The Mongol Empire was formed in a slow and gradual process which began with the unification of the Mongol and the Turkic tribes which occupied the Mongolian Steppes. By 1206, Temujin unified the tribes of Mongolia into a single super tribe they called Khamag Mongol Ulus. This helped them to reorganize themselves and dissolve old tribal lines hence making them regroup into more basic groups of armies. The Mongolian empire was ruled by several leaders and during these times, they registered specific achievements. However, during the rule of emperor Chinggis Khan, the Mongol empire registered a great change in the entire system (Weatherford 157).
The first legacy which the Mongol Empire registered under Khan was the writing system. Despite the fact that, Chinggis Khan was illiterate, he started a writing system among the Mongols. He did this having seen the benefits and importance of a writing system among the Naiman, which was one of the tribes which he had defeated in 1204. During this period, Khan ordered a Mongolian script to be written which was later used until the 20th century when the communist government formulated Cyrillic script which replaced the Mongolian script.
The Mongolian Empire conquest in the early 13th century left the nomadic people wealthy and luxurious. Under the Mongol rule, silk was the main lucrative trade which the Mongolians indulged in. they established silk companies in several places which they had conquered to boost the production of silk. In the factories, they sent the Chinese silk weavers to these companies who latter helped the Muslim weavers, and the kind of technical organization made the silk road thrive and flourish like never before. As a result of the trade, the Mongolian empire was able to construct roads which boosted their trade in silk by opening more routes for the trade. According to Weatherford (176), opening trade routes and establishing a good base for economic stability for the Mongolians was another legacy that Khan had lived with. Due to the trade organization, the Empire expanded so fast, and as they moved to other parts, both the poor and the elites benefited directly from the wealth that they had acquired in the trade and, as a result, they could easily use the silk to exchange certain goods such as gold and others. (Amanat, Abbas & Farzin 146)
Among other Chinggis Khan’s legacies was religious tolerance. Chinggis provided a great tolerance for the religious groups in the Mongolian empire. He lifted the tax payment to the Buddhist monasteries and other religious groups and institutions. Despite the fact that Chinggis never converted into any religious groups, he remained dependable and committed to the Mongolian shamanism. This was despite the fact that he was very concerned about Daoism and specifically because Daoists stated that they could elongate life. Actually, during his expeditions towards Central Asia, Khan Chinggis was convoyed by a Daoists sage who was from China. This individual kept the records on their progress as he travelled with the Mongol patron.
In his legacy list, Chinggis left a legal code. This code described and stated the series of moral commands and laws which every Mongolian was expected to abide with. The legal code, also called Jasagh, also inscribed the punishment criteria for the transgression of the laws which have specific relations to a particular pastoral community. This legal code provided the Mongols with a set of rules which they used to govern the empire even after Chinggis death.
The Pax Mongolica was a significant period among the Mongols since it was a period of peace. This period was characterized by peace, political stability, economic growth and cultural interaction in the Mongolian empire. On page 134, Weatherford argues that this period provided a suitable environment for the interaction and sharing of cultures among the Mongols and their neighbors. As a result, the Mongols adopted new cultures and new religions. Among which being Islam.
The Mongols might have joined Islam for political reasons. However, the truth is that during this peaceful time, the Mongols interacted with the Muslims and knew their ways which made it easier to convert to Muslim despite their initial position of conquering communities and assimilating them into their ways. One of the evident results of the Pax Mongolica is the assimilation of the Mongols into Islam. The peace period provided an ample time for interactions and hence it became easier for the Mongols to comfortably interact with the Muslims without any problem.
The Mongols were people from the steppes of Central Asia and they lived a nomadic life. They were known for their fierce warriors and horsemen. The clans were unified together in 1206 by one influential chief Temujin, who was later identified as Genghis Khan. After the unification of the clansmen, he began a series of invasions and conquests which made him take ultimate control of Asia. The Mongols often depended mostly on the taxes for wealth. They also sponsored the lucrative business enterprise which later became their major source of income. With the influx of wealth and fortune, the Mongols encouraged scientific innovations, and they also improved agricultural methods and increased production. This kind of technological advancement came by as a result of interaction with other communities and interaction with other cultures.
Works Cited
Weatherford, J M. I. Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World. New York: Crown, 2004. Print.
Amanat, Abbas, and Farzin Vejdani. Iran Facing Others: Identity Boundaries in a Historical Perspective. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012. Print.
