Nomadic Empires
Elaborate the research followed by David Ayalon regarding the code of law of Genghis Khan.
We may be able to understand the changes in the meaning of the term if we take a look at some of the other developments that occurred at the same time. By the middle of the thirteenth century the Mongols had emerged as a unified people and just created the largest empire the world had ever seen.
They ruled over very sophisticated urban societies, with their respective histories, cultures and laws. Although the Mongols dominated the region politically, they were a numerical minority.
The one way in which they could protect their identity and distinctiveness was through a claim to a sacred law given to them by their ancestor. The yasa was in all probability a compilation of the customary traditions of the Mongol tribes but in referring to it as Genghis Khan’s code of law, the Mongol people also laid claim to a 'lawgiver' like Moses and Solomon, whose authoritative code could be imposed on their subjects.
The yasa served to cohere the Mongol people around a body of shared beliefs, it acknowledged their affinity to Genghis Khan and his descendants and, even as they absorbed different aspects of a sedentary lifestyle, gave them the confidence to retain their ethnic identity and impose their 'law' upon their
defeated subjects.
It was an extremely empowering ideology and although Genghis Khan may not have planned such a legal code, it was certainly inspired by his vision and was vital in the construction of a Mongol universal dominion.
Tips: -
(Imp)Sponsor Area
Who had done the most valuable research on the Mongols? Describe.
Describe the Capture of Bukhara as accounted by Juwaini.
State the estimated extent of Mongol Destruction.
Who was Juwaini?
Why was trade so significant to the Mongols ?
Why did Genghis Khan feel the need to fragment the Mongol tribes into new social and military groupings ?
What do you know about the "Great wall of China".
Sponsor Area
Sponsor Area