Friday, January 17, 2014

Mongol Empire Abby Harper

Journal entry 1
          As I plan for my travels into the East with my father and uncle, I have researched what Asia will be like. The stories I have read have claimed that the Mongols are harsh and ruthless killers. I have heard of no other than Genghis Khan. He has expanded the Mongolian empire, along with his brother Ogedei Khan from the Korean peninsula to Persia. They have begun to dominate the entire content of Asia. I pray to God that the trip goes well. I fear I will not be able to carry all of the necessary merchandise to trade.
          As I have researched the Mongols and there harsh beliefs, I have begun to worry. I fear that I will not be safe around them, and that they could take me as prisoner. The essays I have observed have shown just how horrible these people actually seem to be. If I choose to trade with them as I embark on this journey, I am worried if they do not like what I have to offer, they will kill me. I have heard tales of them burning and killing entire cities if they do not agree to their terms. If this is the case, who knows what they would do to just one man.

Journal entry 2
          I have finished my long journey into China. I am writing this from jail, for I returned home only to be caught into a war. Venice has gone to war with Genoa, and I have been captured by Genoa on my way out to sea. My 24 year trip into Mongolia. Throughout those long 24 years, I did come home once. During my first trip, after 3 years of travelling, I reached the Mongol leader Kublai Khan’s palace. He was not cruel as I had believed before I began this mission, but he seemed to like us.
          Kublai Khan was interested in the Christian faith, and it seemed hard to believe to him. He wanted me and my brother to return home to collect artifacts of the Christian belief. He gave us a gold tablet, protecting us so we could have a safe route home. After we visited our home church and collected many artifacts, we began to travel back to the palace. Along the route there, a war had broken out, and we had to travel far around the fighting. We eventually got to the palace. Kublai Khan was very impressed with everything we had brought back from the church. He was so impressed he gave me a Chinese city to rule for 3 years. Overall, the Mongols are not as bloodthirsty as people say, but they are fair traders and are welcoming to any religion, including Christianity.


Journal entry 3
          People have many different views on the Mongols today because the way Marco Polo claimed to have seen the Mongols act like contradicts from what other historians wrote during this time. People believe the Mongols were cruel because they expanded there empire rapidly by forcing people to join them, but haven’t many leaders done this throughout history? For example, Alexander the Great may have been harsh in military ruling, but he was good for the people. Like Genghis Khan, he believed that education was important into building the empire, and believed that all people needed it. Like Genghis Khan, he allowed the places he conquered to keep their religion, a main reason that so many cities surrendered without a fight. Overall, the Mongols and Alexander the Great had a lot in common.

         


 Bibliography


 Dowling, Mike. "Marco Polo at mrdowling.com". www.mrdowling.com. Updated June 17, 2013. Web. Jan. 15, 2014. http://www.mrdowling.com/613-marcopolo.html




Stiner, Amber. “Marco Polo Travels in China.” Marco Polo in China: 1275-1292. WebChron, 2 Dec. 1997. Web. 16 Jan. 2014. http://www.thenagain.info/webchron/china/marcopolo.html.


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