields. To counteract this; they would carry any skilled and valuable person from the towns they had overthrown. This concept accumulated The Mongol with a large group of skills and expertise at their disposal. They employed various skilled advisors to help them rule the territory, which at this time was very large. To establish territories that were subjective to their rule, the Mongol killed the leaders and influential people in any city that they came across; this ensured that the remaining members of the community would not dare start a revolt. Because it was hard to establish communication within its territories, the Mongol chose to decentralize their power so that a few individuals would be responsible for a small area but still subject to the Khan (Ira M. Lapidus, pg 9). As the advancement of the territory of The Mongolia Empire continued, the Great Khan (Chinggis Khan) died. The conquest then continued lead by the descendants of Chinggis. They were able to conquer many other states around them and then reached Europe.

Advancement was interrupted by the division of the Empire into smaller states in the late 11th century. The Mongols continued to pursue their initial plan of controlling trade and advancing territories. However, this was cut short by the fall of their kingdom.

Lifestyle and socialization among the Mongol community in their early days were one of simple survival and dependency on livestock and their small trade with their neighbors. This none the less was set to change with the advancement of their territory. They started training military cavalries with discipline and precision. Their life slowly changed from the poor nomadic state to an iconic figure of fear and admiration. From their association with the Chinese and Europeans, they gained knowledge about trade and leadership, they even started valuing art and accepting other community's ways of life. The status of these people as leaders was then established. They were respected, and some communities willfully sent them tributes so that they could maintain a good relationship with them. Brutality was also introduced to the lives of the Mongols. To defeats other kingdoms and ensure that they were feared and respected. At one time, they razed down entire cities and slaughtered all in the city. They were so brutal to the extent that they contributed to some of the world's most terrible massacres ever in history.

After taking over land and its resources, the Mongol didn't mind changing the way of living of their subjects; they allowed them to practice their traditions as long as they were subject to the leadership of the empire. This made it easy for them to rule since there was no need to transform the inhabitants to conform to a dictated form of life. The Mongols were open to the extent that in some areas, they fully transformed into the lifestyle of the subjects.

On matters religion, the Mongols worship many gods with the native god being Tengri. In their religion, the gods were attached to their ancestral land; this meant that the Mongols had no need being subject to this worship when away from their homeland. Tengriism, as is known by many, involved the worship of the Sky God (Tengri) and the land goddess Eje. They didn't have any sacred places rather they had shrines; this was due to their nomadic life which didn't allow them to settle. As they expanded their Empire, they came across various religions including Islam and Christianity. The Fact that they had no obligation to worship a specific god made them more likable by other communities as they then allowed them to continue in their usual worship without any interference or subjection. During their interaction, some Mongols were converted to these religions and settled down in the land (Ira M. Lapidus, pg 40).

In simple terms, the Mongols were masters of adaptation. They had gotten used to the tough desert life with hardships while herding, this played a role in making the Mongols resistant to many infections along the way. Their subjects, however, were not very lucky. The spread of the bubonic plague is said to be a result of the Mongols travel to the Middle East. The ships which they were using had rats, and this plague killed many in their territory.

The Mongols related well with those under their subject, they employed them to various posts in their government and hence developed trust and respect; they showed no partiality and appointed people on merits. By giving refuge to the peasants, they acquired support and control over the territories they had just conquered (knysh, pg132). Availability of poor people willing to work for them meant they were great and had an abundant supply of workforce and military. Great military commands and strategies combined with a disciplined cavalry meant that they had one of the most powerful armies in the world. They employed some of the most basic war techniques where they could use slaves as a human shield and attacking their enemies from their most unexpected spots. They were known to divide their forces to many troops which ensured they were never caught unaware and extinguish.

On arrival to some parts during their conquest, the Mongols made a great impact on the lives of those they came across. They helped the weak and oppressed receive equal status as the rich while also empowering many by allowing them to do trade. They completely changed their structures of government and introduced ones which would favor them and make them rule quickly. By the invasion, there was the boom of business in both Asia and the Middle East. The trading countries got wealthier, and the Mongols gained more power. It is also true that during their reign, they held some of the prisoners of war as slaves. This affected the lives of those people as they lost their initial identity and became subjects rather than independents. During the war, a lot of wealth was destroyed. The Mongols burnt up cities and destroyed everything owned by the inhabitants; this made sure that the affected had nowhere to escape to and restructure themselves and possibly set up a coup. The intellectuals and talented were taken and separated to serve the Empire in various places of the territory; this leads to the separation of families. As the reign went on for a long time, they settled among their subjects and soon got absorbed to their culture and way of life, in fact, they soon became one of them that it was impossible to differentiate them from the natives.

Works Cited

Lapidus, Ira M. A history of Islamic societies. Cambridge University Press, 2002.