Jackson Nowlin-Mongol Empire

      Before I embark on my journey to travel throughout Asia, I have done some research on the bloodthirsty Mongols that could be roaming on my path. The Mongols were nomadic herders, meaning they didn’t have one home. I have heard from others the amount of the success that this empire has been having and I was wondering how they did it if they didn’t have a home base. Well, turns out the Mongols are known for their horseback riding skills and how they are able to travel 50 miles per day. The Mongols were especially known for their gruesome tactics when looking to conquer a city. It was said that some of the tribes would surrender if the Mongols even approached them. They were known to completely destroy villages and towns if they came across them. Many of the people I’ve talked to about the Mongols have said they are only interested in plundering, destroying, and killing. The Mongols weren’t really looking to conquer land. They just wanted to take your recourses and kill the entire population and destroy the whole town. Another tactic that the Mongols used was to kill all the people who ruled the city.

      After experiencing the ways of life in the Mongol empire, I’ve learned that there is more to them than just killing people and violence. They were also very good and cooperative traders. Since they were nomadic herders, they knew it was significant to trade. They live off of their animals and trade. Their animals provided them with dairy products and meat to use for food and for trading with other tribes. They made their clothes out of sheepskin and made their boots from the sheep hide. If they needed anything else they would use the product from their animals and trade farmers for vegetables and other traders for jewelry, clothing, and weapons. The Mongols were very cooperative with the people/tribes they were trading with because they knew that they had to rely on other people to have all the necessities that they need.

      The Mongols, just like the Romans, were very violent but they both were very successful. Also, the reasoning for both of them being successful was for them to conquer large masses of land. Like the Mongols, the Romans had always out numbered their opponents and wiped them out which led them to the title of being one of the strongest empires in the world. These two empires loved land. Whenever an empire controlled a large landmass, the Mongols/Romans would look to attack and conquer that land. These two empires took advantage of their numbers and used them to their advantage to get more land. 

Rossabi, Morris. "The Mongols in World History | Asia Topics in World History." The Mongols in World History | Asia Topics in World History. Asia For Educators, Colombia University, n.d. Web. 16 Jan. 2014. <http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/mongols/history/history4.htm>.

Guisepi, Robert. "Mongols. A History of the Mongols (Monguls)." Mongols. A History of the Mongols (Monguls). World History Center, n.d. Web. 16 Jan. 2014. <http://history-world.org/mongol_empire.htm>.

M. Mujeeb, The Indian Muslims (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1967), p. 58.

Smitha, Frank E. Machrohistory, n.d. Web. 19 Jan. 2014. <http://www.fsmitha.com/h3/h11mon.htm>.

Holland Meier

Block E

Are Mongols Good or bad?

First Entry,     

From my further knowledge I haven’t heard any good things about the Mongols. They aren’t very good people from what I’ve heard like wiping out entire cities. Also they attack and conquer many empires and cities. They are known to be ruthless when they are conquering the cities. Like in 1211 they conquered the Jin Empire, then around 1218 they conquered Khwarazmian Empire. Those were both big empires.

            Mongols might kill their horse because they don’t have food to eat. This shows they Mongols don’t care about their animals so how are they to show any compassion to when it comes to killing entire cities. So from what Ive heard they don’t seem very good.

Second Entry,

Now after my trip I have seen the way that the Mongols really are first hand. They aren’t as violent as they seem, and when we hear stories that don’t show us how they really are. The Mongols are just herders of domestic animals and they follow a path, they don’t just go to random places. They have a path that they go on depending on the season. And they are very strategic when they go to conquer cities they make a plan and that’s why they succeed in conquering so many cities and empires.

The Mongols have found a way to survive and expand their empire. Like how they trade in each city and that’s how they make money and get other things to trade later. They might trade seeds for farming, animals, or share some ways of life. They have expanded their empire so much that they have joined in new people and their cultures and that is what shaped the Mongols in many ways because they were the type of people to accept new cultures and join them, not like some people who want everyone to follow their culture and not have any of their own culture.

Third Entry,

            Now I’m going to compare the Romans and The Mongols. The romans and the Mongols were similar in how they both have very strong armies and with those arming they were able to expand a lot. The Mongols spread out into Asia and some into Africa. Then the romans conquered pretty much all of the land around the Mediterranean Sea. Both of them were strong in trade because the Mongols had a lot of land and traveled a lot so it was easier for them to trade. And the romans were all around a sea with helped them a lot in trading also. They both had some problems it the way everything was so in the end they both collapsed, but before then they were and still are now considered the 2 strongest empires in that time. The romans in the end had expanded so much that it was hard to control everything at once and that also lead to the collapse for the Mongols. I think that people have so many different views on the Mongols because everyone sees them differently. Some people see them as terrible ruthless people who just destroyed everything, and then some people see the sheepherders that excelled when it can to conquering empires. It really just depends on how you look at them weather its good or bad.

Works Cited

·       "World History Connected | Vol. 5 No. 2 | Timothy May: The Mongol Empire in World History." World History Connected | Vol. 5 No. 2 | Timothy May: The Mongol Empire in World History. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Jan. 2014. <http://worldhistoryconnected.press.illinois.edu/5.2/may.html>.

·       "Internet History Sourcebooks Project." Internet History Sourcebooks Project. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Jan. 2014. <http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/mpolo44-46.asp>.

·       "The Mongols in World History | Asia Topics in World History." The Mongols in World History | Asia Topics in World History. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Jan. 2014. <http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/mongols/figures/figures.htm>.

The Gray Area

JiJi Plotka

Journal Entry 1:

            As I gather my things to embark on this journey to the Far East, with my father and our trading company, I cannot fathom the differences of Venice and where I find myself heading that will come to light during my travels. Though I have no doubt our services will be necessary, I do not know how business will be conducted. As of now, the tales I have heard of these cultures vary from terrible to awe-inspiring. There is a group of nomads that call themselves the Mongols that have managed to claim an outrageously large empire stretching from the edge of the ocean, all the way through Russia. These Tartars, how they are known to some, bring peace and religious tolerance, though at a costly price. Some cities, if they do not submit to the Tartars, are burnt to the ground with few survivors kept only to be used as slaves.

I am nervous, to say the absolute least. Their ruler seems to be called Kublai Khan. He is a descendant of Genghis Khan, who conquered most of the land they now control. Cities have been built and burned at both of their hands. However, I have also heard tell of beautiful cities and dynasties spanning centuries. The cities have at least a thousand people in each of them! My father tells me not to worry, but there is so much we do not know! How far does the land stretch? How do they rule? Do they fear God? Perhaps this trip may end up being beneficial for our family’s wealth. I pray we return to Venice with riches and many stories to tell.

-Marco Polo

Journal Entry 2:

            My, what an adventure these years have been! The tales my father and uncle had told me of Cathay before we had left initially did nothing to prepare me for the rich culture and beauty of the East. There was such grace and dignity I scarcely can believe the accounts of brutality and murder that I had only ever known. However, the honest truth? They were diligent and in control of the trade all throughout the vast empire. They have many massive ships that carried goods from Cathay to the Mediterranean, obtained new goods, and then returned to Cathay! The Tartars were good leaders as well. The people in Cathay revered Kublai Khan. He was a magnificent leader who took care of Cathay as if it had always been his home. He took great care to improve infrastructure. There is no doubt in my mind that if the Tartars had not come in to power, the world would be less connected than it is today. Since the Tartars and the Great Khans connected the east and the west with their trading routes and acceptance of other cultures. From this point forth, I can no longer view the world as only a bustling merchant city from whence I came. The world is much larger now and Genghis Khan and the leaders of the other Khanates: the Golden Horde, the Chaghadai, and the Khanate of Persia, are the cause of this. As a born and bred merchant myself, the prospects of the trade benefits are immense! Now Venetians and Britons can have silk and spices, which was unheard of before my expedition to the Mongolian east,

            -Marco Polo

Historians Perspective:

            Looking back at all cultures and all empires, nothing is black and white. Everything is gray. Nothing changes when one takes a look back at the Mongol empire. They were ruthless conquerors, yet had religious and cultural tolerance to those they conquered. Their trade system was rich and immense, yet that may have helped spread the Black Plague to Europe. The Mongols knew that forcing someone to share your beliefs was not an intelligent way to control a land. There are many great empires that did achieve their greatness without the help of widespread tolerance. When the early Roman Empire obtained new territory, they would absorb aspects of certain religions into their own religion. Before Christianity was popular in the Roman Empire, they killed those who practiced it. The Mongols were ruthless and terrifying, yet their tactics worked. The trade was important and very successful. Unless the territory refused to submit or did not pay tribute to their Mongol leaders, life was peaceful. The Mongols protected their subjects and information traveled easily through the empire with a Pony Express-like system. There is no definite answer to the question of if the Mongols were inherently good or inherently bad. They wanted power and they did what they could to obtain it and they did what they could to hold on to it. Though their methods were morally questionable, the results were beneficial to the regions the Mongols conquered. Trade flourished and cultures spread in each direction. Kublai Khan was interested in Christianity, and that was one of the reasons he invited the Polos to China. The Mongol Empire was not good or bad. The Roman Empire was not good or bad. It is all a gray area. The Mongols did kill a lot of people, but they were not doing it to be bad, they were doing it for power, which is what all empires do.

"Marco Polo in China (1271-1295)." Marco Polo in China (1271-1295). N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2014. <http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/mongols/pop/menu/class_marco.htm>.

Szalay, Jessie. "Marco Polo: Facts, Biography & Travels." LiveScience. TechMedia Network, 27 Feb. 2013. Web. 17 Jan. 2014. <http://www.livescience.com/27513-marco-polo.html>.

Rugoff, Milton. Marco Polo's Adventures in China. New York: American Heritage Pub.; Book Trade and Institutional Distribution by Harper & Row, 1964. Print.

Letts, Malcolm. The Geographical Journal (n.d.): n. pag. Print.

Mongol Empire- Julia Shoemake

I have heard that the Mongols are very harsh people, especially when they destroyed the Abbasid Caliphate when they attacked Baghdad in 1258. I have heard that they conquer anything that they can get their hands on, so I will have to be careful on my voyage. I will also have to be very cautious about nomads. I have heard a great deal about them, and how they stole many things from caravans on the Silk Road, and were very violent in doing so. An old friend told me that what they wanted, they received (for the most part) and are extremely persistent, especially in battle. They do not give up, and will keep fighting until they win. When in battle, everything is open to them for killing. Women, children, animals and whole armies are being wiped out, which is a large culture shock to many, including myself. The Mongols are insensitive to Chinese traditions and the culture over all, and they think that they are the best culture out there. These people are land hungry, conquering any land that they can have access too, such as the Jin Empire in 1125- 1134, and Tangut Kingdom Xixia in 1209. The Mongols perused tribal leaders that opposed Genghis Khan, and with these victories, and gained more land. While Genghis Khan was ill and in bed, he ordered his sons to keep battling in Xixia, and kill Chinese rebels, in which they did. They stole many military weapons and tactics to further advance their military. In their military, they have small groups called tumans. These groups consist of 10 men, and if 1 man leaves, the whole group is killed, which represents how barbaric the Mongols really are. The military leaders don’t help the soldiers at all either. The soldiers have to carry their own food, and if they run out of food, they will drink their own horses’ blood. This shows how ironically blood thirsty they are. I have heard that they also have had several cases of cannibalism in the armies of the enemy. Having very little food, they have a large amount of motivation to conquer whole cities so that they could have dinner, which is very concerning knowing that I will travel through these areas.           

After I have experienced the Mongol culture, I can honestly say that the majority of what I have said in my previous entry is wrong. I have learned that the Mongol culture is very accepting to all religions. Passing by a few cities, I was told that a very large Islam Mosque that I passed, was built by the Mongols. That surprised me, because I thought that if foreigners weren’t accepted, they would be killed. But that is the exact opposite. Traveling through their culture, of course I had to have contact with them, and they were notably peaceful. On my voyage, I noticed the vast amount of foreign trade that went on. The Mongols had a good attitude towards merchants. Not only Western Missionaries came to this area to spread their religion ideas, but also traders from the West arrived, and the Mongols certainly didn’t turn them down. The Mongols also have built many long roads, mostly for trade, but these roads have also helped advance the culture. They also increased the amount of usage of paper money, which helped the trading process by having one common currency. The Mongols had numerous practical inventions that further advanced their culture, such as gun powder, the composite bow, coal, and they introduced tea drinking. My voyage wasn’t just a day trip, it took countless months. And the longer I was in this area, the more that I had learned. I learned that The Mongols recruited Islam finical advisors, which definitely made superior connections with the Muslim community, and built trust between the two cultures. The Mongols also recruited Tibetan Monks to spread religion in hopes of uniting The Mongol people together.

In my opinion, as a teenage girl, I think that there are several reasons as to why history has such a different view on the Mongols. There are always extremists that exaggerate things way too far. The way I see this, is just like politics. There’s always going to be people that are pro-Mongol. And there is always going to be someone that is anti-Mongol, and that’s just the way it is. The Mongols as a whole kind of represent Julius Caesar in my head. Some people liked him, some people didn’t. Caesar had his own intentions, and in my opinion, some people think they know the intentions of this person or group. Because these people think they know what this leader’s goal is, they over-stress this leader’s goals. The public will always favor and or relate to different sides of the story. And for that reason, that’s why I think that people are still arguing about what happened back then, and what didn’t. Looking back at the Mongols’ history, sure they were violent in battle, but they were also very peaceful when it came to religion and trade. There will always be different outlooks on any aspect of History, and this topic is difficult to choose a definite answer of why. But I think it’s because individuals have such different observations because people amplify ideas up to a certain extent.

Citations

"World History Connected | Vol. 5 No. 2 | Timothy May: The Mongol Empire in World History." World History Connected | Vol. 5 No. 2 / N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2014. <http://worldhistoryconnected.press.illinois.edu/5.2/may.html>.

                                                                                      

"The Mongols." The Mongols in World History | Asia Topics in World History. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2014. <http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/mongols/china/china.htm>.

Rugoff, Milton. Marco Polo's Adventures in China. New York: American Heritage Pub.; Book Trade and Institutional Distribution by Harper & Row, 1964. Print.

" ." FROM MONGOLS TO MUGHALS. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2014. <http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/ngier/mm.htm>.

"The Historical Mongol Empire." The Historical Mongol Empire. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Jan. 2014. <http://www.oocities.org/athens/forum/2532/page5.html>

"Mongol Missteps." Gale Power Search. Gale Cengage Learning, n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2014. <http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do>.

Beck, Roger B. World History: Patterns of Interaction. Evanston, IL: McDougal Littell, 2005. Print.

Chris Coomer

Block-E   history

Mongol Brutality

                As I, Marco Polo, begin my journey I recount some of the facts I have heard on the Barbaric Mongol tribes. Many Europeans believe the Mongols to be a dangerous and rugged people with no laws, many people say that their warriors drink the blood of their horses when they get thirsty and eat moldy cheese mixed with water. They don’t live in houses, rather in tents and herding livestock. Mongols show no mercy wiping out cities and committing genocide whenever they please. In 1248 the city of Baghdad surrendered to the Mongol horde, the Mongols ran into the city murdering 200,000 people and destroying the city.

Mongol improvement

                While working for the Khan I have learned many things about the Mongols. They are an advanced and adaptable people who can do many things. For example, they use a black rock (coal) as a fuel that lasts longer than wood, and they have an explosive material that can be used for mining or for combat (gunpowder). In addition to their advancements, the Mongols have a vast empire that is connected through couriers that deliver notes and can travel 125 miles each day. While the Mongols are brutal in combat in times of peace they allow citizens to worship their religions freely. Also, the Mongols formed a good economy their currency was paper money that was traded for money, silk was a popular export that was traded within the empire and was expensive. Mongols also formed ortogh ,a caravan that was sponsored by many merchants so the caravan could go on for months bringing goods all around the empire and .The class a person is in is based on the beauty of their clothing and its price. Furthermore, the Mongolians give small political positions to native people of a country they have taken over and the higher positions are given to foreigners so the main leaders will not have allegiance to the city or country. The Mongols are a civilization that spread wealth and culture all around the world.

Personal preference

                 History has many different perspectives of the Mongols as murderers and as instigators of trade and culture. Much like the Roman Empire the Mongols controlled large amounts of land and were hostile to anyone who opposed them. The Romans and the Mongols are viewed differently by historians even though they both wiped out anyone that opposed them and controlled large amounts of land. Historians favor the Roman Empire more than the  Mongolian Rome helped develop the modern world with art, architecture, and government. While the Mongols did do many things that affect the world today the Romans represent more of what society is today and the Mongols do not  and being different makes them appear more barbaric.

	RESEARCH LOG: INDIVIDUAL TASK
Project Name:	Marco polo’s journals on the Mongols
Student Name:	Ch Christopher Coomer
Topic focus:	Mongol empire

SEARCH TOOL (what did you use)	SEARCH TECHNIQUE (how did you)	TYPE OF SOURCE	Accessed
google	Destiny/	http://ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1468064?terms=marco+Polo	1/10/2014
google	Destiny/	http://ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/643438?terms=marco+Polo	1/12/2014
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google	Site:edu	http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/mongols/history/history7.htm	1/13/2014
google	Site:com	http://www.historytoday.com/richard-cavendish/baghdad-sacked-mongols	1/16/2014