History Essay

Question: Assess the importance of Genghis Khans methods which

resulted in the success of his empire.

Genghis Khan was a leader who inevitably brought terror, fear and death
due to his harsh and punitive methods, however, he was a tactical and
prodigious leader who brought positive change for the overall success of
his great empire. Though he had such merciless approaches, he was a
man who not only united Mongol but ordered the adoption of a writing
system, banned slavery, abolished aristocratic titles and allowed freedom
of religion. He created Yassa which was a secret written code of law
meaning order or decree of the Mongol Empire and had a range of
effective strategies for the triumph of his empire.
Psychological warfare is a severe yet incredibly effective strategy in
conquering. Genghis Khans strategy for uniting all of Mongol was evoking
fear. His success hinged on the idea of terror as Perhaps terrorism
produced a fear that immobilized and incapacitated the forces that would
have resisted."1 By massacring villages, spreading his brutality, and
overall showing his merciless nature, this escalation of widespread
psychological fear amongst his enemies made them believe that they
were facing an insurmountable juggernaut that could only be avoided by
surrendering. 2 This idea of terror was used to demoralize anyone who
thought of opposing the Mongols. This was efficient as it induced simple
capitulation as it was not necessary to expend on food, soldiers, money
and overall battling the enemy which would result in the loss of vital man
force as well as the effort put into sacking the town.3 By surrendering to
Genghis Khan and his army, the people were spared from death. They
were however required to support them with fighters, food, supplies and
other essentials. Genghis Khans pitiless methods in killing shone when
villagers and towns resisted, resulting in painful deaths for both, men,
woman and elderly. The younger kids were usually taken and made to join
his army.4 The village was then burnt down, though a few civilians were
allowed to flee so they would spread terror to others which was essential
into this psychological warfare strategy in inciting fear onto towns and
1 George H. Quester (2003). Offense and Defence in the International System
2 Weatherford, J. (2004). Genghis Khan and the making of the modern world. New York:
Crown.

3 Weatherford, J. (2004). Genghis Khan and the making of the modern world. New York:
Crown. P.41

cities still yet to be conquered.5 Additionally, another strategy they used

to evoke fear to the enemy was to tie tree branches to their horses. This
let the foliage drag behind them on the ground which would create large
dust storms behind hills as they travelled in a systematic fashion. This
concept, combined with having prisoners and civilians ride the horses with
them, made the army seem much larger than it actually was and that
were coming to them with a large mass of thundering horses, making
them assume their terrible defeat was bound to come, thus surrendering.6
All of this is essential to the success of his empire as it not only provided
him with easy access to manpower, money and food but as a result,
creating unity amongst the Mongol empire and bringing them all together.
This eventually led him to creating the largest empire in the world.

Yassa meaning order or decree was a secret written code by Genghis

Khan. The Yassa required 3 things, this being obedience to Genghis Khan,
a binding together of the nomad clans and the merciless punishment of
wrongdoing.7 Overall it consist of around 35 laws ranging from ones like
Officers and chieftains who fail in their duty, or do not come at the
summons of the Khan are to be slain, especially in remote districts. If their
offense be less grave, they must come in person before the Khan. To
whoever is guilty of sodomy or urinating in water or ashes is to be put to
death. The Yassa also included positive laws like No subject of the empire
may take a Mongol for servant or slave. Every man, except in rare cases,
must join the army and That all religions were to be respected and that
no preference was to be shown to any of them.8 The Yassa was made to
remove social and economic dispute amongst the Mongols and future
allied people. It was incredibly helpful in establishing rules amongst his
army and overall order. It kept everyone in line as the harsh rules made
them too fearful to try and defy him. Those that received punishment or
were put to death by breaking the laws were also a personal reminder to
those under him.9 Though Genghis Khan was a shamanist, he set up
4 David Nicolle, The Mongol Warlords: Genghis Khan, Kublai Khan, Hulegu,
Tamerlane(2004) p. 21
5 George H. Quester (2003). Offense and Defence in the International System
6 http://home.arcor.de/mustangace/sca_class_mongols.htm
7 The Secret History of the Mongols
8 Lamb, H. (1927). Genghis Khan, the emperor of all men. New York: Doubleday.
9 YouTube. (2016). Dan Carlin Hardcore History Wrath of the Khans Part 2.

religious institutions that gave freedom of religion. This was a way to

avoid strife amongst his army.10 There were many diverse religions under
his power such as Buddhism, Islam, Christianity and Tengriism. By
embracing different religions, this acceptance proved to be beneficial for
him as those under him would somewhat accept him.11 By having Yassa
and freedom of religion, this greatly contributed to the success of his
empire as it not only kept everyone in order but also created a sense or
respect to Genghis Khan as people were allowed to follow their own
beliefs without being forced to alter or be punished as a result. This
provided peace within his army with much better governing, overall
improving administration within his empire.
Genghis Khan was hailed as a hero because of the creative and useful
methods made into making his army easier to expand and function as a
whole. He was respected as he abolished hereditary aristocratic titles and
prohibited the selling and kidnapping of women.12 He ordered a Uyghur to
develop for the Mongols, a written linguistic based on the Uyghur script
which provided to be difficult to learn yet helpful in aiding them to send
important messages and to communicate with others. Genghis Khan also
knew that the significant of trade and crafts, provided for the economic
security of the Mongols.13 When Genghis Khan and the Mongols,
conquered Asia, he managed to control the Silk Road for some time. This
provided him with trade between Asia, Europe and even Africa, giving
them immense economic benefits. Furthermore, it also enabled
communication and trade from North- East Asia into Muslim South-West
and Europe.14 He set the basis of an international postal system called
Ortoo. This was used to send news and deliver official mail and was also
accessible by officials, military men and foreign dignitaries. The system
was based upon a chain of relay stations that were situated around 140
miles apart from each other. There was food, shelter and spare horses at
each station for the messenger to rest at. This enabled a well-rested
messenger already at that station to ride on to the next station and pass
10 Weatherford, J. (2004). Genghis Khan and the making of the modern world. New York:
Crown.

11 Amy Chua, (2007) Day of Empire: How Hyperpowers Rise to Global Dominanceand
Why They Fall

12 Khan, G. (2016). Genghis Khan - Facts & Summary - HISTORY.com

13 Afe.easia.columbia.edu. (2016). The Mongols in World History | Asia Topics in
World History.
14 Clife Floss, (2006).The Tyrants: The Story of Historys Most Ruthless Oppressors Clive
Foss

on a message when one came to his station with information. This method
was efficient as it allowed information to pass quickly throughout the
empire as the messengers were never tired. The rapid spread of
information allowed the Mongols to continue their expansion to keep their
armies which were at times, great distances away, informed.15 These
methods of having a written writing script, great trade techniques, and a
postal system not only made it easier for his army to function and grow
but were a prime reason as to why his empire flourished.
The success of Genghis Khans empire was also because of his masterful
military tactics which are still used today. Khan used tactics like capturing
enemy prisoners and driving them in front of his men to act as body
shields, the cutting of resources for the towns or cities by blocking off
certain rivers and the feigned retreat where they would slay down those
that chased after them. Many of their military strength came from the
weaponry and how skilful they were at using them.16 They were trained
how to shoot with a bow and arrow facing backwards or while hanging
from one side of their saddle, protecting themselves by using the
armoured horse as a shield. Horses were one of the Mongols greatest
advantages as they were taught how to ride them at an early age, no
more than 3 years old.17 The speed, agility and stamina allowed the
Mongols to ride up to 100 miles a day, a distance much further than any
large army or soldier could walk within that time. It was also efficient that
the horses could survive on grass but also provided the Mongols with food
such as milk from a Mare which was turned into yoghurt, cheese and Airag
which was a fermented drink. The Mongols took in technology from China
which provided them with more improved weaponry like the Trechubet, a
variation of the catapult, giving them easy victories.18 His tactical
strategies and handle of weaponry was a massive influence on his
empires success as no enemy could stand a chance against his power.
Overall, Genghis Khan may have been a leader who rose to power my
implementing harsh policies and gruesome techniques, but by doing so,
combined with his genius tactics and introduction of new methods, he was
able to create the largest empire in the world. He was a man, who
tolerated diverse religions, introduced new methods like postal systems, a
15 Fiction, B. (2013). Ortoo How the Mongol Empire Stayed Together. [online]
Wide World of Wiki.
16 Weatherford, J. (2004). Genghis Khan and the making of the modern world.
New York: Crown
17 Lange, B. (2003). Genghis Khan. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers.
18 Genghiskhan.fieldmuseum.org. (2016). Genghis Khan | Genghis Khan.

secret written code of law and overall was a master in warfare strategy. All
of these combined, were the reasons why Genghis Khan created such a
successful and large empire.

Bibliography/ Sources/References
Books:
Weatherford, J. (2004). Genghis Khan and the making of the modern
world. New York: Crown.
Rachewiltz, I. (2004). The secret history of the Mongols. Leiden: Brill.
(Translation) Primary source (anonymous)
Clife Floss, (2006).The Tyrants: The Story of Historys Most Ruthless
Oppressors Clive Foss
Amy Chua, (2007) Day of Empire: How Hyperpowers Rise to Global
Dominanceand Why They Fall
George H. Quester (2003). Offense and Defense in the International
System
Lamb, H. (1927). Genghis Khan, the emperor of all men. New York:
Doubleday.
Lange, B. (2003). Genghis Khan. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers.
Websites/Articles:
McGlynn, S. and McGlynn, S. (2015). Was Genghis Khan the cruellest man
who ever lived?. [online] The Spectator. Available at:
http://www.spectator.co.uk/2015/06/was-genghis-khan-the-cruellest-manwho-ever-lived/ [Accessed 20 Jul. 2016].
List25.com. (2016). [online] Available at: http://list25.com/25-insanethings-you-didnt-know-about-genghis-khan/ [Accessed 20 Jul. 2016].

Fsmitha.com. (2016). Genghis Khan's Code of Laws. [online] Available at:

http://www.fsmitha.com/h3/mongols-sup.htm [Accessed 20 Jul. 2016].
Science, L. (2014). Genghis Khan, Founder of Mongol Empire: Facts &
Biography. [online] Live Science. Available at:
http://www.livescience.com/43260-genghis-khan.html [Accessed 20 Jul.
2016].
Superselling, T. (2013). The Mystery of Genghis Khans Treasure: Genghis
Khan and the Silk Road. [online] Mysteryofgenghiskhan.blogspot.com.au.
Available at:
http://mysteryofgenghiskhan.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/genghis-khan-andsilk-road.html [Accessed 20 Jul. 2016].
Fsmitha.com. (2016). Genghis Khan and the Great Mongol Empire. [online]
Available at: http://www.fsmitha.com/h3/h11mon.htm [Accessed 20 Jul.
2016].
Anon, (2016). [online] Available at:
http://worldhistorypratt.weebly.com/uploads/2/2/5/1/22519320/weathe
rford_4_6.pdf [Accessed 20 Jul. 2016].
Biography.com. (2016). [online] Available at:
http://www.biography.com/people/genghis-khan-9308634#theuniversal-ruler [Accessed 20 Jul. 2016].
Biography.com. (2016). [online] Available at:
http://www.biography.com/people/genghis-khan-9308634#early-life
[Accessed 20 Jul. 2016].
Heirs of Genghis Khan: The influence of the Tartar-Mongols on the imperial
Russian and Soviet Armies. (2016). The RUSI Journal. [online] Available
at: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03071848308522218?
journalCode=rusi20& [Accessed 20 Jul. 2016].
Khan, 1. and Khan, G. (2014). 10 Things You May Not Know About Genghis
Khan - History Lists. [online] HISTORY.com. Available at:
http://www.history.com/news/history-lists/10-things-you-may-not-knowabout-genghis-khan [Accessed 20 Jul. 2016].
Khan, G. (2016). Genghis Khan - Facts & Summary - HISTORY.com. [online]
HISTORY.com. Available at: http://www.history.com/topics/genghis-khan
[Accessed 20 Jul. 2016].

Myers, G. (2016). 10 Brutal Facts About the Merciless Genghis Khan Toptenz.net. [online] Toptenz.net. Available at:
http://www.toptenz.net/10-brutal-facts-merciless-genghis-khan.php
[Accessed 20 Jul. 2016].
www.BookRags.com. (2016). Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern
World Summary. [online] Available at:
http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-genghis-khan-and-the-makingof-the/#gsc.tab=0 [Accessed 20 Jul. 2016].
Genghiskhan.fieldmuseum.org. (2016). Battle Tactics | Genghis Khan.
[online] Available at: http://genghiskhan.fieldmuseum.org/behind-thescenes/establishing-an-empire/battle-tactics [Accessed 20 Jul. 2016].
En.unesco.org. (2016). The Silk Route of the Mongols | SILK ROAD. [online]
Available at: http://en.unesco.org/silkroad/knowledge-bank/silk-routemongols [Accessed 20 Jul. 2016].
YouTube. (2016). Dan Carlin Hardcore History Wrath of the Khans Part 2.
[online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9rc4R4S-uQ
[Accessed 31 Jul. 2016].
Fiction, B. (2013). Ortoo How the Mongol Empire Stayed Together.
[online] Wide World of Wiki. Available at:
https://wideworldofwiki.wordpress.com/2013/11/23/ortoo-how-the-mongolempire-stayed-together/ [Accessed 20 Jul. 2016].