Question

What is the cultural legacy of the mongol empire? What are some of the great achievements of the Mongol Empire that mark its cultural legacy?

 

Answer 1

The Mongol Empire was an important and massive controlling force over Asia during the 13th and 14th centuries. The Mongols were born out of a union between the Mongolian and Turkish tribes of Central Asia (modern day Mongolia). They soon, however, grew to span from the Korean peninsula to Eastern Europe and from Siberia to Southeast Asia. Their first leader is the famous Genghis Khan. The Empire lasted from 1206 (under Genghis Khan) to 1368.



Here are a list of some of the great achievements of the Mongol Empire that mark its cultural legacy:
- The Mongol Empire was an incredible political force. It was able to bring almost the entire continent of Asia under the power of just one leader: the Great Khan, the Mongol Emperor. The military domination of the Mongols was efficient and fast – a small band of warriors was able to successfully dominate an entire continent in less than eighty years.
- The Mongolian government was able to successfully “connect” the disparate regions of Asia under Mongolian rule. This is an unprecedented feat considering the magnitude of the continent and its geographic and cultural span.
- The Mongol Empire was responsible for a great economic boom that led to the international exchange of materials, ideas, and technologies.
- The re-establishment of the “Silk Road” which united Asia to Europe, making the afore-mentioned widespread intellectual and material exchange possible. Gunpowder counts among the many technological advanced introduced by the Mongol Empire to the rest of the world.
- Due to the above, it said that the Mongols – through their intellectual and technological contributions – helped bring Europe out of the “Dark Ages”.
- The Mongol Empire was also responsible for great destruction and the elimination or weakening of other empires and civilizations. It weakened the power of the Islamic world, for example, and led to the fall of the Abbasid Caliph. It also left Poland and Hungary in weakened positions, leaving them without governments after successful invasions.

Conclusions…
The Mongol Empire left a clear legacy of military destruction and political dominance. However, it also left a legacy of great economic expansion and technological advancement. It consolidated the communication and trade between different regions that had, until that point, been closed off from one another, if not engaged in conflict. The political success of the Mongol Empire is undeniable. At its height, it controlled a population of over 100 million and covered about 22% of Earth’s total land area, covering about 33 million square kilometers. That is pretty incredible.

The Mongol Empire left a clear legacy of military destruction and political dominance. However, it also left a legacy of great economic expansion and technological advancement.