Huun-Huur-Tu, “Do You Want Me to Saddle You?,” Where the

Young Grass Grows (1999)

The Mongol World Empire

The Imperial Alternatives

• Run empire on traditional nomadic lines, as a tribal confederation

• But, what to do with sedentary peoples of China and Persia?– Extermination?– Ruthless exploitation?

• Example of Il Khanate

The Imperial Alternatives - 2

• Borrow practices of previous Turco-Mongolian Peoples– Cooked and uncooked barbarians– Uighurs

• Introduced writing to Mongols

– Qara-Khitai (or Khitans)• Darugachi, a provincial administrative figure

• Yam – the postal service

The Imperial Alternatives - 3

• Adopt methods of the settled peoples– Most prominent in

China and Persia– Persia: local

elites, such as Juwayni, recruited into service

The Imperial Alternatives - 4

– China• Lower level of bureaucracy staffed by Chinese

• Upper levels reserved for non-Chinese, often from Central Asia, such as Mahmud Yalavach

Mongol Institutions

• The Army

– In a sense, all Mongols belong to the army

– Highly mobile

– Decimal organization

– Army becomes an “artificial tribe”

– Tendency to become an army of professional mercenaries

Mongol Institutions - 2

• The Great Yasa (1206?), or law code

• Taxation– Head tax (qubchur)– Sales tax (tamgha)

• Communications

Factors for Imperial Disintegration

• Horizontal stratification: a nobility emerges

• Vertical differentiation: armies split off from rest of the people

• Sedentarization and denomadification of ruling elites, e.g. Kubilai Khan

• Example of Kubilai Khan– Moves capital to Beijing– Adopts Chinese dynastic name (Yüan) – Becomes a Buddhist

Factors for Imperial Disintegration - 2

• Lack of clear rules for succession to imperial throne– Mixture of hereditary right and election– Both lineal and lateral succession recognized– Designation by ruling khan also used

Factors for Imperial Disintegration - 3

• Ögodei, 3rd son of Chingiz Khan,designated and elected, 1229

• Küyük, son of Ögodei, elected, 1247

• Möngke, son of Chingiz’ youngest son, elected over opposition, 1251

• Kubilai, brother of Möngke, elected in a disputed election, leading to civil war, 1260

Disintegration

• Empire becomes group of sub-khanates

• Example of China– Mongols illegitimate in eyes of Chinese– 1353-54: plague and rebellion– Inflation– 1368: Ming dynasty established