Back to Lecture Notes Index
RISE AND FALL OF TURKISH AND MONGOL INVADERS I.Introduction

• A.The invasions perhaps the most important to world history in the period 1000-1500
• B. All but the very periphery of Eurasia would be overrun
• C.Redefined the relationship of nomadic people to "civilized" people
  • 1.made definitions more difficult for us historians
  • 2.previously the civilizations had unified lands of the nomads
  • 3.now, however, the nomadic groups - both Turk and Mongol - unified "civilized" lands under their control
• D. These invasions from steppe of central Asia were part of a long pattern

II.Turks

• A.Nomadic, shepherds
  • 1.therefore traditionally on the outside of civilization
  • 2.yet excellent on horseback, able to move quickly
• B.not an ethnic or racial group per se, but a collection of related language populations
  • 1.started on the outside of the Islamic empire - from Mongolia to Oxus River
  • 2.acted as the Germans had with the Romans
    • a.sometimes worked for the caliphs
    • b.became dominant in the army for the riding and their archery
    • c.used this dominance finally to take over Islamic caliphate itself
  • 3.accepted much of the culture and religion of the Islamic state, including Islam itself
  • 4.therefore helped to expand and spread Islam over huge territories
• C.Seljuk Turks
  • 1.most famous for their becoming "sultan" of Islamic empire
    • a. invaded Arab territory in 970
    • b. Tughril Beg forced Arab caliph to declare him sultan - 1055
  • 3.continued to push against the West in the middle east_ie. Constantinople
  • 4.Beat Byzantines in 1071 at Manzikert - continued to fight with the Crusaders for Jerusalem
• D."Indian" Turks
  • 1.spread, during same period (early 1000s) into India
  • 2. led by Mahmud ("The Image Breaker") - 997-1030
  • 3.took with them a militantly strong Islam
  • 4.spread Islam throughout India
    • a.first Northern India, then southern
    • b.often spread by force as well as education - Hinduism seen as sinful since it was polytheistic and had pictures of the gods
    • d. conflict also between caste based Hindu society and egalitarian Muslim society
    • e.would set up the problems of today's India and Pakistan
    • f.would set up the basis for the present tensions between Hindus and Moslems
  • 5.most famous of Turks in India was Mahmud (997-1030) "the image breaker"
  • 6.finally moved all the way down to Delhi, thus making India a Turkish sultanate
  • 7.easy to do because there was only one warrior class and the rest of the people either became Islamic or didn't care - their defense was in their karma, dharma, and reincarnation

III. Mongols

• A.Genghis Khan (1167-1227)
  • 1. Born Temujin (Ironsmith)
  • 2.one of a poor clan leadership family in furthest Mongolia
  • 3.became leader of all Mongol tribes in 1206 with the term Ghengis Khan_ruler of the universe (!)
  • 4.irony that all Mongols only numbered about 1 million, about 125,000 under arms, but he did almost become the ruler of the universe
  • 5. Strong organizational talent
  • 6. Felt a divine call to conquer from the Eternal Sky god
  • 7. But other motives also important:
    

"Man's highest joy is in victory: to conquer one's enemies, to pursue them, to deprive them of their possessions, to make their beloved weep, to ride on their horses, and to embrace their wives and daughters." - Genghis Khan

• B. Military prowess
  • 1.has been called the originator of the blitzkrieg
  • 2.we know about Mongols from Marco Polo, who traveled throughout China
  • 3.life for a Mongol man was always preparation for war
    • a. riding a hundred miles per day if necessary
    • b. able to use an armor-piercing compound bow, lethal up to 600 yards
    • c.i ncredibly strong, small horses that could survive on almost nothing
    • d. drinking horse blood...
  • 4.came along when many traditionally strong empires had begun to fall apart
    • a. Rome long gone, Byzantium weakened
    • b. Chinese Song dynasty had been invaded from the north
    • c. Islamic empire had been taken over by Turks
    • d. used his theory of uniting nomads before attacking empires in order to keep control over large areas effectively
    • e. by uniting with Turkic and Manchu warriors, able to expand army
    • f. quickly adopted military technology (and experts) of conquered peoples
• C. Extremely important as a military unifier
  • 1. Began with China -- took Beijing in 1215
  • 2.took some of Russia in 1223
  • 3.had spread all across the east
  • 4.moved back to Mongolia in 1226-7, died there
  • 5.elaborate effort made to ensure his tomb was never found

IV. Sons and Grandsons of Genghis Khan

• A. Under Ogodai (1185-1241) and Batu (Ogodai's son), all of China taken and most of eastern Europe, even took Baghdad from the Turks in 1258
  • 1.incrdeibly fierce: Russian survivors "envied the dead" and
  • 2.others thought it was the end of the world
  • 3.most of Baghdad's 800,000 occupants were murdered
• B. Genghis' empire divided amongst four sons, eventually producing four mostly independent khanates
• C. At death of Ogodai, Batu settled in what is now Russia,
  • 1. began the khanate of the Golden Horde
  • 2.helped to cut off Russian development from the west
• D. Final great ruler of the Mongols was Kublai Khan (died 1294)
  • 1. Ruled as the Great Khan, founding the Yuan Dynasty in China (1279-1368)
  • 2. moved capital to Beijing in 1264
  • 3. Southern Song fell in 1279, completing conquest of China
  • 4. Beijing built of stone, but laid out as a Mongol warrior's tent city
  • 5. But buildings designed by an Arab architect
  • 6. Used ethnic caste system in government, military occupation to rule vast Chinese population
  • 7. Weaker emperors, ethnic conflicts, high taxes and great floods led to rebellion and collapse

V. Decline of the Mongols

• A. small numbers, huge area made long-term control difficult
• B. local leaders (like Alexander Nevskii) could grow up and go against Mongols in various areas
• C. cultural assimilation in each area where they ruled
• D. For a time, opened up trade routes across Eurasia
• E. But also began the spread of the Plague
• F. gave way for the resurgence of the Turks, until they became a European as well as Middle Eastern power by taking Constantinople in 1453.

Back to Lecture Notes Index