AlinaChen

TheMongolDynasty:Religion

GenghisKhan,thefounderofoneofthelargestempirestheworldhaseverknown,
createdalegacywithhisencouragementoftheprincipleofreligioustolerance.TheMongol
Empire,whichexistedduringthe13thand14thcenturies,originatedinCentralAsiaand
expandedintoSiberia,theIndiansubcontinent,andpartsoftheMiddleEast.UnderGenghis
Khanandhissuccessors,theMongolEmpirebecamewellknownforitsgreatsizeanddiversity
inbothreligionandculture,whichwassomethingthathadneverbeenaccomplishedbefore.1
ReligioustoleranceledtotheriseofMongolpowerandallowedtheMongolstoexpandtheir
territorywhilerulingsuccessfullyoveralargevarietyofculturalbackgrounds.Atthesametime,
religionhadsuchapowerfulimpactondailylife,moresothanthelaw,thatitquickenedthe
declineoftheempire.
TheMongolspositiveattitudetowardsreligioustolerancewasimmenselyeffectivein
maintaininggoodforeignrelations.Theydidnotpersecutepeoplebecauseoftheirbeliefs,which
allowedthemtogainthesupportofmanydifferentreligiousgroupsincludingCatholics,
Christians,Armenians,Buddhists,Muslims,Islam,andanimistsfromdifferentpartsofthe
world.2Amajorexampleofthebenefitofusingreligioustolerancewasshownthroughthe
MongolssupportofIslam.TheMongolsbuiltquiteanumberofmosquesinChina.The
MongolsalsorecruitedandemployedIslamicfinancialadministratorsamovethatledtogood
relationswiththeIslamicworldbeyondChina,inparticularwithPersiaandWestAsia.3The

TimothyMay,"TheMongolEmpireinWorldHistory,"WorldHistoryConnected,lastmodifiedFebruary2008,
accessedNovember19,2014,http://worldhistoryconnected.press.illinois.edu/5.2/may.html.
2
JeffreyHays,"Mongols:TheirEmpire,Religion,HorsesandFamilyLife,"Horsemen,MongolsandtheSilkRoad
GenghisKhanandtheMongols,accessedNovember19,2014,
http://factsanddetails.com/asian/cat65/sub423/item2697.html.
3
MorrisRossabi,ed.,"LifeinChinaunderMongolRule:Religion,"TheMongolsinWorldHistory,accessed
November9,2014,http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/mongols/china/china3_f.htm.

MongolsexpandedtheirconnectionwithareasbeyondChina,asseveralrulersemployedforeign
groupsofadviserstohelpthem.Thus,theirtoleranceformanyreligionshelpedpreventwarsand
conflictandcreatedastateofpeaceandorder.
Besidespreventingwarsandconflict,religioustolerancewasextremelyusefuland
productiveinmaintainingastablegovernment,asitaidedinrulingnewlyconqueredareas.
Ratherthanusingaggressivetacticstomaintainorderandforcingeveryonetofollow
Shamanism,theMongolsownreligion,theGreatKhansoftheMongolempire,including
GenghisKhanandKublaiKhan,decidedtoacceptallreligiousbeliefs.4Thus,theirsubjects
wouldbemorewillingtolistentothemandenforcethelawsthegovernmentemplaced.
AccordingtoMarcoPolo,aVenetiantravelerwhorecordedhisjourneytoChina,KublaiKhan
stated,Thereareprophetswhoareworshippedandtowhomeverybodydoesreverence.The
ChristianssaytheirgodwasJesusChristtheSaracens,MohammedtheJews,Mosesandthe
idolatersSakamuniBorhan[thatis,SakiamuniBuddha,whowasthefirstgodtotheidolaters]
andIdohonorandreverencetoallfour,thatistohimwhoisthegreatestinheavenandmore
true,andhimIpraytohelpme.5Inaddition,GenghisKhanandhissuccessorswerethoughtof
asdefendersofreligions.WhenMuslimscamefromcentralAsiatoescapethereligious
persecutionoftheirChristianemperor,GenghisKhanhelpedthem,killedtheemperor,and
allowedthemtopracticetheirreligionfreely.Therefore,theMuslimswerehappytoobey
GenghisKhanastheirrulerbecauseheprotectedthem.6

"Shamanism,"MongoliaReligion,accessedNovember19,2014,
http://asia.isp.msu.edu/wbwoa/east_asia/mongolia/religion.htm.
5
MarcoPoloandRustichellodaPisa,TheTravelsofMarcoPolo(n.p.:n.p.,c.1300),quotedinColumbia
University,ATacticofReligiousTolerance(AsiaforEducators),
http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/mongols/history/history7.htm.
6
AmyChua,DayofEmpire:HowHyperpowersRisetoGlobalDominanceandWhyTheyFall(NewYork:
Doubleday,2007)

However,religionhadamorepowerfulinfluenceondailylifethanthelaw,whichwasa
factorinthecauseofthedeclineoftheMongolianempire.Sincetheempirewassolargeandthe
Mongolssupportedreligioustolerance,differentareasadopteddifferentforeignreligions.The
peopleofeachparticularnationacceptedtheirownreligionsprinciplesasthebasicfoundation
fortheirownlife.Thus,theMongolempirebegantoloseitscohesiveness.Inaddition,Mongols
intheMiddleEastconvertedtoIslamandothersinChinaconvertedtoBuddhism.Whenthe
MongolianYuanKhanswereconvertedtoBuddhism,thereligionwascommononlyamongthe
upperclass,anditsinfluencewasmuchweakerthaninthelatesixteenthcentury,whenthe
wholeMongoliannationreceivedBuddhismasitsfaith.Theychangedtheirattitudesand
behaviour,andworkedforblessings.7 TheMongolsbegantoloseasensetheirowncultureby
undoingGenghisKhansideasofreligioustolerance.Thischangeresultedinweakness,and
eventually,decline.
Religionhadasignificantimpactontheexpansion,success,anddeclineoftheMongol
Empire.GenghisKhanssupportforreligioustolerancewaspasseddownandadoptedbyhis
successors,whichultimatelyresultedintheprosperityoftheempire.Thisreligiousfreedom
allowedtheGreatKhanstocontrolandrulealandofimmensesizeanddiversity,while
maintainingstrongforeignrelationsthathadatremendousimpactonChinasrelationswiththe
outsideworld.EvenafterthedeclineoftheMongolEmpire,manyreligions,especially
Buddhism,thatwerewidelyacceptedandpracticedbytheMongols,stillremainedpopularin
Chinaformanyyears.

SechinJagchid,"TibetanBuddhism,TheMongolianReligion,"Religion,accessedNovember9,2014,
http://www2.kenyon.edu/Depts/Religion/Fac/Adler/Reln260/MongolianBuddhism.htm.

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Chua,Amy.DayofEmpire:HowHyperpowersRisetoGlobalDominanceandWhyTheyFall.
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http://worldhistoryconnected.press.illinois.edu/5.2/may.html.

Polo,Marco,andRustichellodaPisa.TheTravelsofMarcoPolo.N.p.:n.p.,c.1300.Accessed
November19,2014.http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/mongols/history/history7.htm.

Rossabi,Morris,ed.LifeinChinaunderMongolRule:Religion.TheMongolsinWorld
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