Mongol
Kublai Khan’s Naval Power
Reconstructions of a 13th century Chinese ocean-going ships of the kind described by Marco Polo, remains of which have been found at Quanzou. Such vessels had thirteen watertight compartments, a crew of over one hundred and fifty men and a stern rudder which, though also known in the Muslim world, was as yet rare in Europe. These were the ships…
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Japan and the Mongol Empire
Mongol ships. Japanese attack ships. Moko Shurai Ekotoba, 1291. Qubilai’s expeditions against Japan, finally wrecked by the famous kamikaze (divine wind), became great burdens on Mongol-ruled China and Korea. By the 13th century the military government in Kamakura (1185–1333), dominated by the Hojo family, had removed the emperor in Kyoto…
The Latins and the Ilkhan Mongols could destroy the Mamluk Sultanate Part 1
The Battle of Ayn Jalut (1260) set the tone for almost all assessments of the Ilkhan-Mamluk War, particularly regarding its implications for the Crusader States. Mongol leader Hulegu, the grandson of Genghis Khan, originally invaded Syria with a force that might have numbered as many as 120,000. The Ayyubids of…
The Latins and the Ilkhan Mongols could destroy the Mamluk Sultanate Part 2
Hulegu’s original proposal offered the West good terms. The Ilkhans had established their bona fides through their amazing victories against the center of the Islamic world. Of particular interest to Hulegu was Latin sea power, which, combined with a Mongol land offensive, could break the back of the Mamluk Sultanate.…
MONGOL WEAPONS
Warrior armor. Most Mongol warriors fought as light horsemen, wearing leather body armor and, if possible, a silk undershirt—allegedly offering protection against an arrow shot. Their minority of heavy cavalry, however, were sometimes equipped with Chinese-style metal armor. Made of overlapping plates, usually sown onto a backing garment, this is…
The Mongol Conquest of the Rus
Mongol Warriors of the Golden Horde The Mongol conquest profoundly affected the natural evolution of medieval, or Kievan, Russia, but there is no agreement among the experts as to the nature and extent of its impact. It was a traumatic experience, coming only thirty-eight years after the fall of Constantinople…
The Continuing Mongol Threat in Eastern Europe
Battle of Liegnitz Following the cataclysm of 1241–1242, King BĂ©la IV of Hungary made efforts to prepare for the next assault, instigating the construction of stone castles on his eastern frontiers and entering into marriage alliances with several of his neighbors, including a Cuman chief whose daughter married his son…