Thursday, November 6, 2014
DBQ: Mongols
Prompt: How did the Mongols accomplish
the conquest of such a large territory within such a short period of time?
Doc1:
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The Secret History of the
Mongols, 13th Century,
compiled from Mongol Oral Traditions
After this in the Year of
the Sheep Chingis Khan set out to fight the people of Cathay (the Chin Empire
in north China). First he took
the city of Fu-chou then marching through the Wild Fox Pass he took Hsuan-te-fu. From here he sent out an army under
Jebe’s command to take the fortress at Chu-yung Kuan. When Jebe arrived he saw the Chu-yung
Kuan was well defended, so he said:
“I’ll
trick them and make them come out in the open. I’ll pretend to retreat and when they come out I’ll attack
them.”
So
Jebe retreated and the Cathayan army cried: “Let’s go after them!”
They
poured out of their fortifications until the valleys and mountainsides were
full of their soldiers. Jebe retreated to Sondi-i-wu Ridge and there he
turned his army around to attack as the enemy rushed towards him in
waves. The Cathayan army was
beaten and close behind Jebe’s forces Chingis Khan commanding the great
Middle Army attacked as well, forcing the Cathayan army to retreat, killing
the finest and most courageous soldiers of Cathay, the Jurchin and Khara
Khitan fighters, slaughtering them along the side of Chu-yung Kuan so that
their bodies lay piled up like rotten logs.
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Doc 2:
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The Chronicles of
Novgorod, 1016-1417, written by
anonymous monks in Novgorod near Russia.
[In
1238] foreigners called Tartars came in countless numbers, like locusts, into
the land of the Ryazan, and on first coming they halted at the river Nukhla,
and took it, and halted in camp there.
And thence they sent their emissaries to the Knyazes of Ryasan, a sorceress
and two men with her, demanding from them one-tenth of everything: of men and Knyazes and horses –
of everything one tenth…. And the Knyazes said to them: “Only when non of us remain then all
will be yours.”…. And the Knyazes of Ryazan sent to Yuri of Volodimir asking
for help, or himself to come.
But Yuri neither went himself nor listed to the request of the
Knayazes of Ryasan, but himself wished to make war separately. But it was too late to oppose the
wrath of God…. And then the pagan foreigners surrounded Ryazan and fences it
in with a stockade. And the
Tartars took the town on December 21, and they had advanced against it on the
16th of the same month.
They likewise killed the Knyaz and the Knyaginya, and men, women, and
children, monks, nuns and priests, some by fire, some by sword, and violated
nuns, priests’ wives, good women and girls in the presence of their mothers
and sisters…. And who, brethren, would not lament over this, among those of
us alive when they suffered this bitter and violent death? And we, indeed, having seen it, were
terrified and wept with sighing day and night over our sins…
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Doc 3:
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Travels, Marco Polo, Written in 1298 based on his travels
from 1274 to 1290.
Their
arms are bows, iron maces, and in some instances, spears; but the first is
the weapon at which they are the most expert, being accustomed, from
children, to employ it in their sports.
They wear defensive armour made from buffalo and hides of other beasts,
dried by the fire, and thus rendered extremely hard and strong. They are brave in battle, almost to
desperation, setting little value upon their lives, and exposing themselves
without hesitation ot all manner of danger. Their disposition is cruel.
They
are capable of supporting every kind of privation, and when there is a
necessity for it, can live for a month on the milk of their mares, and upon
such wild animals as they may chance to catch. Their horses are fed upon grass alone, and do not require
barley or other grain. The men
are trained to remain on horseback during two days and two nights, without
dismounting…. No people on earth
can surpass them in fortitude under difficulties, nor show greater patience
under wants of every kind. They
are most obedient to their chiefs, and are maintained at small expense.
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Doc 4:
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Persian History of
Chinggis Khan, Juvaini, prior to his
appoint as governer of Baghdad in 1259 by the Mongols.
The
reviewing and mustering of the army has been so arranged that they have
abolished the registry of inspection an dismissed the officials and
clerks. For they have divided
all the people into companies of ten, appointing one of the ten to be the
commander of the nine others; while from among each ten commanders one has
been given the title of ‘commander of the hundred’, all the hundred having
been placed under his command.
And so it is with each thousand men and so also with each ten
thousand, over whom they have appointed a commander whom they call ‘commander
of the tümen’. In accordance
with this arrangement, if in an emergency any man or thing be required, they
apply to the commanders of the tümin; who in turn apply to the commanders of
the thousands, and os on down to the commanders of tens. There is a true equality in this;
each man toils as much as the next, and no difference is made between them,
no attention being paid to wealth or power. If there is a sudden call for soldiers an order is issued
that so many thousand men must present themselves in such and such a place at
such and such an hour of that day or day. And they arrive not a twinkling of an eye before or after
the the appointed hour.
Their
obedience and submissiveness is such that if there be a commander of a
hundred thousand between whom and the Khan there is a distance of sunrise and
sunset, and if he but commit some fault, the Khan dispatches a single
horseman to punish him after the manner prescribed: if his head has been demanded, he cuts it off, and if
gold, he takes it from him.
Throughout
the length and breath of the land they established yams [rest stops], and
made arrangements for the upkeep and expenses for each yam, assigning thereto
a fixed number of men and beasts as well as food, drink, and other
necessities. All this they shared
out amongst the tümen, each two tümen having to supply one yam.
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Doc 5:
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A Report on Gender
Relations, William of Rubruck, a
Franciscan friar who visited the Mongols in 1250’s on behalf of the King of
France.
One
woman will drive twenty or thirty wagons, since the terrain is level…. It is
the women’s task to drive the wagons, to load the dwellings on them and to
unload again, to milk the cows, to make butter and grut [curds or cheese],
and to dress the skins and stitch them together, which they do with a thread
made from sinew.
The
men make bows and arrows, manufacture stirrups and bits, fashion saddles,
construct the dwellings and the wagons, tend the horses and mares, churn the
comas [that is, the mare’s milk], produce the skins in which it is stored,
and tend and load the camels.
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Doc 6:
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History of the Mongols, Rashid al-Din, Mongol high official, written after
1241.
During
the seven years (between 1235 and 1241) Ogedei (the son of Chinggis Khan)
enjoyed life and amused himself.
He moved from summer to winter camp and visa versa, serene and happy,
and took permanent delight in beautiful women and moonfaced enchantresses.
At
every opportunity, he allowed his sublime thoughts to overflow lavishly into
the most just and charitable of good deeds, into the eradication of injustice
and enmity, into the development of cities and districts, as well as into the
construction of various buildings.
He never neglected any measure designed to strengthen the framework of
peace, and to lay the foundation of prosperity.
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Doc 7:
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Anynomous eyewitness
account, translated by Urgunge Onon, 1993.
That
summer Chinggis Khan pitched his camp on the Snowy mountain. He sent soldiers out against those of
the Tangqut people who had rebelled against him…. The whole tribe was
completely wiped out. Then he
showed favour to Bo’orchy and Mugali, saying: “Take what you want, until you can carry no more…. Make their fine sons follow behind
you, holding your falcons. Bring
up their daughters to arrange your wives’ skirts.”
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Doc 8:
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Letter from Pope Innocent IV
to the Great Khan, 1245.
It
is not without cause that we are driven to express in strong terms our
amazement that you, according to what we have heard, have invaded many
countries belonging both to Christians and to others and are laying waste in
a horrible desolation, and with a fury still unabated you do not cease from
breaking the bonds of natural ties, sparing neither sex nor age, you rage
against all indiscriminately with the sword of chastisement.
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Doc 9:
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Letter from Great Khan to
Pope Innocent IV.
Those
of whom you speak showed themselves highly presumptuous and slew our
envoys. Therefore, in accordance
with the commands of the Eternal Heaven the inhabitants of the aforesaid
countries have been slain and annihilated. If not by the command of Heaven, how can anyone slay or
conquer out of his own strength?
Thanks
to the power of the Eternal Heaven, all lands have been given to us from
sunrise to sunset. How could
anyone act other than in accordance with the commands of Heaven? Now your own upright heart must tell
you: “We will become subject to
you, and will place our powers at your disposal.” You in person, at the head of the monarchs, all of you,
without exception, must come to tender us service and pay us homage, then only
will we recognize your submission.
But if you do not obey the commands of Heaven, and run counter to our
orders, we shall know that you are our foe.
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How did the Mongols accomplish
the conquest of such a large territory within such a short period of time?
Core Points are:
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– Acceptable thesis
1
– Uses all or all but one document
1
– Supports thesis with evidence from documents
1
– Understands basic meaning of documents.
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– Analyzes bias or point of view in at least two or three documents
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– Analyzes documents by grouping them in one, two or three ways
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– Identifies one type of appropriate additional document.
