Methods and Motives of the Mongol Empire and Timurs Empire in Central Asia - Essay Example

14 November History and Political Science Essay The Mongol empire existed as far back as the early thirteenth and fourteenth centuries and had the largest land empire in the history of human existence. Statistics has it that the empire accounted for about 16% of the earth’s land mass and over a hundred million in population cutting across several continents. The Mongolian Empire was created from the amalgamation of the Mongol and the Turkic people under the governance of Genghis Khan. The expansion of the Empire came rapidly because of several acquisitions of other territories by the descendants of Khan. The expansion gave way to economic activities in the Empire and the influx of technology. The empire soon split, and this was actually the trend for a large Empire. An example is the case of the Roman Empire after the death of Caesar. The death of Genghis Khan led to the division of the Empire with the descendants of Genghis Khan fighting against other eligible candidates in retaining the throne. The methods of the Mongol empire under his leadership could be explained as having a high level of “flexibility and pragmatism characteristics” (Soucek 105). This was exhibited by the way he went about acquiring kingdoms, which later led to the expansion of the Mongol empire. This is done by peaceful surrendering of the territories to the Mongols to avoid attack and ensuring that the leader of a targeted empire maintains his throne and saving the inhabitants from the trauma of massacre. Resistance to the Mongol in the form of military resistance resulted in severe consequence - either extermination or decimation (Dunnell 45). Genghis Khan and his immediate successors were successful with their conquests because of well-made arrangements and planning by means of an organized administrative system that is not matched across kingdoms (Soucek 103). Perhaps, this is largely what historians claim to be a vision to rule the world that is similar to the quest Caesar to unify and rule the world. The charismatic characters displayed by the three generations after Genghis Khan and their legacies is a unique historical phenomenon as suggested by scholars, and it is believed to justify the traits which descents from the house of Genghis Khan retained for centuries to come. The Mongolian interlude is believed to be a traumatic one in the history of Central Asia; the Timurid period can be viewed as its glorious one. The founder of this dynasty Timur was also ruthless in his quest for territorial expansion. Like Khan, he carried out similar massacres and destruction. However, the places affected were outside Central Asia, for instance Iran and the Golden Horde. Timur showed mastery and endurance comparable to Genghis Khan. The Timurs inherited the throne after the death of Genghis descendant in the late fourteenth century. Unlike Khan who had no role model, Timur had to make use of the charismatic traits in the Genghisid descent, which was achieved by marrying a descendant of Genghis. This was because during his time, no nomad king with the objective of an ultimate rule and prestige of Khan felt legitimate without being attached to the Genghisid line. Nevertheless, unlike Khan, he could claim a right to rule in virtue of being an Islamic monarch and reflecting the will of God (Dunnell 78). Timur's military exploits were spectacular. His campaigns went as far as Eastern Europe, which was claimed to have escaped by coincidence (Soucek 151). Like the Mongolians, the Timurs also were conquerors. Places like India, Syria, and Anatolia were attacked. Regions such as Delhi, Istahan, Baghdad, Damascus, Saray, and Izmir revealed the extent of their conquest (Soucek 125). Nevertheless, it is believed that the empire founded by Timur was in no way comparable to that of Genghis Khan either in size or in structure. Even his successors lacked the acquisitive instinct of the successor of Genghis Khan. The similarities between the Mongolian and the Timur empires could be attributed to their ways of acquiring their kingdoms or their expansionist motives. The idea was to get as many territories as possible, as they embarked on years of military conquests. In their conquests, they were ruthless as they carried out massacres. This partly contributed to their success as they put fear in the hearts of their targets. It was successful for Genghis Khan as his targets quickly made allegiances or made a total surrender to avoid his massacre of their kingdoms. Timur was also able to achieve military feats that were quite comparable to that of Genghis Khan. Both leaders attached their dealings to a divine calling that made them carry out a sort of spiritual will. Genghis Khan saw himself as a mandate on earth while Timur in his Islamic views believed himself to be carrying out the will of God. Both empires had large territories under them, and both were conquerors. Both kingdoms under their respective leaders embarked on an expansionist motive for the purpose of ruling a unified world and the glory ascribed to it, a feat yet to be attained by any leader in history and also the fear of being invaded by other powerful empires. One of the motives behind the creation of the Mongol empire was survival and existence. They were nomads of little or unknown existence. Nomads as we know are wanderers and survival instincts could have led to Genghis Khans expansionist campaign (Dunnell 76). The originator of the empire had a difficult time while growing up where he faced a life of hardship. On the other hand, the creation of Timur had to do more with the motive power to uphold. Timur had to make use of the laid down legacy or the Genghis charisma to create an empire unlike the Mongol emperor who had to devise means of creating a sustainable kingdom. Another difference is the legitimacy claim. The Timur king did not feel his leadership as being legitimate until he had to marry the Genghisid descent to have that ultimate rule and prestige of a Khan. The Timur kingdom was able to develop another aspect of their culture areas such as the arts. The Timur had great architectural designs and encouraged artistry unlike the Mongol empire that did not have time for such and focused rather on its territorial expansionist campaign. The difference in both empires can also be seen from the ambitions of the rulers. While Genghis Khan was concerned majorly with the region around Asia, Timur focused more on the regions outside Asia (Dunnell 53). Timurs’ leader was an Islamic Monarch; he made use of Islamic tenets and views in his rule. Unlike the Mongol leader who did not have that view, he made use of locally made laws in the governance of his empire. He is a fundamentalist who upheld the laws in the Kurultai. Genghis Khan left a legacy for his successors to follow, and largely that legacy was adhered to by three of his successors that came after him. It was known as the "Genghis charisma". Unlike the Mongol leader, Timur tried to emulate the Genghisid legacy though he never saw himself as having a legitimate rule which made him marry from the Genghis lineage. From the above similarities and differences it could be stated that both empires were more than different from each other. The Idea behind expansion was one of their major differences. Unlike the Mongolians, the Timurs did not have a legacy or build one they would base their political heritage that will serve as a doctrine to be followed by their next generations. Perhaps this brought about the sustenance of the Genghis charisma that the Mongols continued to use in building their political power. The Timurs had to build theirs around the Genghis charisma. This makes the Mongol empire one of the greatest to have sprung up in central Asia. Like Ruth W. Dunnell had to say, “From a 21st century scholar's perspective, the Mongols appear as early adepts of globalization. We can be assured that the Mongols under Genghis Khan and his successors constructed their empire according to terms that made sense to them” (Dunnell 59). Genghis Khan was acclaimed to be brutal in his expansionist campaign, but he employed the instrument of diplomacy when the situation demands it. However, in the quest to achieve his expansionist policy, any kingdom that put up any form of resistance would experience brutality as a result of his large military capacity. These acts were largely one of the expansion tools of Genghis Khan. Since the Mongols focus was majorly territorial expansion, they had time to carry out carefully prepared attacks. A sort of laid down conduct which gave successors of Genghis Khan and subsequently others that took a cue from him confidence and rhythm to carry on expansionist crusades. The Timur in their quest embarked on a mission to protect the Asian world because of the Mongol presence that had left most kingdoms in the region, volatile. Quest for supremacy has always been the major motive for leaders in the early centuries to embark on expansionist policy. Power, wealth, and fame have been highlighted as the motive for world leaders’ invasion of smaller kingdoms. Nevertheless, the case of the Mongol could be a rebuttal, as the empire might be securing more kingdoms to build a fortress against external or territorial aggression. Works Cited Dunnell, Ruth. Chinggis Khan: World Conqueror. Boston: Longman, 2010. Print Soucek, Svat. A History of Inner Asia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000. Print. Read More