HANDWRITTEN NOTES

CLASS 11TH 'HUMANITIES'
HISTORY

Chapter 5
NOMADIC EMPIRES

Mongols:- Mongols were the nomadic tribe of modern region of Mongolia. Mongols earlier belonged to central Asia. Mongols were wandering people and divided into tribes. The tribes were constantly at war with each other. Loot and plunder was internal part of their living. Mongolians were patriarchial in nature. Birth of son was considered as a sign of property of the family.

Social background of Mongolians-

1) The Mongols were a diverse body of people.

2) Some of the Mongols were pastoralists while othere were hunter-gatherers.

3) The pastoralists tended horses, sheep, cattle, goat and camels. They nomadised in steppes of central Asia in area of modern state of Mongolia.

4) The hunter gatherers resided in North of Mongolia in Siberian forests.

5) Agriculture was possible in pastoral regions during short period of years.

6) The Mongols lived in tents and travelled their heads from their winter to summer pasture lands.

7) Ethnic and language tied the Mongolian people, but the society was divided into patrillineal lineages. The rich families were large, possessed more animals and pasture lands.

8) The Mongolian tribes were matched in sized only by that which had been stitched together in the 5th century.

Political Background of Mongolians: TRADE

1) Social and political organisations of the nomadic and agrarian economies were very different, the two societies were hardly foreign to each other.

2) The scant resources of Steppe lands were drawn by mongols to trade and barter with neighbours of China.

3) It was beneficial to both parties: Agricultural produce and iron utensils from China were exchanged for horses, furs and game trapped in the Steppe.

4) Commerce was not without tensions, especially as the two groups unhesitatingly applied military pressure to enhance profit.

5) Mongolians sometimes also forced the chinese neighbours to offer better terms and trade ties were sometimes discarded in favour of outright plunder.

6) China and chinese rulers suffered extensively from Nomad intrusion and different regimes- they built fortifications to protect their subjects.

Reasons behind construction of Great wall of China was to minimise or stop the repeatedly invasions of nomadic tribes of Mongolia. It was built to protect China from invasions of nomadic tribals.

• Career of Genghis Khan.

1)He was the founder of Mongol empire and nomadic tribe.

2)His childhood name was Temujin. He was born in 1162 CE. He was the the Son of Kiyat tribe's chief Yesugei. His mother's name mas Oelum-eke.

3) He had to face many problems in life as his father was murdered by a adversery tribe and his mother, brothers, step brothers raised him.

4) Temujin enslaved soon after his marriage and his wife was kidnapped and he had to fight to recover her.

5) Supported by some able friends/ persons like Jamuqa, Boghuruchu, Fughril Khan etc. He successfully defeated some powerful tribes and got them under their control.

6) Temujin felt confident enough to move against other tribes like Tatars, Kereyits and Ong Khan himself in 1203.

7) Quriltai bestowed upon Temujin the title of Genghis Khan - "The Great Khan of the Mongols" and " The Ocean Khan" or " Universal Ruler".

8) He organised the Mongolians in to a more effective, desciplined military force and facilated successs of future campaigns.

8) Genghis Khan's first concern was to conquer China, which was divided into three realms.

9) Long drawn out battles against the China continued until 1234.

10) In 1218, he defeated Qara Khita, who controlled North West China and Tien-shan mountains.

11) At Nishapur where a Mongol prince was killed during siege operation, Genghis Khan commanded to convert town into a ploughed field where even no animals left alive. It was his strategy of revenge.

12) Sultan Mohammad, the ruler of Khwarazm executed Mongol envoys. In this case

Genghis Khan followed sultan's son Jalaludin into Afghanisthan and Sindh province. At the banks of Indus, Genghis considered returning to Mongolia through North India and Assam. But weatheral conditions and ill portents reported by his shaman soothsayer made him change his mind.

13) Genghis Khan died in 1227.

Events of Mongol tribe that took after death of Genghis Khan-

- Mongol's expansion after Genghis Khan's death into two distinct phases:

1) First which spanned the years 1236-42, major gains were- Russian steppes, Bulghar, Poland, Hungry and Kiev.

2) Which spanned the years 1255-1300 led to the conquest of all of China, Iraq, Iran and Syria.

- The mongol's military force met with few reversals in decades after 1203.

- Defeat of mongols at Egyptian hands signalled emergence of new political trends.

Two facets of this were:

1) Consequence of internal politics of succession within mongol family.

2) The second was as the Jochi and Ogodei lineages were marginalised.

- After Genghis's death, this was origin of many new tribes and groups.

- The suspension of mongol expansion in West did not arrest their compaigns in China which was reunited under Mongols.

- Aftes his death, it was the moment of its greatest successers that internal conflicts between members of ruling family manifested itself.

•Note on Military system of Genghis Khan

1) The unification of the different Mongol tribes and subsequent campaigns against diverse people lead to heterogeneous mass of people.

2) He organised his army according to the old steppe system of decimal units: in divisions of 105,1005, 10005 and 10,000 soldiers.

3) He divided the old tribal groupings and distributed their members into new military units.

4) Any individual who tried to move from his/ her alloted group without permission received harsh punishment.

5) The largest unit of soldiers, approcimately 10,000 soldiers called as Tuman now included fragmented groups of people from a variety of different tribes and clans.

6) The new military contingents were required to serve under his four sons and especially chosen captains of his army units called Noyan.

7) Genghis Khan publicly honoured some individuals of his "blood brothers" yet others, freemen of a humbler rank, were given as his "bondsmen"(naukar)

8) Genghis Khan assigned the responsibility of governing the nearly conquered people to his four sons.

This comprised the four ulus a term that did not originally mean fixed territories.

The eldest son, Jochi received the Russian steppes, but farthest extent of ulus was indeterminate. It extended as far west as his horses could roam.

The second son, Chaghatai was given the tromsoxianian steppe and lands North of Pamir mountains.

The third son, Ogodei, he was the successor of great khan.

The Youngest son, Toluy received the ancestral lands of Mongolia.

All adults - above 18 years had to join military was compulsory.

• Rapid courier systems and Communication System

1) Genghis Khan had fashioned a rapid courier system that connected the distant areas of his regime.

2) Fresh Mounts and despatch riders were placed in outposts at regularly spaced distances.

3) For the maintenance of this communication system the Mongol nomads contributed a tenth of their herd- either horses or livestock- as provisions. This was called the 'Qubcur tax'.

4) The courier system was further refined after Genghis khan's death and its speed and reliability surprised travellers.

5) This system enabled the Great Khan to keep check on developments at the farthest end of their regime across the continental landmass.

6) This system proved to be very useful for Mongolians and their leaders Genghis Khan.

Place of Genghis Khan and the Mongols in world history

1) Genghis Khan is known to be the conqueror, the destroyer of cities and an individual who was responsible for death of thousands of people.

2) For the Mongols, Genghis Khan united Mongol people, freed them from tribal wars and chinese exploitation brought them prosperity.

3) Genghis Khan fashioned a grand transcontinent empire and restored trade routes.

4) For the Mongolians, the inspiration of its founder remained a powerful force.

5) It has seized upon Genghis Khan as a Great national hero who is publicly venerated and who achienements are recounted with pride.

6) At crucial juncture in the history of Mongolia. Genghis Khan has once again appeared as an iconic figure for the people, mobilising memories of a great part in the forging of political identity that can carry the nation in the future.

YASA- It stands for legal code which was introduced by Genghis Khan in 1206 -

This code consists of:

1) Under this code, all religions will be equally respected.

2) Priests of all religions should be exempted from all kind taxes.

3) No one could declare himself as the Khan without the consent of Quriltai.

Quriltai: quriltai is the assembly of mongol chieftains.

In this assembly, all decisions related to the family or the State for the forthcoming season - campaigns, distribution of plunder, pasture lands and succession were collectively taken.

Functions: Quriltai was responsible for taking decisions pertaining to succession.

2) Quriltai also decided about the expeditions further to be taken for the expansion of the state.

Qanats: The underground carals were called as Qanats.

Ulus- ulus was a name which was given to specified defined area under Genghis Khan. An ulus was assigned to his four sons to rule over conquered areas. Genghis Khan's son were the deputy rulers of ulus.

Paiza of Gerege: It was a pass which was given so travellers for safe conduct of communication and ease of travel.

Bay tax: This tax was paid by traders for safe conduct of communication and ease of travel is called as Bay tax.

Il-Khanid dynasty: These are the dynasties which were formed by descendants of Toluy who had come from china and Iran both.

END

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