-In terms of land mass under its control, Mongolia had one of the largest empires in history second only to the British empire. The Mongolian empire spawned to famous leaders in Ghengis (Chinggis) Khan and his grandson Kublai (Kubilai) Khan. Genghis is often regarded among the greatest military leaders and strategists of all time - although he's not usually mentioned alongside Alexander the Great, Caesar, Napoleon, George Washington etc.
A national hero in Mongolia, Genghis Khan was seen as a ruthless killer to the West. Indeed, he managed to get Eastern Europe under his banner. While some historians feel he left a path of destruction and little to show in the advancement of human history, others feel the contrary as his empire linked the east and west and forced a new sense of consciousness among peoples affected. From the History Cooperative, "Finally, the Mongol Empire remains in the popular consciousness. If not always properly understood, its image remains as terrifying as it did when Chinggis Khan first ascended the stairs to the pulpit of the mosque in Bukhara."
The Mongolian experience in Europe is an interesting one. From Macro History:
"In Hungary and Poland the Mongols were outnumbered but tactically superior. They defeated several Hungarian armies. In early April, 1241, at the Battle of Lenica (Liegnitz) in Poland, they defeated an army that is said to have included heavily armored Teutonic knights. Dying in the battle was the most powerful of Polish dukes, Henryk II (Henry II). In December the Mongols crossed the Danube River and approached Vienna. Then, mysteriously to Europeans, the Mongols retreated from central Europe. To the Europeans it seemed they had been saved by a miracle. A myth was to rise among the Poles that their brave warriors saved Europe from the Mongols. In reality, the Mongol withdrawal was in response to Ogedei's death, on December 11. High ranking Mongol army leaders believed they had to return to confirm the selecting of a new ruler."
For more on the influence of the Mongolian empire go here and here. The latter focuses on Russia.
As the first part of a trilogy, Mongol explores the childhood and rise of Temujin (Genghis) and his eventual establishment of the empire. The second film The Great Khan is expected to be out in 2010.
Fact or fantasy, I don't know but an anecdote pretends that while Marco Polo was at the Great Mongol's court it came to be Easter. He asked to be allowed to celebrate Easter and was granted permission. Than a Chinese asked to celebrate Confucius as well since Jesus could be. The Great Mongol after giving some thought reportedly gave his assent commenting:"In the state I am in I can not afford to cross any gods".
ReplyDeleteI did a mild search on this and found nothing. Hopefully, an expert on Mongolian history will see this post and comment!
ReplyDeleteBut seeing this is Marco Polo I assume you're referring to Kublai?
Of course.
ReplyDeleteI think I saw that movie and I liked it very much. Very slow paced. I like slow paced movies, although nobody likes them any more. The influence of these Mongolians was surely great. One can notice it on the faces of many people in Eastern Europe, and especially on Russian faces.
ReplyDeleteI expect the next part in the trilogy to have more action - after all, it's the juicy part where he begins to conquer.
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ReplyDeleteYour article is very well done, a good read.
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