Genghis Khan’s problems
I have told you a lot about how Temujin’s Mongols defeated all their enemies from Southern China to the Northern Black Sea coast. By the way, in the future, after the death of the Great Khan, they will not stop there and will expand the theater of military operations to Vietnam and Cambodia on the one hand, and to Silesia and Croatia on the other. Read the article to the end, and you will learn about the main problem facing Genghis Khan.
Genghis Khan
In this article, I will discuss WHY they consistently defeated so many different opponents. And I will begin my story with this very famous quote from the Old Russian “Tale of the Battle of Kalka”:
And the news came to the Russian camps that the Tatars came to inspect the Russian rooks. Having heard it, Daniel Romanovich and those who were with him sat on horseback, and other many princes chased to see the Tatar army. There was with them and Yuri Domamerich, the voivode.
Yuri said that Tatars are good shooters, others said that they are simple people, worse than Polovtsians. Yuri Domamerich said: “They are good soldiers.” Mstislav and another Mstislav said: “There is nothing for us to stand here. Let’s go on them.
A little explanation. Russian princes, of course, have long heard about the terrible Mongols. A new threat, which appeared unknown from where and every year became closer and closer, until it became immediate. Defeated Polovtsians call Russian princes for the help, the coalition gathers and they go to steppe.
Here those very Mongols appear. Princes and military leaders are interested, hmm, vitally interested to know what kind of people they are as warriors. They personally go out to scout and …. nothing. Or rather nothing unusual or surprising.
The Mongol as warrior
The most ordinary nomads, good shooters, but “worse than the Polovtsians”, with whom Russia has not once fought and reconciled and which right now are in allies.
And this is the opinion of not “sofa experts”, but excellent military professionals. Well acquainted and with the Russian military school (European, but with peculiarities), and with European knights, and with nomads. Moreover, all of them have seen and know both as enemies and as allies. Their opinion can and should be trusted.
Yes, Genghis Khan’s army consisted of the most ordinary steppe warriors, not “demons from the underworld”. Nothing else could be. For the Middle Ages, the creation of a new army, according to certain criteria, “from scratch” is an impossible task purely economically.
And if the ruler has a lot of excellent light cavalry, he builds an army on its basis. Making of light cavalrymen heavy line infantry, not that it is impossible, but extremely expensive and troublesome.
It is necessary to gather a significant number of people in one place, to take them out of the economy for many years, to train them for years, not only them, but also their commanders, who are used to other troops under their command, and in general to another war. Pay them all a salary, etc.
The first person who managed to “pull off” such a thing was Moritz of Orange at the turn of the 16th-17th centuries. However, he relied on the economic power of the Netherlands — a country in which capitalism was already developing, manufactory production was flourishing and control of world sea trade was a fat plus.
So the average warrior of Genghis Khan is the most usual steppe man. Practically the same from China to Hungary — a saddle with a high seat, a small but hardy horse, a bow as the main weapon. There is also heavy shock cavalry.
It spread in the steppe in the time of the Sarmatians almost 2 thousand years before the Mongols. Other peoples of the Great Steppe had them. Of course, there was also at Kidans with Jurchens on the basis of experience of which created the army of Genghis Khan.
This is how a Mongolian warrior looked like
The presence of the Mongols heavy shock cavalry is often disputed, but the whole picture skeptics spoil one episode, namely the first clash between Genghis Khan and Khorezm Shah.
Everything began with the Merkits, the very ones who stole Genghis Khan’s wife (Borte) in his youth. Having received “on nuts” from strong and vindictive Genghis once, second and third time they decided to get away “from problems far away” and asked to become subjects of Khorezm. Then it is rather confusing, after all almost 800 years have passed.
On the one hand, Genghis Khan sent them an army under the command of his eldest son. Djuchi especially “loved” Merkits, as thanks to them all his life walked with suspicion of illegitimacy. On the other hand, the army was gathered and led towards Khorezm-Shah Mohammed. The son of Genghis Khan managed to be the first and cut out the fugitives. What was further again is not clear, but Mohammed and Juchi “clashed”.
On one of the flanks young Jalal ad Din was able to take the Mongols in pincers, but those in response powerful frontal blow overturned the center of the Khorezmians. It is clear that only heavy cavalry can “overturn the center of the enemy formation with a powerful frontal attack”.
Here, in fact, two types of troops: light archery infantry and nobility as an armored fist and was at the Mongols. As, however, and all other nomads. How did the Mongols differ? Only organization. That’s all.
The problems of nomadic warriors
Genghis Khan, one of the few who could radically solve the issue of uniting different communities. In the Middle Ages, this was a very serious problem. People could rally around a successful and charismatic leader like Atilla, but
a) they never forgot that they belonged to different tribes and clans.
b) the unification lasted strictly as long as the leader was alive and/or lucky.
The same Atilla would fit as an example.
Atilla
In the modern world, this is solved by the emergence of political nations. Exactly political ones — the French, the British, the Americans. But they are the spawn of capitalism, and what kind of capitalism in the 13th century?
There conditional Chernigovtsy and conditional Suzdalets spoke the same language, had the same religion, believed in the same omens, but it did not prevent them from fighting with each other, because culturally they are both Russian, but politically it was Chernigovtsy and Suzdalets — with different centers, rulers and interests.
In the steppe these problems were multiplied many times over. In agricultural communities in general, and in Russia in particular, stealing horses and wives was considered mauvais. In the steppe, the same actions are a sign of a “real man”.
Let’s remember the stories from my other articles about Genghis Khan. Esugei (Genghis Khan’s father) stole a wife from the leader of the Merkits, the Merkits in retaliation stole a wife from his son — the future Genghis Khan.
This is not bad, in my opinion, illustrates the interpersonal relations of the inhabitants of the steppe. And Genghis Khan’s rupture with his most loyal ally and twin — Jamukha was caused by the fact that his brother went to steal horses from Temuchzhin and died in the process. As a result, both Temuchzhin and Jamukha were offended.