Chapter 18 Questions
Nomadic Empires and the Eurasian Integration
Who: Nomadic groups: the Turks, Mongols
When: the 13th century
Where: Eurasia
Vocab: nomad, steppes, 6 Characteristics of Civilization, shaman, confederation, khan, cavalry, caliph, sultan,
figurehead, Saljuq/Seljuk, Chinggis Khan, Khubilai Khan, Tamerlane
Objective I: Students can analyze features of nomadic groups, using the Turks as an example.
1. pg. 472- Who are the Turks?
“The Turks rules a large central Asian empire from the 6th through the 9th centuries, and the Uighur Turks seized the
capital cities of the Tang dynasty in the mid-7th century” (Bentley 472). They are not one single group, but groups of
clans/tribes who actually fought against each other. They spoke related languages. All were nomads or descended from
nomads. They started in the steppes of central Asia, but eventually had settled societies in Persia, Anatolia, and India.
2. pg.472-3- So if the Neolithic Revolution and everything occurred, why are these people still nomads?
Describe their lives. In what way did being nomads benefit them? Limit them?
Even after the Neolithic Revolution, some people continued being nomads because of environmental and political factors.
Central Asia does not get enough rain to support large-scale agriculture. You need lots of crops to establish permanent
societies. So they couldn’t establish permanent societies. The fertile lands were already taken, so they had to continue
being nomads. These peoples followed cycles of movement, following where plants were growing depending on the
season. They lived off their animals, such as cattle, and used every part of their bodies.
Since they couldn’t establish permanent settlements, it also limited the development of their civilization
(remember the 6 characteristics of civilization?—check your notes if you don’t…) Since they couldn’t produce a lot of
goods/crops, they sought out trade with the settled societies. So they provided a link between various societies. They
were excellent at this because they had mobility and knowledge of various regions.
3. pg. 473- Describe nomadic social structure. What role did the different classes play and how did they
interact?
They had essentially two classes: nobles and commoners. Usually the nobles did not govern; the tribes would take
care of their own affairs. But when at war, the nobles would take charge. The noble class was very fluid, which means
it’s easy to enter the nobility, and easy to lose that status, if they are not competent. Commoners could gain noble status
by standing out in the way their actions, especially bravery in battle. Then they could form a new group of allies and take
over the existing leaders.
4. pg. 473-4- Describe the religious development of the Turks.
Their religion revolved around the shamans-religious leaders who had supernatural powers, communicated with the gods
and nature spirits, asked for aid from the gods for their people, and told the people about what the gods wanted. But as the
Turks were trading with various societies, many converted to Buddhism or Nestorian Christianity. They also developed
writing.
Turks near the Abbasid Empire started converting to Islam in the 10th century. As nomads, they helped spread
Islam.
Objective II: Students can analyze the causes and effects of Turkish military and political expansion.
1. pg.474-5- Why were nomads so devastating as military fighters?
The political and military expansion of the Turks happened as they started to organize themselves better. They put
together huge confederations of Turkish people, and a khan (“ruler”) would be in charge. Sort of. They really ruled with
the help of the tribal leaders.
They were so awesome militarily because of their cavalry power. Since they learned to ride horses as children,
they could shoot arrows turned around and chase after their enemies, etc. They started in the 10th century taking over
settled societies and establishing empires.
2. pg.475-6- Create a 3-circle Venn diagram comparing and contrasting the expansion of Turkish power in
the Abbasid, Byzantine, and Sultanate of Delhi.
How the Turks conquered them/what the Turkish rule was like
(-The Turks conquered the Abbasid similar to the way the Germanic tribes conquered Rome)
Abbasid
-From 8th-10th centuries, Turks lived on the borders of the Abbasid, and traded with them
-They started serving in the Abbasid armies and living in the Abbasid empire
Abbasid and
Byzantine
Byzantine
Byzantine and
the Sultanate of
Delhi
The Sultanate of
Delhi
Abbasid and the
Sultanate of Delhi
-The Turks gained more power, and in 1055 the caliph acknowledged the Turkish leader as
sultan (“chieftan”)
-The Turkish sultan expanded Turkish rule
-The caliph continued as a figurehead, but the Turkish sultan had the real control
You can do this—use book!
-Started migrating there in the 7th century
-1071, Turks beat the Byzantine army and captured the Byzantine emperor
-Then the Turks could basically infiltrate the Byzantine Empire
-The Byzantine peasants, who had resented the Byzantine authorities, saw the Turks as
liberators, not conquerors
-The Turks got rid of the Byzantine authorities and set up their own
-They taxed the Byzantine church, restricted it, and sometimes took its property
-Encouraged conversion to Islam and offered converts more opportunities
-By 1453, the area had become mostly Turkish and Islamic
You can do this!
-Led by Mahmud of Ghazni
-Began in 11th century just by taking property in Afghanistan; then they wanted to rule these
areas, not just take their stuff
-By the 13th century, the Turkish sultanate of Delhi claimed most of N India
-Sultans tried to take over S India but could not because the Hindu princes resisted and they
had to defend the N frontier from other Turks and Mongols
-Raided Buddhist and Hindu shrines, temples, and monasteries and took their stuff, destroyed
their buildings, and killed many people as well
-Encouraged conversion to Islam
You can do this!
All 3
-Part of a larger trend of nomadic expansion
-Their military power allowed them to move out of the steppes and to conquer settled societies
-By the 13th century, the nomadic Turks’ power was greater than ever before
-Was a foreshadowing of the Mongol conquests
Objective III: Students can analyze how the Mongols conquered most of Eurasia and what the effects of the huge
Mongol Empire were.
1. Pg.477-8- How and why did Chinggis Khan break up the Mongols’ tribal system and institute a more
imperial type of control?
The Mongols, like most nomadic groups, were organized into tribes. There was not one central government that
exercised authority over the whole Mongol group. Instead, the tribes were in control of their own affairs.
Chinggis Khan was a Mongol who came out of poverty to eventually unify the Mongols under his authority. He
rose to power by making allies among some Mongol clan leaders, using his military prowess to gain followers, and
conquering his rivals. He also sometimes would betray an ally if it would help him. Eventually, he brought all the
Mongol tribes into a confederation, and he gained the title Chinggis Khan, which means “universal ruler”.
As ruler, he broke up the tribes because he didn’t trust them (they could break away and start fighting each other
or against him). He forced men to fight in the Mongol military and chose his high officials based on talent or loyalty to
him, not based on what tribe they were from or their social rank. This all was meant to increase his own authority and
number of followers, and decrease the loyalty to the tribes, so they wouldn’t be able to break away from him.
2. Pg. 478- How was it possible for so few people to conquer the better part of Eurasia?
Because they were nomads, they spent most of their lives on horseback. They also had great bows and arrows which were
used to hunt animals, but could also be used to “hunt” people in battle. Another tactic was that, if a city or area resisted,
the Mongols would completely destroy the place, killing everyone or using some as human shields for the next place they
were conquering. If an area surrendered, the Mongols let them live and even treated them well. So which would you
choose?
3. Pg.478-80- Trace the Mongol conquests under Chinggis Khan.
After uniting the Mongols, he attacked the Turks ruling in Tibet, northern China, Persia, and the central Asian steppes
(this helped him prevent any potential rivals from taking power). He was a conqueror, not an administrator, and didn’t
really set up a system for governing these new territories. That would be a job for his successors. To make it easier to
rule, his heirs split up the huge empire into 4 parts.
4. Pg. 480-483- Compare/contrast the Great Khan, Golden Horde, and Ilkhanate of Persia.
-Ruled by Khubilai Khan (Chinggis Khan’s grandson)
Great Khan
-Was a ruthless conqueror, but also wanted to help his subjects
(China)
-Promoted Buddhism but allowed other religions
-Marco Polo lived almost 20 years at his court
-Extended Mongol rule to all of China and established the Yuan dynasty in 1279
-Tried to invade parts of SE Asia but it couldn’t because of the jungle terrain
-Tried to invade Japan, but a storm destroyed their ships
-The Mongols did not mix with the Chinese—they outlawed marriage between Mongols and Chinese, and the
Chinese were not allowed to learn the Mongol language. Some Mongols even suggested that they exterminate the
Chinese!
-Taxed the Chinese heavily
-Used Mongol or foreign administrators, not Chinese
-Dismantled the Confucian education and examination system
-Tolerated all religions
-Many Mongol elite converted to a type of Buddhism
-Missed out on what the Chinese had to offer because they were too busy scorning them
Golden Horde
(Western Russia)
-Ruled by Khubilai’s brothers and cousins
-Conquered Russia, but did not occupy it because they didn’t like the forests. Instead Russia paid them tribute
-Also explored Poland, Hungary, and Germany, but did not conquer
Ilkhanate of
Persia
(Persia)
-Ruled by Khubilai’s brother
-Conquered the Abbasid empire
-Allowed the Persians to administer the area, as long as they showed where they were spending the taxes and kept
everything in order
-Mongols picked up Persian traditions, and the two societies mixed
-Mongols tolerated all religions, but mostly Islam
-The Ilkhan converted to Islam, and they massacred Christians and Jews and favored Muslims
-Did not govern conquered areas very well, they were better just conquering
All 4……………
5. Pg.484-486- Analyze the effects of Mongol conquest on Eurasian integration.
-Courier network: a system to transmit messages of news, information, government orders. Riders on horseback would
pass on information to other riders, etc.
-Trade networks: as a nomadic people, they depended on trade with the settled societies that could make goods they
couldn’t. The Mongols established a huge empire and they kept it safe by patrolling it. So merchants could travel safely,
which increased trade
-Diplomatic missions: the leaders of the 4 Khanates kept in contact with each other as well as with other lands through
sending diplomats. They traveled all over: Korea, Vietnam, India, western Europe, Mongolia, China, southwest Asia,
Italy, France, etc. This increased the interconnectedness of the Mongol Empire
-Missionaries: missionaries used the travel routes to spread their religion, including: Sufis, Buddhists from Tibet,
Nestorian Christians, Roman Catholic Christians
-Resettling people: As nomads, the Mongols did not have many of the special skills they needed: like artisans, scholars,
lawyers, administrators, etc. So they would import people from other lands to do these things. Other skills needed were:
“soldiers, bodyguards, administrators, secretaries, translators, physicians, armor makers, metalsmiths, miners, carpenters,
masons, textile workers, musicians, jewelers” (Bentley 485). This promoted integration because it increased the
communication and exchange between different societies.
Objective IV: Students can analyze causes and effects of the fall of the Mongols.
1. Pg 485-486- Analyze the causes of the fall of the various Mongol regions.
Persia- The rulers spent too much and overused the peasantry, so they didn’t have enough money. So they introduced
paper money. But since this paper money was not backed up by anything, it was worthless and no one would
accept it. So the economy just stopped. The rulers also were fighting each other for power. The Mongol
government collapsed and local Persian authorities took control of their own area.
China- Paper money lost value here too, so prices went up. Also, the leaders were fighting each other here as well.
Rulers were assassinated, and civil war broke out. The increased trade and interaction that was aided by the stable
Mongol rule also helped the spread of the bubonic plague, causing depopulation, disrupting the economy and
society, and creating labor shortages. Also, since the Mongols scorned the Chinese, the Chinese rebelled against
the Mongols. The rebels captured the capital, and the Mongols fled back to the steppes.
Golden Horde- Mongols continued to rule here until Russia brought them down in the 16th century
ChaghataiMongols ruled until the 18th century
2. Pg. 487-488- Compare/contrast Chinggis Khan and Tamerlane. Why are they so similar?
Chinggis Khan
Both
Tamerlane
-Mongol conqueror, 1200s
-Conquerors
-Turkish conqueror, 1300s
-Conquered most of Eurasia
-Came from poor families
-Conquered Persia and
(see map on pg 481)
-Charismatic leaders
Central Asia(see map on pg
-Started on China but
-Courageous warriors
488)
couldn’t finish
-Either made rivals allies or defeated them
-Started on India but couldn’t
-Not good governors
finish
-Ruled through allied tribal leaders
-Tried to start on China but
-Sons and grandsons fought for power
became ill and died
-Split their empires into 4 parts
-Empires lasted about 100 years
Chinggis Khan and Tamerlane are so similar because Tamerlane used Chinggis Khan as his role model, so he did
many things similarly. He rose to power using the same techniques, he conquered in similar ways, and he did not
set up a strong governing system, just like Chinggis Khan. So, when Tamerlane died, the empire was split up and
eventually those segments fell.
3. Pg.489- Describe the initial development of the Ottoman Empire
When the Mongols conquered Persia, many of the Saljuk Turks who had lived there moved to an area called
Anatolia, near the Byzantine Empire. Osman was one of these Saljuk Turks, and his followers became known as
Ottomans. In 1299, he became independent from the Saljuk sultan and started conquering land. The Byzantine
peasants did not like their rulers, so they did not resist the Ottomans. In 1453, a successor to Osman named
Mehmed the Conqueror sacked Constantinople, renaming it Istanbul, and expanded the Ottoman Empire to
Greece, the Balkans, southwest Asia, southeastern Europe, Egypt, and north Africa. (This reflects the earlier
patterns of a nomadic people capturing a settled society, ruling it, and then building a huge empire, just like the
earlier Turks and the Mongols).