Chapter 18
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Not enough rain for large-scale agriculture
Humans can’t survive on grasses and shrubs
Drove herds and flocks where there is grass
Followed migratory cycles
Lived in tents (yurts)
Dense populations only at oases
Some craft production
Had to trade
Led caravan routes across central Asia
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Nobles and Commoners
Clans and tribes looked after their own affairs
During wartime, nobles had absolute
authority
Social classes were fluid; there was
movement up and down
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Shamans
Attracted to religions they encountered
through trade
Buddhism, Nestorian Christianity,
Manichaeism
Many converted to Islam in the 10th century
and their migration spread Islam
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Khan=ruler
Massive military power due to cavalry
Great mobility, well-organized
Able to conquer others easily
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Mid-eighth to mid-ninth centuries, lived on
borders of the Abbasid realm
By mid-tenth century, Saljuq Turks in Abbasid
army and living in realm
By mid-eleventh century, Saljuqs
overshadowed Abbasid caliphs; Tughril Beg
was sultan; caliphs were figureheads and
power was held by Turkish sultans
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Turks began migrating there by 11th century
Battle of Manzikert victory allowed Turks to
take over most of Anatolia
Many people converted to Islam
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Mahmud of Ghazni led Ghaznavid Turks of
Afghanistan into northern India
First they came to plunder, but then they
took political power
Mahmud of Ghazni was a zealous foe of
Hinduism and Buddhism
By 13th century, the Sultanate of Delhi
controlled all of northern India
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High steppe lands of eastern central Asia
Kin groups organized into families, clans, and
tribes; difficult to organize into a large-scale,
united society
Temujin: unifier, father forged alliances but
was poisoned by rivals, poverty and capture,
worked alliances with “diplomacy”, in 1206
became Chinggis Khan.
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Broke up tribes and forced men to join new
military units not based on tribal affiliation
Officials chosen by merit and loyalty
Capital and palace at Karakorum (Har Horin)
Mongol population only about 1 million, army
only about 125,000 at most
Equestrian skills, bows and arrows, fast
traveling, slaughtered those who resisted
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In 1211, Mongols invaded northern China
under the Jurchen (Song Dynasty)
In 1219, Mongols conquered Afghanistan and
Persia after shah refused to open trade
relations, destroyed cities, massacred people
Chinggis Khan ruled through his military but
didn’t set up an administration to control the
conquered land
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Realm divided into four regional empires
after his death
The Great Khans of China: Khubilai worked to
improve welfare of subjects, promoted
Buddhism and other religions, built roads,
extended Mongol rule to all of China, Yuan
dynasty 1279-1368, did not extend rule any
farther, did not allow intermarriage of
Mongols and Chinese, ended Confucian
examination system, some Mongols adopted
Lamaist Buddhism
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The Golden Horde of Russia: did not occupy
Russia but demanded tribute from them until
the mid-15th century when the princes of
Moscow refused
The Ilkhanate of Persia: Hulegu (Khubilai’s
brother) toppled the Abbasid empire,
Mongols allowed Persians to run government
except for the highest positions, adopted
Persian culture especially Islam
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The Khanate of Chaghatai in central Asia:
ruled by son of Chinggis Khan, thrived until
the 18th century
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Courier network
Volume of trade through central Asia
increased, as merchants could travel safely
across the entire Eurasian landmass
Diplomatic embassies
Missionaries sent out by Islam (Sufis),
Lamaist Buddhism, Nestorian Christianity
and Roman Catholic Church
Moved skilled artisans, craftsmen and
educated people around in their realm; took
censuses
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In Persia: excessive spending,
overexploitation of the peasants, failed
attempt to introduce paper money, fighting
amongst Mongol leadership, no heir, rule
ended after 1335
In China: inflation, infighting, bubonic
plague, rebellion of the Chinese, by 1368 the
Mongols fled
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Tamerlane: Turkish conqueror, Timur the
lame, modeled himself after Chinggis Khan,
first extended authority throughout khanate
of Chagatai, then Persia and Afghanistan,
then Caucasus Mountains and India,
conqueror not an administrator, died in 1405
His empire turned into the Mughal, Safavid
and Ottoman empires.
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Osman: created a small state in north-west
Anatolia and declared independence in 1299
Followers were Ottomans
By the 1380s the Ottomans had a strong
foothold on the Balkan Peninsula
In 1453, they captured the Byzantine capital
of Constantinople and made it their capital
called Istanbul