In 1206, a new state was formed on the territory of Central Asia from the united Mongol tribes. The assembled leaders of the groups proclaimed their most militant representative, Temujin (Genghis Khan), as the khan, thanks to whom the Mongol state declared itself to the whole world. Acting with a relatively small army, it carried out its expansion in several directions at once. The strongest blows of bloody terror fell on the lands of China and Central Asia. The conquests of the Mongols of these territories, according to written sources, had a total character of destruction, although such data were not confirmed by archeology.
Mongol Empire
Six months after ascending the kurultai (congress of the nobility), the Mongol ruler Genghis Khan began to plan a large-scale military campaign, the ultimate goal of which was to conquer China. Preparing for his first campaigns, he carries out a number of military reforms, strengthening and strengthening the country from the inside. The Mongol Khan understood that in order to wage successful wars, strong rear lines, a solid organization and a protected central government were needed. He establishes a new state structure and proclaims a single codelaws, abolishing the old tribal customs. The entire system of government has become a powerful tool to keep the exploited masses in obedience and contribute to the conquest of other peoples.
The young Mongolian state with an effective management hierarchy and a highly organized army was significantly different from the steppe state formations of its time. The Mongols believed in their chosenness, the purpose of which was the unification of the whole world under the rule of their ruler. Therefore, the main feature of the aggressive policy was the extermination of recalcitrant peoples in the occupied territories.
First campaigns: Tangut state
The Mongol conquest of China took place in several stages. The Tangut state of Xi Xia became the first serious target of the Mongol army, since Genghis Khan believed that without his subjugation, further attacks on China would be meaningless. The invasions of the Tangut lands in 1207 and 1209 were elaborate operations where the khan himself was present on the battlefields. They did not bring due success, the confrontations ended with the conclusion of a peace agreement obliging the Tanguts to pay tribute to the Mongols. But in 1227, under the next onslaught of the troops of Genghis Khan, the state of Xi Xia fell.
In 1207, the Mongol troops under the leadership of Jochi (son of Genghis Khan) were also sent north to conquer the tribes of the Buryats, Tubas, Oirats, Barkhuns, Ursuts and others. In 1208, the Uighurs in East Turkestan joined them, and the Yenisei Kyrgyz and Karliks submitted years later.
Conquest of the Jin Empire (Northern China)
In September 1211, the 100,000-strong army of Genghis Khan began the conquest of Northern China. The Mongols, using the weaknesses of the enemy, managed to capture several large cities. And after crossing the Great Wall, they inflicted a crushing defeat on the regular troops of the Jin Empire. The path to the capital was open, but the Mongol khan, having sensibly assessed the capabilities of his army, did not immediately attack it. For several years, the nomads beat the enemy in parts, engaging in battle only in open spaces. By 1215, a significant part of the Jin lands was under the rule of the Mongols, and the capital of Zhongda was sacked and burned. Emperor Jin, trying to save the state from ruin, agreed to a humiliating treaty, which briefly delayed his death. In 1234, the Mongol troops, together with the Song Chinese, finally defeated the empire.
The initial expansion of the Mongols was carried out with particular cruelty and, as a result, Northern China was left practically in ruins.
Conquest of Central Asia
After the first conquests of China, the Mongols, using intelligence, began to carefully prepare their next military campaign. In the autumn of 1219, a 200,000-strong army moved to Central Asia, having successfully captured East Turkestan and Semirechye a year earlier. The pretext for the start of hostilities was a provoked attack on a Mongolian caravan in the border town of Otrar. The invading army acted clearlyconstructed plan. One column went to the siege of Otrar, the second - through the desert of Kyzyl-Kum moved to Khorezm, a small detachment of the best warriors was sent to Khujand, and Genghis Khan himself with the main troops headed for Bukhara.
The state of Khorezm, the largest in Central Asia, possessed military forces in no way inferior to the Mongols, but its ruler failed to organize a united resistance to the invaders and fled to Iran. As a result, the scattered army became more defensive, and each city was forced to fight for itself. Often there was a betrayal of the feudal elite, colluding with enemies and acting in their own narrow interests. But the common people fought to the last. The selfless battles of some Asian settlements and cities, such as Khojent, Khorezm, Merv went down in history and became famous for their participating heroes.
The conquest of the Mongols of Central Asia, like China, was swift, and was completed by the spring of 1221. The outcome of the struggle led to dramatic changes in the economic and state-political development of the region.
Consequences of the invasion of Central Asia
The Mongol invasion was a huge disaster for the peoples living in Central Asia. Within three years, the aggressor troops destroyed and razed to the ground a large number of villages and large cities, among which were Samarkand and Urgench. The once rich areas of Semirechye were turned into places of desolation. The entire irrigation system was completely destroyed,formed for more than one century, trampled and abandoned oases. The cultural and scientific life of Central Asia suffered irreparable losses.
On the conquered lands, the invaders introduced a strict regime of exactions. The population of the resisting cities was completely slaughtered or sold into slavery. Only artisans who were sent into captivity could escape from the inevitable reprisal. The conquest of the Central Asian states was the bloodiest page in the history of the Mongol conquests.
Capture of Iran
Following China and Central Asia, the conquests of the Mongols in Iran and Transcaucasia were one of the next steps. In 1221, cavalry detachments under the command of Jebe and Subedei, rounding the Caspian Sea from the south, swept through the northern Iranian regions like a tornado. In pursuit of the fleeing ruler of Khorezm, they subjected the province of Khorasan to severe blows, leaving behind many burnt settlements. The city of Nishapur was taken by storm, and its population, driven into the field, was completely exterminated. The inhabitants of Gilan, Qazvin, Hamadan fought desperately with the Mongols.
In the 30-40s of the XIII century, the Mongols continued to conquer Iranian lands in attacks, only the north-western regions, ruled by the Ismailis, remained independent. But in 1256 their state fell, in February 1258 Baghdad was taken.
Travel to Dali
By the middle of the XIII century, in parallel with the battles in the Middle East, the conquest of China did not stop. The Mongols planned to make the state of Dali a platform for further attacks on the Song Empire (southern China). They were preparing a tripwith particular care given the difficult mountainous terrain.
The attack on Dali began in the autumn of 1253 under the leadership of Khubilai, the grandson of Genghis Khan. Having previously sent ambassadors, he offered the ruler of the state to surrender without a fight and submit to him. But by order of the chief minister Gao Taixiang, who actually ran the affairs of the country, the Mongolian ambassadors were executed. The main battle took place on the Jinshajiang River, where Dali's army was defeated and significantly lost in its composition. The nomads entered the capital without much resistance.
South China: Song Empire
The Mongol wars of conquest in China were stretched out for seven decades. It was the Southern Song that managed to hold out the longest against the Mongol invasion by entering into various agreements with the nomads. Military clashes between the former allies began to intensify in 1235. The Mongolian army, having met fierce resistance from the southern Chinese cities, could not achieve much success. After that, there was a relative calm for some time.
In 1267, numerous Mongol troops again marched to the south of China under the leadership of Khubilai, who made the conquest of the Song a matter of principle. He did not succeed in a lightning-fast capture: for five years the heroic defense of the cities of Sanyang and Fancheng held out. The final battle took place only in 1275 at Dingjiazhou, where the army of the Song Empire lost and was practically defeated. A year later, the capital of Lin'an was captured. The last resistance in the Yaishan area was crushed in1279, which was the final date for the conquest of China by the Mongols. The Song dynasty fell.
Reasons for the success of the Mongol conquests
Win-win campaigns of the Mongolian army for a long time tried to explain its numerical superiority. However, this statement, due to documentary evidence, is highly controversial. First of all, explaining the success of the Mongols, historians take into account the personality of Genghis Khan, the first ruler of the Mongol Empire. It was the qualities of his character, coupled with talents and abilities, that made the world an unsurpassed commander.
Another reason for the Mongol victories is the carefully crafted military campaigns. Thorough reconnaissance was carried out, intrigues were woven in the camp of the enemy, weaknesses were sought out. The tactics of capture were honed to perfection. An important role was played by the combat professionalism of the troops themselves, their clear organization and discipline. But the main reason for the success of the Mongols in conquering China and Central Asia was an external factor: the fragmentation of states, weakened by internal political turmoil.
Interesting facts
- In the XII century, according to the Chinese chronicle tradition, the Mongols were called "Tatars", the concept was identical to the European "barbarians". You should know that modern Tatars have nothing to do with this people.
- The exact year of birth of the Mongol ruler Genghis Khan is unknown, the chronicles mention different dates.
- The conquests of the Mongols of China and Central Asia did not stop the development of trade relations between peoples,merged into the empire.
- In 1219, the Central Asian city of Otrar (southern Kazakhstan) held back the Mongol siege for six months, after which it was taken as a result of betrayal.
- The Mongol Empire, as a single state, lasted until 1260, then it broke up into independent uluses.
