Definition of Mongol Empire

In the 13th century, Genghis Khan's troops began a period of conquest and within a few years the immense Mongol Empire was consolidated.

Although the Mongols did not have a large army, they dominated the strategy military and had two powerful assets: an expert cavalry and skilled archers. With them they managed to dominate large territories in northern China, Central Asia, present-day India and Russia and Pakistan.

Genghis Khan's descendants, especially his grandson Kublai Khan, expanded the imperial territories. However, in the late 14th century the situation was worsened by the floods of the Huang He River, the famine in northern China, and internal strife. With the end of the dynasty that Genghis Khan started, the Mongol Empire was replaced in China by the Ming dynasty.

What were the Mongols like in the 13th century?

The history of the Mongolian people and their Empire can be traced through a literary document of great historical value, "The Secret Book of the Mongols." In this way, we know that it was a people of nomadic shepherds with a warrior and conquering spirit. His main divinity was Tengri, whose

force it moved the stars and guided the course of nature.

Apart from their myths and Gods, they had many superstitions (water and fire were considered sacred symbols). Over time they adopted Buddhism from the Chinese tradition and their myths became an element of their oral tradition.

Although they were cruel and ruthless in battle, in peacetime they spread the arts, the architecture and the astronomy. They had three great passions: riding horse through the endless steppes, archery and wrestling (the Mongolian fighting modality receives the name of bökh and during the period of the Mongol Empire it was used as a training system for the army).

The Mongol Empire and the stories of Marco Polo

The Venetian merchant Marco Polo, his father and his uncle set out on a journey to China to trade on the so-called Silk Road. They were welcomed by Kublai Khan, who received them at his summer residence in Xanadu.

For 23 years Marco Polo traveled thousands of kilometers throughout the Mongol Empire thanks to a safe conduct provided by Kublai Khan himself. On his return to Venice he began to to write his famous travel tale, "The Book of Wonders." Through his pages we can know all kinds of details: the structure of the army, the postal system, the functioning of the administration, the use of paper money, the manufacture of silk, the great public works or the great skill of the Mongol horsemen.

Marco Polo's story was well received in Europe, but many considered that the Venetian had been too fanciful in his descriptions.

Photos: Fotolia - Mors74 / Peter Hermes Furian

Themes in Mongol Empire