The Mongols: How Barbaric Were Barbarians?

The Mongols: How Barbaric Were the “Barbarians”?

During the 13th century, much of the globe had been conquered by a small tribe from central Asia who later became known as the Mongols. These nomadic people did not show proof of bearing a language nor leave behind much written materials thus, making it more difficult to be accurately analyzed. However, the Mongols left a rather overbearing mark on the world with an evil and savage reputation. These central Asian “Barbarians” lead massive conquests, seizing millions of square miles of land, attained an eminently forceful military, contained various tenacious, respected leaders, yet despite having a bad reputation, handled establishing a prosperous empire. The Mongols were known as “Barbarians” because they were thought to be a merciless and ruthless group of people. After the founder of the empire, Genghis Khan, came to power by uniting tribes in

This was true in some ways, but not entirely due to their considerable achievements and organization. Because the Mongols conquered nearly all of Asia, they were able to gain control of the continental caravan routes from China to Persia and made significant contributions to the political institutions, economic development and cultural diversity of many lands (Document J). Mongol emperors improved transportation and communication by building canals, which also brought benefits in the silk industry because of the new contacts with China. Furthermore, their empire supported diversity in numerous ways including religion and economics. In a description written in 1254 by William of Rubruck, one of the first Europeans to visit the Mongol Capital (Document G), he says, “There are twelve pagan (Buddhist) temples belonging to the different nations, two mosques in which the law of Mihamet (Muhammad) is proclaimed, and one church for the Christians at the far end of