Essays

Mongolian Empire Reflected in "The Secret History of the Mongols"

The Secret History of the Mongols allows historians to peek into the cultural concepts and influences of the Mongolian Empire. The Secret History is the oldest surviving piece of Mongolian literature, and is one of the most significant texts that documents the rise of Genghis Khan. The Secret History serves to show two perspectives during the reign of the Mongolian Empire, that of the Mongols and that of their conquests. The Mongols viewed their cause as just and their empire as glorious and the epitome of all things great. In the ninth section of The Secret History, it reads, "The Tatars claim to be the true masters of the earth. God had created the earth merely for their sake so that they should exercise their rule and enjoy it...they maintain that even the birds of the air and the wild animals in the desert eat and drink only by the grace of their emperor." (pg. 26) Other societies were less ready to exalt the Mongolian Empire, and often characterized the invasions as atrocious and the end of civilization. Ibn al-Athir states at the beginning of his report, "I find it terrifying and felt revulsion at accounting it..." (pg. 29)

Honor is central to Mongolian society. The primary ways to gain honor as a Mongol is to obtain multiple beautiful wives and to fulfil your duties to the upmost of your abilities. Wives were a treasure, a trophy, and something to be traded to gain honor. Khorchi, one of Khan's loyal followers, is awarded with wives for his ardent services. Khorchi had been with Khan since Khan's youth, and had faithfully remained by his side, enduring harsh conditions and battles. Khan awards Khorchi by letting him choose thirty of the most beautiful women available, "You, Khorchi, said at the time: 'If the prophesy comes true and heaven grants what you desire, make me the owner of thirty women!' Since it has now come true, I grant them to you: Look at the most beautiful women and the most beautiful girls from the conquered peoples and choose thirty women for yourself!" (pg. 24) Khan is awarding Khorchi for his faithfulness and willingness to exceed at his duties. This is also another example of women being a trophy and even a currency.

Genghis Khan also honors his loyal night guards, who protected him while he slept. Like all leaders of high-importance, Khan was concerned for his safety, but with his night guards by his side, he was able to sleep peacefully. He applauds them in their diligence, grateful for their being "lucky...faithful...reliable...speedy...elite." (pgs. 28-29) He describes them as hardworking, and praises them repeatedly. This is a clear indication that in Mongolian society, working hard at your profession was something to be admired, and worth being rewarded for.

Mongols also had the opportunity to lose honor, by shying from their duties and refusing to work hard and fruitfully. Being appointed to a position and then declining it, or later on being unfit for service, was a shameful and punishable act. A position in the military was a position of respect, and declining an offer was a personal insult to the emperor and leaders of the Empire. In section ten of The Secret History, it reads, "If the men who are to be commissioned as our bodyguard should avoid and decline the service, or should not be able to undertake the service any longer, we shall commission others and punish that man and banish him behind Our Eyes to a distant country." The Empire only wanted the best available men to be in service. For a man to be commissioned when you lack the necessary character was a grave infraction. Dodging service would be cowardly in the eyes of the Mongols, and cowards do not make good soldiers.

Although the Mongols viewed themselves as gods on the earth, outsiders strongly opposed this mindset. The Islamic world had the impression that the Mongols were nothing more than hostile barbarians. Ibn al-Athir describes the Mongols as "the ruin of Islam and the Muslims..." (pg. 29) He sees the Mongols raids and invasions as the worst massacre in all of history, comparing it to the destruction of Jerusalem. "What is Jerusalem compared with the areas devastated by those monsters, where every city is twice the size of Jerusalem? What are the Israelites in comparison with those massacred..." (pg. 30) Ibn al-Athir states that the Mongols are the worst thing since creation and that never would another slaughter be worse or more devasting than the slaughters committed by the Mongols. Not only does Ibn al-Athir bemoan the attacks on the people, he also concludes that the invasions are blatant attacks on religion and culture, "their religion consists in the adoration of the rising sun...they regard no [food] as forbidden...they do not know marriage]...if a child is born, it does not know his father." (pg. 31) In Islam, a Muslim does not worship God's creation but God himself. There are certain foods that are forbidden. Marriage and the family unit are key aspects of a prosperous society. To have an invading force completely disregard some of your closest moral values would be a shocking event.

Ibn al-Athir also mentions how countries who had not yet been invaded lived in a constant state of fear, "...everyone spends the night afraid that they may appear there, too..." (pg. 31) Outsiders to the Mongolian Empire had reason to fear the Mongols, with the accounts of massive, merciless killings and degradation of religious values and cultural norms.

Historians can reconcile with these opposing views by taking both accounts into serious consideration, and resorting to finding middle ground. At any point in history where two cultures clashed, and afterwards wrote their own historical accounts of what occurred, there will be major differences in the accounts. Winston Churchill stated, "History will be kind to be for I intend to write it." Civilizations often choose to pen their history in favor of their own society. A historian must take out all pathos in historical data, and only focus on ethos and logos. It would be beneficial to understand that both sides include correct information, but opinion included in the text that is not supported with provable facts must be disregarded. Most likely, the Mongol Empire did spread rapidly and conquer large parts of Asia, and the Islamic world did oppose the invasions. Whether or not the Mongols were righteous in their domination or cruel and heartless is not up for the historian to decide. A historian must remain impartial and objective to the data, and not cast judgement on if the Mongols were truly the stereotypical barbarians.