The Mongol Empire
Driving Question: How did the Mongols manage to build and maintain history’s largest land-based empire?
In one lifetime, the Mongols went from nomadic tribes on the Eurasian steppes to rulers of the largest contiguous land empire in history. Despite their fierce reputation, the Mongol Empire brought stability and security to the Silk Road. Their legacy influenced other Eurasian empires for centuries to come.
Learning Objectives:
- Assess the Mongols’ impact on networks of exchange.
- Use a graphic biography to support, extend, or challenge the overarching narratives of this period.
- Utilize sourcing skills to analyze how the Mongols expanded and ruled their empire.
Did you know: The Mongol Empire paused its invasion of Europe because of a death in the family. In 1241, Mongol armies were tearing through Eastern Europe and were basically unstoppable. They reached as far as Germany, where they suddenly turned around. Why? The Great Khan Ögedei had died, and leaders needed to return home to vote on who would be the next Great Khan.
Building the largest land-based empire in history is no easy feat. In this activity, you’ll think about empire-building tools.
This is a good place to remind students that sources about the Mongols are often shaped by fear or political agenda. Use the source collection to show that the Mongol Empire looked different depending on where someone stood. Conquered subjects, court historians (like Rashid al-Din), merchants, European visitors (like Benedict the Pole), and imperial officials each experienced Mongol rule in very different ways.
Reading something without any context can be frustrating. Who wrote it? Why was it written? That’s where your sourcing skills come in handy.
When we think of the Mongols of this period, there’s a temptation to remember them only as destroyers. As students read, have them hold onto both sides of the story: The Mongols built their empire through brutal conquest, but they also created the conditions for greater stability, long-distance trade, and exchange across Afro-Eurasia under the Pax Mongolica.
Imagine conquering 17% of Earth and a quarter of all the people on it. Now, imagine controlling it all. That’s exactly what the Mongols did. Find out how as you explore the Mongol Empire at two different scales.
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Guiding Questions
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Guiding Questions
A lot of people wrote a lot of words about the Mongols. You’ll use the Quick-Sourcing Tool to evaluate some of those words and then read two graphic biographies about individuals who encountered the Mongols to help you understand how the Mongols grew so powerful.
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Guiding Questions
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Guiding Questions
You’ve learned that conquering and managing the world’s largest empire was no easy task. In this activity, you’ll reconsider your earlier opinions.
Ever heard the expression “United we stand, divided we fall”? That was certainly true for the Mongols who, after unifying under Genghis Khan, became an economic powerhouse.
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Guiding Questions
The Mongols started off as small, nomadic pastoral communities. United by Genghis Khan, the Mongol Empire swiftly expanded and energized Eurasian trade and exchange.
