Chapter 11: Pastoral Peoples on the Global Stage
Chapter 11: Pastoral Peoples on the Global Stage
The Mongol Moment
[1200-1500]
The pastoral societies weren't as developed as other agricultural societies. They has several important features that distinguished them from settled agricultural communities and civilizations, like generally these societies had less productive economies and their need for large grazing area meant they supported smaller populations. These people often lived in scattered encampments or seasonal settlements, rather than villages or towns or cities like the more developed communities/ civilizations.
The women of the pastoral societies were usually offered a higher status, fewer restrictions and even greater role in public life. Which is how this society differed from the more developed societies. Also, unlike other societies, remarriage of a widow did not carry the negative connotation that was seen among the Chinese. Women were even able to be the ones to initiate divorce. Mongol women would even frequently serve as a political adviser and were active in military affairs.
However, the pastoral societies were almost always deeply connected to, and often were dependent on their agricultural neighbors. This was because very few of these peoples were able to solely live off the products produced by their animals. This lead to them looking to find access to the food-stuffs, manufactured goods, and luxury items that were available from the urban workshops and farming communities of the nearby civilizations.
In the thirteenth- century the breakout from Magnolia was what gave rise to the Mongol Empire which became the largest land-based empire in all of human history as it stretched from the Pacific coast of Asia to Eastern Europe. Eventually leading to the joining of the Pastoral peoples of the inner eurasian steppes. Continously, with this it brought in the major civilizations of Eurasia (Europe, China, and the Islamic world) into more direct contact than that of the earlier time. The Mongols did not push a new language, religion, or civilization onto their people, which differed from that of the Arabs.
To be a Mongol warrior it required the skill of horseback riding, honed in herding animals, and adapting to military purposes, were central to Mongol conquest.
The Mongols conquest against China took roughly 70 years and began in northern Chine, of which has been had been ruled by various dynasties of pastoral origin. However, unlike northern China, southern China was far less violent and were instead more concerned with accommodating the local population. The Mongols were able to acquire China and with it, they decided to exterminate everyone in northern China so that it could be made into pastureland for Mongol herds. However this idea did not go over well and instead it was decided that the Mongols (being that they had no experience with the operation of a complex agrarian society) would make use of the Chinese administrative practices and techniques of taxation, and their postal system. This eventually lead to the rooting of the Mongols as now it is what is Beijing today.
A second grand civilization that was conquered by the Mongols was the Islamic Persia. This takeover was far more abrupt than before against China. The first invasion occurred from 1219 to 1221 by Chinggis Khan, and this was followed up (thirty years later) with a second invasion from 1251 to 1258 by his grandson Hulegu, who would become the first il-khan of Persia.
I found this chapter to be very interesting as it discusses how a small community was able to grow and expand into a large empire that was able to overthrow China and Islamic Persia.
The Mongol Moment
[1200-1500]
The pastoral societies weren't as developed as other agricultural societies. They has several important features that distinguished them from settled agricultural communities and civilizations, like generally these societies had less productive economies and their need for large grazing area meant they supported smaller populations. These people often lived in scattered encampments or seasonal settlements, rather than villages or towns or cities like the more developed communities/ civilizations.
The women of the pastoral societies were usually offered a higher status, fewer restrictions and even greater role in public life. Which is how this society differed from the more developed societies. Also, unlike other societies, remarriage of a widow did not carry the negative connotation that was seen among the Chinese. Women were even able to be the ones to initiate divorce. Mongol women would even frequently serve as a political adviser and were active in military affairs.
However, the pastoral societies were almost always deeply connected to, and often were dependent on their agricultural neighbors. This was because very few of these peoples were able to solely live off the products produced by their animals. This lead to them looking to find access to the food-stuffs, manufactured goods, and luxury items that were available from the urban workshops and farming communities of the nearby civilizations.
In the thirteenth- century the breakout from Magnolia was what gave rise to the Mongol Empire which became the largest land-based empire in all of human history as it stretched from the Pacific coast of Asia to Eastern Europe. Eventually leading to the joining of the Pastoral peoples of the inner eurasian steppes. Continously, with this it brought in the major civilizations of Eurasia (Europe, China, and the Islamic world) into more direct contact than that of the earlier time. The Mongols did not push a new language, religion, or civilization onto their people, which differed from that of the Arabs.
To be a Mongol warrior it required the skill of horseback riding, honed in herding animals, and adapting to military purposes, were central to Mongol conquest.
The Mongols conquest against China took roughly 70 years and began in northern Chine, of which has been had been ruled by various dynasties of pastoral origin. However, unlike northern China, southern China was far less violent and were instead more concerned with accommodating the local population. The Mongols were able to acquire China and with it, they decided to exterminate everyone in northern China so that it could be made into pastureland for Mongol herds. However this idea did not go over well and instead it was decided that the Mongols (being that they had no experience with the operation of a complex agrarian society) would make use of the Chinese administrative practices and techniques of taxation, and their postal system. This eventually lead to the rooting of the Mongols as now it is what is Beijing today.
A second grand civilization that was conquered by the Mongols was the Islamic Persia. This takeover was far more abrupt than before against China. The first invasion occurred from 1219 to 1221 by Chinggis Khan, and this was followed up (thirty years later) with a second invasion from 1251 to 1258 by his grandson Hulegu, who would become the first il-khan of Persia.
I found this chapter to be very interesting as it discusses how a small community was able to grow and expand into a large empire that was able to overthrow China and Islamic Persia.
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