CHAPTER -5

Nomadic Empire
FACTS THAT MATTER:
Mongols were the nomadic tribes who inhabited in central Asia.
Mongols were divided into many groups. These groups were constantly engaged in warswith each other.
• Mongol society was patriarchal in nature. Birth of a son was considered to be the sign of prosperity.
• Genghis Khan played an outstanding role in the establishment of Nomadic Empire.
 Genghis Khan was born in 1162 CE. His childhood name was Temujin. His father Yesugei was Kiyat's
tribe chief. Oelun-eke was the name of his mother. Genghis Khan faced many problems in his childhood
as his father was murdered by a tribe.
 With the help of some persons like Jamuqa, Boghuruchu, Tughril Khan, etc. he successfully defeated
some powerful tribes. Quriltai bestowed upon Temujin, the title of Genghis Khan in 1206. He ruled
upto 1227CE.
 During his reign, Genghis Khan conquered the region of northern China and QaraKhita. • Genghis Khan
brought some changes in the area under his rule. In the history of Mongol, Genghis Khan is known as a
national hero.
• The nomadic people were mainly non-vegetarians. They ate the meat of different animals like sheep,
goat, etc. The main diet of the nomadic people was meat and milk.
• Silk clothes were imported from China, while woollen clothes were prepared by themselves. The rich
used to wear expensive clothes while the dress of common people was very simple.
• Trade was also in practice and carried out with neighbouring countries.
• In 1209, Genghis Khan defeated Hsi, Hsia of China.
• Mongols occupied Otsar, Bukhara, Samarqand, Maru, Herat, Nishapur and Balkh between 1219 to 1222
CE.
• Genghis Khan organised his forces as per the old steppe system of decimal units. The important
institution of Mongolian state was the army.
• Strict discipline was maintained in the army. The authority of the king could not be Yexig challenged.
• Civil system was based on the Ulus system.
• Yam was the military rank enjoyed by Mongols.Ogodei, Guyuk and Mongke were the successors of the
Genghis Khan. . Qubilai Khan was the founder of Yuan dynasty. He founded this dynasty in 1260 and ruled
till 1294.
 The steppe inhabitants had no literature of their own. Most of our knowledge regarding the nomadic
society was mainly derived from the chronicles, travelogues and documents produced by cities based
literature.

• Two most outstanding sources of Mongols are Igor de Rachewiltz's "The Secret History of Mongol' and
'the Travelogues of Marco Polo'.

WORDS THAT MATTER:

1. Barbarian: A person who is uncultured and behaves in a rough or cruel manner and isignorant of good
taste.
2. Kiyat: A group of families related to the Borjigid clan
3. Anda: Real or blood brother
4. Confederacy: A union of states, groups of people or political with the same aim.
5. Tuman: A group of ten thousand soldiers
6. Noyan: Captain of army unit
7. Naukar: Bonded man, a rank to common but intimate people
8. Ulus: Conquered but not fixed territory
9. Tama: Military contingents
10. Quriltais: An assembly of chieftains
11. Qubcur: A tax imposed on nomads for communication facility provided to them.
12. Yam: Courier system
13. Qanat: Underground canal in the arid plateau in Iran
14. Paisat A pass or permit to move from one place to another.
18. Baj: A tax imposed on tradera
16. Yasa: A code of law promulgated by Genghis Khan in 1206.

Q-A Multiple Choice Type Questions

1. What was the original name of Genghis Khan ?
(а) Tank Muhammad (b) Yesugei (c) Temujin (d) TarikFazal

2.Genghis Khan belonged to which of the following tribes ?

(a) Manchus (b) Tatar (c) Mongke (d) Kiyat

2. Who was Mongke ?

(a) Father of Genghis Khan (b) Son of Genghis Khan
3. (c) Grandson of Genghis Khan (d) Grandfather of Genghis Khan

4.Who bestowed Temujin with the title of Genghis Khan ?

(a) Muhammad (b) The Prophet Muhammad (c) Quriltai (d) Mongke

5.Where was Genghis Khan born ?

Or
Genghis Khan born in present day region of .
(a) South Korea (b) Vietnam (c) China (d) Mongolia

6.Who bestowed Temujin with the title of Genghis Khan ?

(a) Muhammad (b) The Prophet Muhammad (c) Quriltai (d) Mongke

7.Mongol rulers took keen interest in the region of .

(а) Southern India (b) China (c) Japan (d) Korea

8.Which of the following rulers was not a successor of Genghis Khan ?

(a) Ogodei (b) Guyuk (c) Mongke (d) Quriltai

9.When was Temujin bestowed with the title of Genghis Khan ?

(a) 1206 (b) 1229 (c) 1198 (d) 1199
10.When was Bukhara occupied by Mongol army (forces) ?
(a) 1226 (b) 1220 (c) 1240 (d) 1235

11. Ogodei defeated Jalaludin, the Iranian ruler in which of the following year ?
(a) 1231 (b) 1234 (c) 1236 (d) 1241
12.Who was the founder of Yuan dynasty ?
(a) ArikBuka (b) Ibluy c) Qubilai Khan (d) Harihar Buka

13.Who defeated Sung ruler of southern China ?

(a) Qubilai Khan (b) Toluy (c) Arik Buka (d) ChurkBuka

14.Which of the following is the founder of D-Khanid Dynasty ?

(a) Mongke (b) Helegu (c) Juwaini (d) Ghazan Khan

15.Who was the first Il-Khanid ruler convert to Islam ?

(a) Ghazan Khan (b) Mongke (c) Toluy (d) Juwaini

10. Which of these is an outstanding Persian historian ?

11. (а) Ghazan Khan (b) Juwaini (c) Jochi (d) Ogodei

17.Why were the Mongols defeated by the Egyptian army?

(a) Because Mongol rulers began to take more interest in China
(b) Because the Mongol army was less equipped
(c) Because Mongols were less developed
(d) None of the above

12. In the 3rd century BCE in China, the fortifications started to be integrated into a common defensive
outwork, known as the:
13. (a) Great Wall of China (b) Humen Weiyuan Fort of China
(c) Taku Forts of China (d) Wanping Castle of China

19.What was known as the yam?

(a) Courier system (b) Army system (c) Cavalry system (d) Administration system

20.Through the 1180s and 1190s, Temujin (Genghis Khan) remained an ally of:
(a) Boghurchu (b) Jamuqa (c) Kereyits (d) Ong Khan

17. Why Genghis Khan commanded to plunder and destroy Nishapur.

(a) Because a Mongol prince was killed
(b) Because Nishapur refused to export agricultural produce
(c) Because they were developing industries
(d) None of the above

22.Complete the following with the correct option:

Yasaq: law :: Quiraltai: ………………………………

23. Find out the correct chronological order from the following options:
a. Cature of Baghdad and end of the Abbasid Caliphate b. Manchus of China conquer
Mongolia
b. Birth of Temujin d. End of Yuvan dynasty in China
a) iii, i, iv, ii b) ii, iv,i,iii c) iii, ii, iv, i d) iv, ii, i, iii

24. Consider the following statements and select the correct from the following option:

a.The ‘Great Wall of China’ was breached in 1213 and Peking sacked in 1215.
b.Genghis Khan died in 1237, having spent most of his life in military combat.
c.Nomads were conventionally at a loss against fortified encampments but Genghis Khan learnt the
importance of siege engines and naphtha bombardment very quickly.

a) i and ii b) ii and iii c) i, ii and iii d) i and iii

B. Fill in the Blanks:

1.Estimated record of massacre committed by Genghis Khan was made by ………………

2. Great wall of China was built by ………………

3.Captain in army was called ………………

4.Siblings were called ……………… in the period of nomadic empire.

5.In Heaven there is sky and on Earth there is one lord ………………

6.The obedient peasantry must be ……………… from the peasantry who are rebel.

7. Travel accounts of Marco Polo and that of Mongol-Unniuea tobea’an are ……………… reports.

8.Bartold was ……………… for his works on history of nomadic empire.

9. ……………… centered on praise of great Khans by literati from Buddhist, Confician, Christian, Turkish and

Muslim backgrounds can not provide us the real state of affairs.

10. Juwaini, a late-thirteenth century writer had presented a ……………… on the capture of Bukhara in 1220.

11. We see Mongol and Turkic terms thrusted into ………………

12.In the thirteenth century, it appeared that the ……………… was on the side of the Mongols.

13. The society under nomadic empire was divided into ……………… lineages.

14. China suffered extensively from ……………… and different regimes.

15. Three different regimes in China were north-western province, north-China and ………………
C. Mention True or False:

1.Nomads were wanderers organised in different groups.

2.Contradictory meaning of nomadic and that of empire apply on Genghis Khan’s confederacy.

3.Barbarous act denotes wrong committed undeliberately.

4.Genghis Khan’s successors painted his stature with new and modern colours.

5.China’s powerful rulers during thirteenth century were Hsiung-nu, Juan-Juan, Epthalite Huns, Tuchuch,

Vighurs and Khitan.

6.The first of its own kind confederacy called quriltai was established by Qara Khita.

7. Ulus were the colonies under honourable empire.

8.Genghis Khan maintained the old tribal identities of the different group.

9.Qubilai Khan appeared as the protector of the peasants and the cities.

D. Match the Following

(i) Quriltai (a) A tax imposed on nomads provided with trading facilities.
(ii) Yasa (b) The period when conquests ceased and peace ushered in
(iii) Golden Horde (c) Son-in-law
(iv) Gerege (d) Courier System
(v) Qubcur (e) under ground canals
(vi) Qanats (f) Confederacy of great khan
(vii) Yam (g) Meant for pass or permit in Mongolian
(viii) Pax Mongolia (h) Confederacy established by decendants of Jochi.
(ix) Quregen (i) Code of law

E. ASSERTION AND REASON BASED QUESTIONS:

In the questions given below, there are two statements marked as Assertion (A) and Reason . Read the
statements and select the correct options:
a-Both A and R are true and R. is not the connect explanation to A.
b-Both A and R are true but R is not the connect explanation of A.
c-A is true but R is false.
d- A is false but R is true.
1. (A): In Greek texts, barbarians were depicted like children, unable to speak or reason properly, cowardly,
effeminate, luxurious, cruel, slothful, greedy and politically unable to govern themselves.
(R) : The term ‘barbarian’ is derived from the Greek barbaros which meant a nonGreek, someone whose
language sounded like a random noise: ‘barbar’.
2. (A): The Mongols were a diverse body of people, linked by similarities of language to the Tatars, Khitan
and Manchus to the east, and the Turkic tribes to the west.
(R): The horse-riding skills of the Mongols and the Turks provided speed and mobility to the army; their
abilities as rapid-shooting archers from horseback were further perfected during regular hunting
expeditions which doubled as field manoeuvres.
3. (A): Genghis Khan worked to systematically erase the old tribal identities of the different groups who
joined his confederacy.
(R): He divided the old tribal groupings and distributed their members into new military units.

Q F. VERY SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS:( Following questions are to be done in Register)
1.Who were Mongols?
2.Who was the founder of Nomadic empire? When was he bom? What was his childhood name?
3.Why was Genghis Khan renamed as Temujin and when?
4.Define the term ‘Barbarian’.
5.What was the name of parents of Genghis Khan?
6.Who restored the old alliances with the ruler of Kereyrts rules?
7.Who was Genghis Khan’s wife?
8.How did Oelun-eke infuse confidence in Temujin?
9.When and by whom the most valuable research work on the Mongols was done?
10.In which languages are the most reliable sources of Mongols available?
11.What do you know about Batu?
12.Who was Juwaini?
13.Name the most trustworthy account of the Mongols.
14.What was the extent of the Genghis Khan’s empire?
15.What does the term ‘Quriltai’ denote?
16.Which two important decisions were taken by Quriltai?
17.“The affluent Mongol families used to have several followers.” Why?
18.Which types of clothes were worn by nomadic people?
19.How did the Mongol dispose of their dead bodies?
20.Did the Mongol undertake agricultural activities? Write in ‘Yes’ or ‘No’, and give argument to support
your answer.
21.“Trade was very significant for the Mongol”. Why?How it was carried out?
22.Why was China Wall constructed?
23.What do you understand by Qubkur?
24.Name any two famous personalities who contributed a lot in the early life of Genghis Khan.
25.Which dynasty ruled over Peking? When was it conquered by Genghis Khan?
26.Which two arch rival tribes were defeated by Genghis Khan at the beginning of his political career?
27.How was China divided during the time of Genghis Khan?
28.What do you mean by Yasa? When was it given a final shape?
29.Write in brief the composition of Mongol army.
30.What was the position of the emperor in Nomadic empire? Write any two features.
31Define the concept of Ulus.
32.Name the sons of Genghis Khan.
33.What do you know about Yeh-lu-ch’u-tsai?
34.What do you know about paiza?
35.When was Nishapur occupied by Genghis Khan? Why did he carry out terrible destruction here?
G. Short Answer Type Questions:( Following questions are to be done in Register. Students to make sure
that answer are written in points as example is given below):

Q-1.Write a note on the Mongol society.

Or
Describe the main characteristics of the Mongol society in 12th century.
Q-2.Discuss the early career and achievements of Genghis Khan.
Q-3 Describe in your own words the conquest of northern China by Genghis Khan..
Q-4. “Genghis Khan laid special emphasis on discipline in the army”. Keeping this statement in your mind,
describe the rules formulated by him in the sphere of military administration.
Q-5 Discuss the methods of the warfare of Mongol army.
Q-6. What do you know about Ulus system? Explain.
Q-7 What do you know about Ogodei? Write his achievements in brief.
Q-8 Describe the religious beliefs of Mongols.

Q-H.Long Answer Type Questions:( Following questions are to be done in Register)

Q-1.Which favourable conditions encouraged Genghis Khan to launch an expedition against the
Muhammad Shah of Khwarazm?
Q-2.Discuss the causes of the success of Genghis Khan.
Q-3.Why did Genghis Khan become unpopular? Explain.
Or
Q-4.Describe the causes of the unpopularity of Genghis Khan.
Q-5.Discuss the rules and regulations of the Yasa as evolved by Genghis Khan.

I. SOURCE BASED QUESTIONS: (page no. 118)

Ghazan Khan’s Speech
I. Ghazan Khan (1295 - 1304) was the first II-Khanid ruler to convert to Islam. He gave the following speech
to Mongol Turkish named commanders, a speech that was probably drafted by his Parisianwazir
Rashiduddin and included in the minister's letter.
'I am not on the side of Persian peasantry. if there is a purpose in pillaging them all, there is no one with
more power to do this then I. Let us rob them together. But if you wish to be certain of collecting grain and
food for your table in the future, I must be harsh with you.
You must be taught reason. If you insult the peasantry, take their oxen and seed and trample their crops
into the ground. What will you do in the future? The obedient peasantry must be distinguished from the
peasantry who are rebels.
1. Name the II-Khanid ruler who adopted Islam and which religion was followed by him earlier?
2. Who drafted the speech of Ghazan Khan and for whom?
3.According to Ghazan Khan which type of peasantry would be beneficial in future?

II. Read the given passage and the question that follows. (page no 120)
Yasa
In 1221, after the conquest of Bukhara, Genghis Khan had assembled the rich Muslim residents at the
festival ground and had admonished them. He called them sinners and warned them to compensate for
their sins by parting with their hidden wealth. The episode is dramatic enough to be painted-and for a long
time afterwards people still remembered the incident. In the late sixteenth century, Abdullah Khan, a
distant descendant of Jochi, Genghis Khan's eldest son, went to the same festival ground in Bukhara. Unlike
Genghis Khan, however, 'Abdullah Khan went toperform his holiday prayers there. His chronicler, Hafiz-I
Tanish, reported this performance of Muslim piety by his master and included the surprising comment: 'this
was according to the yasa of Genghis Khan'.

(i) What was Yasa?

(ii) When was Bukhara conquered ?
(iii) Who won the capital city of Bukhara ?
(iv) Who was Abdullah Khan ?
(v) Write any two moral values depicted by Yasa.