Mongols and Genghis Khan
Mongols and Genghis Khan shaped the 13–14th century world history. As I fascinated by his childhood and military genius, I read a book about him which is named “Genghis Khan” by Michal Biran [1]. I will try to give interesting information about him and the Mongols in this article.
· Mongols and Genghis Khan conquer 1/3 of the world during his lifetime. He united the Mongols and lead them intellectually. One interesting piece of information is that Mongols did not have a word for the “Soldier”. Nomads had to be on the road most of the time, and every man and woman had to learn to ride horses, become archers, and survive skills to survive. This led every man and woman to acquire basic soldier abilities.
· Based on the military ideology, Mongols have taken the system of 10 [1]. They counted the soldier with 10 and its multiples. They arranged their military based on 10, 100, 1000, and 10000. Turks still use this kind of arrangement in their military.
· There was an establishment in Seljuk named “Atabeg”. Atabegs is the guardian of the sultan’s son, and the bond can be reinforced by a marriage between Atabeg and the mother of the sultan’s son. However, as the central power went weak, Atabeg become independent from Seljuk which created a non-stable environment that led to a power increase for the Mongols.
· Genghis spent most of his time forging relationships between “oymaks”. Oymak is the head of small clans. He tried to connect and reunite the Mongol oymaks. After bonding, he started to unprecedented conquest of the World.
· Genghis Khan, decreased the role of “shaman”. The shaman had a powerful role in the clans which can deliver the words of Tengri, and even speak to Tengri. Genghis cut the middle man himself and tried to talk to Tengri by himself. This could increase the transition to Islam among Mongols. In Islam, one-by-one conversation with God without a middleman is of the utmost importance. Also, he increased his sacred side by putting himself instead of Shamans. This created awe and commitment between his military and people.
· Mongols were ruthless to their enemies. After they conquered many oymaks they said: “we will not harm the surrenders but we will kill everybody that stands our way”. Sometimes, Mongols go unharmed however, it seems that they harmed villages that surrender. They want human power and tax from the conquered places continuously.
· Genghis valued merit. He chooses his generals according to their merit on the battlefield. He does not value other things (family, bonds, etc.) but merit. This increased the strength and value of the army. This, we can learn from Genghis. People should not be chosen to places according to their money, status, etc. it must cause from merits.
· Some sources mentioned Genghis as the “Scourge of God” [1]. Muslim sources mentioned Genghis’s conquests as an apocalypse sign. Necmeddin-i Daye said that Mongol invasions were caused by fake devotion to Islam. However, in the Mongol-side books, Genghis is depicted as a savior to the Muslim world, a person that benefits them in the longer term. Even Cuveyni said that at Mongol invasion eras were, a great contribution of the Muslims to the World.
· History and lineage of Mongols were explained by the Reşidüddin [1]. Reşidüddin gave a lineage and a past to Mongols that starts from the Japheth (Noah’s son). Also, Turk’s lineage was from the Japheth. Reşidüddin knew that Turks and Mongols are close relatives.
· A book named “Defter-i Cengizname” by the Volga Tatars describes the lineage of Mongols in a more Shamanist way. It is very close to the Mary the Virgin of Christians. According to this book, Genghis’s father was an empyreal entity named Duyin Bayan. Duyin was born from a ray of light from an imprisoned Chinese woman. Duyin was married to Alangoya, Sultan’s daughter. Alangoya gave birth to 3 boys but they do not fit for the crown. However, on the deathbed, Duyin said that a ray of light will come into Alangoya’s tent and leave as a wolf. After the death of Duyin, a ray of light came into the tent of Alangoya and left as a wolf who shouted “Genghis, Genghis” and went to the woods. Then, Alangoya gave birth to a boy named Temüjin.
· In Uzbekistan, Genghis was marginalized, because of the other national hero; Timur [1]. Timur was born in Samarkand which is on the border of Uzbekistan and is a Muslim. These things, helped Timur to be their national hero.
· Genghis Khan become a hated figure at 19–20th century with the help of 2 writers. Syrian Zekeriya Tamer [2], [3] and Cengiz Aytmatov [4]. The writers wrote ironic stories about Genghis Khan. Cengiz [4] wrote “Gün Uçar Yüzyıl Olur” which is about the unrealistic “not having children” rule of Genghis. According to the book, because of the conquest of Europa, Genghis forbade soldiers from having children.
· “Genghis” name comes from the Turkish word “Tengiz “which means ocean. Genghis Khan means Khan of Oceans.
· Montesquieu and Adam Smith depicted Genghis as cruel, barbaric, and savage. In the 19th century, this concept was amplified with racist comments. The sickness that causes low intelligence was named “Mongol”.
I tried to summarize and give important footnotes about Genghis Khan, although there are not very much reliable sources about him, there are lots of stories and depictions about him. He is national hero for some, a military genius for others and devil himself to someone. Regarding what is the opinion about him, he was an influential figure at his time and impacted the World history.
References
[1]
M. Biran, Cengiz Han, İstanbul: Vakıfbank Kültür Yayınları, 2019.
[2]
Z. Tamer, Genghis Khan.
[3]
Z. Tamer, The Day Genghis Khan Got Angry.
[4]
C. Aytmatov, Gün Olur Yüzyıl Olur.
