FAQs Regarding Nomadic Empires | Class 11 History Notes

Creator of Nomadic Empire

Genghis Khan was known to be the creator of the Nomadic Empire. He was born in 1162 as Temujin, and his father was murdered when he was young. With help from allies like Jamuqa and Tughril Khan, he defeated powerful tribes. Genghis Khan made significant changes during his rule and is celebrated as a national hero in Mongol history....

Social and Political Background

The Mongols constituted a diverse population, sharing linguistic similarities with neighboring groups such as the Tatars, Khitan, and Manchus to the east, and the Turkic tribes to the west. While some Mongols were pastoralists, raising horses, sheep, cattle, goats, and camels in the vast steppes of Central Asia, others were hunter-gatherers residing in the Siberian forests. The region experienced extreme temperature variations, with harsh winters and brief summers, limiting agricultural activities to certain periods. Despite this, the Mongols did not engage significantly in farming, and their economies, whether pastoral or hunting-gathering, could not support dense settlements or urban centers....

Career of Genghis Khan

Genghis Khan was a great ruler; his talent for inventing new tactics from steppe warfare techniques was the main reason for his remarkable success in battles. The points below describe his achievements. Genghis Khan organized the army strictly; he smartly blended tribal skills with military structure, Mongol and Turk horse-riding skills provided speed and mobility. Regular hunting programs improved archery skills and enhanced the chances of victory. Training and preparation involved traveling light and quickly and utilizing knowledge of the terrain. Campaigns were conducted even in harsh winters, using frozen rivers as pathways to enemy territories. The importance of siege warfare was recognized, leading to the development of light, portable equipment for effective attacks....

Timeline of Genghis Khan

Year Event c. 1167 Birth of Temujin 1160s-70s Years spent in slavery and struggle 1180s-90s Period of alliance formation 1203-27 Expansion and triumph 1206 Temujin proclaimed Genghis Khan, ‘Universal Ruler’ of the Mongols 1227 Death of Genghis Khan 1227-60 Rule of the three Great Khans and continued Mongol unity 1227-41 Ogodei, son of Genghis Khan 1246-49 Guyuk, son of Ogodei 1251-60 Mongke, son of Genghis Khan’s youngest son, Toluy 1236-42 Campaigns in Russia, Hungary, Poland and Austria under Batu 1253-55 Beginning of fresh campaigns in Iran and China under Mongke 1258 Capture of Baghdad and the end of the Abbasid caliphate Establishment of the Il-Khanid state of Iran under Hulegu 1260 Accession of Qubilai Khan as Grand Khan in Peking Conflict amongst descendants of Genghis Khan; fragmentation of Mongol realm 1257-67 Reign of Berke, son of Batu 1295-1304 Reign of Il-Khanid ruler Ghazan Khan in Iran 1368 End of Yuan dynasty in China 1370-1405 Rule of Timur, a Barlas Turk who claimed Genghis Khanid descent Establishes a steppe empire that assimilates part of the dominions of Toluy, Chaghatai, and Jochi 1495-1530 Zahiruddin Babur succeeds to Timurid territory of Ferghana and Samarqand Establishes the Mughal empire in India 1500 Capture of Transoxiana by Shaybani Khan 1759 Manchus of China conquer Mongolia 1921 Republic of Mongolia formulated...

Political Organisation Under Genghis Khan

Genghis Khan allowed his four sons to rule over the newly conquered lands: Jochi, Chaghatai, Ogodei, and Toluy. These territories were called the four ulus, which refers to specific or fixed lands....

Trade and Communication systems under Genghis Khan

Knowing the details of the communication system and trade under Genghis Khan is very interesting. The detailed information is listed below:...

Military Organisation by the Mongols

Genghis Khan changed the old way of organizing soldiers into groups of 10s, 100s, 1,000s, and 10,000s. He split the old groups and put their members into new army units. No one could leave their assigned group without permission. If they did, they got punished....

Mongols After Genghis Khan

After Genghis Khan died in 1227, his descendants began to rule. Instead of collective rule, each brother wanted power for themselves. This led to separate dynasties ruling different areas. The consequences after the death of Genghis Khan are described in the points below:...

Situating Genghis Khan and Mongols in World History

When Genghis Khan is remembered today, the prevailing images often depict him as a conqueror, responsible for the destruction of cities and the deaths of thousands. Many residents of towns in China, Iran, and eastern Europe during the thirteenth century viewed the Mongol hordes with fear and disdain. However, for the Mongols themselves, Genghis Khan was revered as the greatest leader of all time. He unified the Mongol people, ending internal tribal conflicts and freeing them from Chinese exploitation. Under his leadership, the Mongols experienced prosperity and established a vast transcontinental empire. Genghis Khan’s policies also revitalized trade routes and markets, attracting distant travelers like Marco Polo....

Conclusion

Genghis Khan was a prominent leader of the Mongols. He made them stop fighting and brought them wealth by reopening trade routes. Even though Mongol leaders followed different religions, they didn’t let that affect how they ruled. Nowadays, Mongolia is finding its identity again, and Genghis Khan is a big part of that. Other rulers, like the Mughals and Timur, looked up to the Mongols, but some faced problems if they weren’t related to Genghis Khan....

FAQs Regarding Nomadic Empires | Class 11 History Notes

What was the last Nomadic Country?...