The Mongol Horde

[phoenix2020]

I'd been loosely aware of the nomadic people of the Eurasian steppes and their story in history, but I did not fully grasp the magnitude of their lasting impact on our world today until I finally reached the end of this amazing, meticulously constructed video by a person who has my hands-down favorite Youtuber/podcaster.

(Warning - it's 6 hours long, but every minute is lovingly crafted.)

The consequences of the Mongol horde's reign of terror (and establishment of by far the largest empire in human history) had some unbelievable knock-on effects in the centuries to come, including but not limited to:

• Western Europe's Rennaissance and later Colonialism, which likely wouldn't have happened if not for the sudden dramatic injection of technological innovation brought by the conscripted slaves from other conquered empires.
• The transformation of China from the world's undisputed technological, naval, economic, military and exploratory power into a closed-off people who spent the next two centuries building a really big wall, and the rise of Japan who repelled the horde thanks to a fortuitous typhoon!
• The widespread prevalence of Indo-European languages with common roots across all of Europe and Asia.
• Religious expansion in history's largest secular and religiously tolerant empire.
• Numerous massive empires reduced to nothing, redrawing political boundaries that would give rise to entirely new powers e.g. the Ming, Ottoman, Muscovite...) including directly triggering the rise of Russia.

Of all the stories in our shared human history, few carry the sheer magnitude of impact that the story of the invading Mongol horde and the empire they built.

The video's worth watching, perhaps across a few sittings.

 

[WillyPete]

Yep, that's the GOAT for alternative historical theories.

The way I heard it was that a twist of fate is the only reason they didn't roll right over Europe, and flatten every city.

Apparently were setting up for just that, and then their king died and they all had to go home to fight over who was taking over.

 

[iliveonramen]

I used to read a ton of history when I was young. I was fascinated by the Mongols and the Mongol Empire. Thanks for sharing the video.

 

[phoenix2020]

Yep, that's the GOAT for alternative historical theories.

The way I heard it was that a twist of fate is the only reason they didn't roll right over Europe, and flatten every city.

Apparently were setting up for just that, and then their king died and they all had to go home to fight over who was taking over.

Yes! That was one of the amazing things I learned. Only the western-most regions of Europe were spared because the Khan died and the general leading the horde in Europe decided that his portion of the empire was large enough. The same happened to the South, with the horde at the Nile and preparing to move into Egypt. At its largest, the empire spanned all of what is today China, Mongolia, Korea, Russia, Iran, Iraq, Armenia, Georgia, Afghanistan Pakistan, Ukraine, Belarus, Syria, Turkey, parts of Poland, Hungary, Romania... basically from Korea to Eastern Europe, from Siberia to the Persian Gulf. Amazing.

 

[soylentgreen]

The khan left more than just a written historical record.

the genetic line showed that about 8 percent of men in the region of the former Mongol empire, and therefore about one in 200 worldwide, share one single male ancestor – and based on a combination of logic, statistics, and common sense, that ancestor was almost certainly Genghis Khan.

 

[Slavister]

The khan left more than just a written historical record.

I wonder how he lived to 65 and not die from an STD (STI) earlier.

 

[Fledermaus]

I'd been loosely aware of the nomadic people of the Eurasian steppes and their story in history, but I did not fully grasp the magnitude of their lasting impact on our world today until I finally reached the end of this amazing, meticulously constructed video by a person who has my hands-down favorite Youtuber/podcaster.

(Warning - it's 6 hours long, but every minute is lovingly crafted.)

The consequences of the Mongol horde's reign of terror (and establishment of by far the largest empire in human history) had some unbelievable knock-on effects in the centuries to come, including but not limited to:

• Western Europe's Rennaissance and later Colonialism, which likely wouldn't have happened if not for the sudden dramatic injection of technological innovation brought by the conscripted slaves from other conquered empires.
• The transformation of China from the world's undisputed technological, naval, economic, military and exploratory power into a closed-off people who spent the next two centuries building a really big wall, and the rise of Japan who repelled the horde thanks to a fortuitous typhoon!
• The widespread prevalence of Indo-European languages with common roots across all of Europe and Asia.
• Religious expansion in history's largest secular and religiously tolerant empire.
• Numerous massive empires reduced to nothing, redrawing political boundaries that would give rise to entirely new powers e.g. the Ming, Ottoman, Muscovite...) including directly triggering the rise of Russia.

Of all the stories in our shared human history, few carry the sheer magnitude of impact that the story of the invading Mongol horde and the empire they built.

The video's worth watching, perhaps across a few sittings.

Remember too that the Western movement in the early period ended when the Khan died and the forces returned home to install a new Khan.

 

[GIJane]

I watched part of the intro. Went to YT and subscribed so I can find and watch at my leisure. Thank you.

 

[phoenix2020]

I watched part of the intro. Went to YT and subscribed so I can find and watch at my leisure. Thank you.

I've watched most of his videos and they are uniformly outstanding. As far as educational content on YouTube is concerned, his series sets the high-watermark for excellence IMO.

 

[ataraxia]

Yes, the Mongol invasions are very much an underrated part of world history, especially here in the west. Thanks for the link! I'll look into it. Always been fascinated by it and wanted to learn more about it.

 

[Lord Tammerlain]

The Mongols would have had a tough time in Western Europe. Which was heavily forested at the time. Limiting the impact of high mobility and foraging for their horses.

The Mongols devastated west Asia opening the region up for European invasions after.

Mongolian descendants went on to found the Timurid empire and the Muhgul empire. Another two large empire

 

[Cordelier]

I wonder how he lived to 65 and not die from an STD (STI) earlier.

Hell, he was probably the index case for a lot of STD's. Maybe he had a super spreader's natural immunity?

 

[HK.227]

The widespread prevalence of Indo-European languages with common roots across all of Europe and Asia.

Little known fact: The Romans and Greeks actually spoke Swahili before the Mongols introduced them to Greek and Latin.
Indo-Euopean language and culture did come from the steppes, but not from the Mongols.

Also, steppe warriors do well on open ground. In close terrain, not so well. Don't know if there is anything in that seven hours about the Mongols repeatedly getting their behinds kicked in the jungles of India and SE Asia. Subotai knew how to do it, but he was just one man.

But aside from that and the genocidal stuff, the Mongols were awesome.

 

[PeteEU]

The Mongols would have had a tough time in Western Europe. Which was heavily forested at the time. Limiting the impact of high mobility and foraging for their horses.

Sorry but no.. the Rus area (Modern day Ukraine, Belarus and Russia) were just as forested and they absolutely raped the area.

The Mongols devastated west Asia opening the region up for European invasions after.

Mongolian descendants went on to found the Timurid empire and the Muhgul empire. Another two large empire

Another empire many don't talk about.. Mughuls..guessing because they were Muslim.

Same reason that the death of the Khan is seen as the reason for stopping their expansion, and not the battle of Ain Jalut, where a Muslim Mamluk army beat the Mongols for the first time and stopped their expansion. After all Muslims could not so that right?

 

[phoenix2020]

Little known fact: The Romans and Greeks actually spoke Swahili before the Mongols introduced them to Greek and Latin.
Indo-Euopean language and culture did come from the steppes, but not from the Mongols.

Also, steppe warriors do well on open ground. In close terrain, not so well. Don't know if there is anything in that seven hours about the Mongols repeatedly getting their behinds kicked in the jungles of India and SE Asia. Subotai knew how to do it, but he was just one man.

But aside from that and the genocidal stuff, the Mongols were awesome.

Yes the video does cover their limitations, not just their failure to make inroads into what is now India, but also their disinterest in pushing too far north in Eastern Europe as well as their ultimate failure to take Japan.

 

[reinaert]

Also, they (as the Golden Horde) just ran Russia better than any given Russian.

 

[HK.227]

Yes the video does cover their limitations, not just their failure to make inroads into what is now India, but also their disinterest in pushing too far north in Eastern Europe as well as their ultimate failure to take Japan.

Check out the Vietnam invasions if you haven't already. Some pretty cool stuff in there.