The Mongol Empire was an expansive empire lasting from 1206 to 1368 AD. Founded by Genghis Khan, they were known for their battle tactics, unique weapons (such as the whistle arrow), and their avid use of horses in war. However, when classifying the Mongols, historians are generally unsure whether or not the Mongols can be labeled as “barbarians”. A barbarian is a cruel, uncivilized person, often lacking an adherence to morals and exhibiting evil or wrong tendencies. The Mongols were barbarians because of their hostility towards foreigners, their dishonorable behavior, and their unduly intense dedication to battle.
The Mongols were extremely cruel and inhumane towards foreigners. When they conquered a city, they would usually just kill everyone, even the innocent civilians. In fact, when they fought the Battle of Kozelsk, they left absolutely no survivors. When talking about the Mongols, John Pian del Carpini said, “Killing foreigners simply doesn’t bother them.” However, occasionally they would enslave civilians and members of the opposing enemy’s army, make them fight in their battles, and then turn them into serfs (peasants). Even in situations where they are not battling foreigners, they are mean and cunning around them. John Pian del Carpini also said, “They show their angry and totally condescending natures to foreigners, to whom they habitually lie.”
The Mongols, especially Mongol men, acted in an uncivilized manner. Mongol men practiced polygamy, meaning that they had multiple wives. Some Mongol men even married their father’s wives (who were not their mother) after their father’s death. In History of the Mongols, John Pian del Carpini said, “Every man has as many wives as he can keep, one a hundred, another fifty, another ten – one more, another less. It is general custom of them to marry any of their relations, with the exception of their mother, daughter, and sister of the same mother.” Additionally, drunkenness, in Mongol society, was righteous and respected. Mongols were also described to be sneaky and mischievous behind other’s backs.
The Mongols exemplified an excessively intense dedication to battle. Their entire lives revolved around war. Mongol warriors were constantly carrying a quiver to sharpen their arrows within their spare time. They were also expected to be fiercely loyal to their leaders, generals, and units. If men of a unit fled in battle, the entire unit was killed. Additionally, they enjoyed killing their enemies, and had no respect for their dead bodies. They went as far as to sever the heads of those whom they had already killed, and organize them by men, women, and children. A quote from Document F said, “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”.
The Mongols were barbarians because of their hostility towards foreigners, their dishonorable behavior, and their unduly intense dedication to battle. They did not mind, possibly even enjoyed killing foreigners, valued drunkenness and polygamy, and included war as a vital part of their lives. The Mongol Empire ended up killing approximately 40 million people during its reign. At the time, this was 10% of the world’s population. The Mongol Empire also, albeit inadvertently, aided in the spread of the bubonic plague. The Mongols also caused the destruction of thousands of “libraries, books, literature, and hospitals”, in addition to “the irrigation systems of Iran and Iraq”. This led to an immense loss of literature and historical documents that could have given us more insight as to what the civilizations of the time were like, but due to their destruction by the Mongols, these documents have been lost. “The [Mongol’s] destruction of the irrigation systems of Iran and Iraq turned back centuries of effort to improving agriculture and water supply in these regions.” These points all lead to one conclusion: inarguably, the Mongols were barbarians.