The Mongols

Geographical spread of the word Mongol.—Beginning of the Mongol career.—Mythical account of Temudjin’s origin.—Kaidu, ancestor of the great historical Mongols.—Origin of the Uru...

Rivalry between descendants of Kabul and Ambagai.—Kidnapping of Hoelun by Yessugai.—Birth and naming of Temudjin.—Yessugai finds a wife for Temudjin.—Death of Yessugai, 1175.—Ne...

Attack of Temudjin and Togrul upon the Lake Buyur Tartars.—Togrul is given the title of Wang Khan.—Attack of Temudjin upon the Churkis.—Origin of the Churkis.—Death of Buri Buga...

Attack upon Temudjin by Baibuga, his father-in-law.—Council held by Temudjin, 1204.—Battle with the Naimans, autumn of 1204.—Capture of Kurbassu, the wife of Baibuga.—Surrender...

China, 618 to 907, A.D.—Fall of Tang dynasty.—The Kitans.—Parin proclaims himself Emperor, 916.—House of Sung unites nearly all China, 960.—Tribute paid by the Sung Emperor to t...

Addition of Kara Kitai to Mongol domains.—End of Seljuk rule.—Kutb ud din Mohammed made Kwaresmian Shah.—Mohammed seizes Balk and Herat.—Invasion of the lands of the Gurkhan by...

Indecision of Shah Mohammed.—Escape of Mohammed to Nishapur.—Submission of Balkh.—Proclamation of the Shah to Nishapur.—Pursuit of Mohammed.—Withdrawal of Mohammed from Nishapur...

Jinghis passes the winter near the Indus, 1222–23.—Resolve of Jinghis to return to Mongolia, 1223.—Myths regarding this resolution.—Command of Jinghis to kill useless prisoners....

Condition of Persian Irak at the time of Jinghis Khan’s death.—Flight of Jelal ud din to Delhi.—Marriage of Jelal to the daughter of Iletmish.—Effort of Jelal to take possession...

Ravage of Amid and Mayafarkin by Mongols.—Devastation of Azerbaidjan.—Capture of Erbil by Mongols.—Mongols in Arabian Irak, 1238.—Capture of Gandja by Mongols, 1235.—Capture of...

The Ismailian known in Europe as Assassins.—Death of Mohammed, 632.—Omar made Kalif, 634.—Murder of Aly, 661.—Election of Muavia in Damascus.—Winning of Egypt by Muavia.—Yezid,...

Murder of Aksonkor Burshi, Prince of Mosul, 1126.—Murder of Busi, Prince of Damascus.—Murder of Sindjar’s vizir by Assassins, 1127.—Vengeance of Assassins.—Death of a Fatimid Ka...

Message of Hulagu to Kalif of Bagdad, 1257.—Kalif rebukes Hulagu.—Hulagu’s envoys insulted by the people.—Second message of the Kalif to Hulagu to warn him against making war on...

News of the death of Mangu, 1259.—Desire of Kutuz to take the field against the Mongols.—Imprisonment of Hulagu’s envoy.—Meeting of the two armies on the plain of Ain Jalut, 126...

Kin Emperor sends offerings to the spirit of Jinghis Khan, 1229.—Mongols continue warfare in China.—Siege of Li ho chin by Mongols, 1227.—King Yang attacked by Mongols, 1229.—De...

Kurultai summoned by Ogotai at Talantepe, 1234.—Kurultai summoned by Ogotai at Kara Kurum, 1235.—Batu marches West.—An army sent to Cashmir and India.—Expedition against China.—...

March of Arik Buga to Kara Kurum.—Attack of Arik Buga on Kubilai northeast of Shang tu.—Defeat of Arik Buga.—Reverses of Arik Buga.—Appeal of Arik Buga to the mercy of his broth...

Struggle of Kubilai with Kaidu lasting from the death of Arik Buga to the death of Kubilai.—End of the Sung dynasty.—Departure of troops for Corea.—Mongol fleet encounters a sto...

Accession of Ananda, grandson of Kubilai.—Removal of Ananda.—Succession of Khaishan, under the name of Kuluk.—Death of Khaishan, 1311.—Batra is proclaimed under the name Bayantu...

From an obscure and uncertain beginning the word Mongol has gone on increasing in significance and spreading geographically during more than ten centuries until it has filled th...

This intense rivalry between the descendants of Kabul and Ambagai was the great ruling fact among Mongols at this epoch. Kabul and Ambagai were second cousins, both being third...

A fresh opportunity came now to Temudjin to beat down an enemy and strengthen himself at the same time. The Kin Emperor sent Wang Kin, his minister, with an army against the Lak...

One more great struggle was in store now for Temudjin, that with Baibuga, the Naiman, his father-in-law. Baibuga, alarmed at the rising power of his own daughter’s husband, sent...

Many provinces of China had been subject to foreign rule for three centuries. After the fall of the Tang dynasty, which had ruled the whole country from 618 to 907, this immense...

That immense Kara Kitai, or Black Cathay, or Black China was added to the Mongol dominions which now were conterminous with the Kwaresmian Empire. This Empire, begun on Seljuk r...

While the Mongols were ruining Northern Transoxiana Mohammed held aloof from every action, and was discouraged so deeply that his weakness affected all people of the Empire. Whi...

Jinghis had passed the winter of 1222–3 near the Indus, and in the spring of 1223 he resolved, rather suddenly as it seemed, to march up the Indus and return through Tibet to Ta...

When Jinghis had returned to his birthplace Persia was left as a desert behind him. This was true of all Eastern parts of it, especially. “In those lands which Jinghis Khan ruin...

Sad was the fate of the people in Rūm through disunion, stupidity and thoughtlessness. After Jelal ud din lost his life in the mountains his warriors dispersed and were finished...

The Ismailians, known later by their enemies as Molahids (lost ones), and by all Europe in the sequel as Assassins, were an offshoot from one of the two great divisions into whi...

The valiant and powerful Prince of Mosul, Aksonkor Burshi, was one of the first victims of the second Grand Prior. He was just and daring, a man greatly feared not only by the A...

Hulagu had destroyed the Assassins: he was now to extinguish the line of the Abbasids. In August, 1257, this Mongol master of Persia sent his envoys to Bagdad, with a letter to...

Hulagu received news now of the death of Mangu, the Grand Khan, and deciding at once to return to Mongolia, he made Kita Buga commander of the armies in Syria, and when departin...

Nin Kia Su, the Kin Emperor (his Chinese name was Shu siu), had sent to Ogotai in 1229 his ambassador Ajuta with offerings to Jinghis Khan’s spirit, but the new sovereign would...

In 1234 a great Kurultai was summoned by Ogotai at Talantepe, and one at Kara Kurum, his new capital, the year following. At the second Kurultai it was decided to make three gre...

The summer and autumn of 1261 were passed very quietly. Arik Buga’s horses recovered; he assembled large forces and set out for Kara Kurum, the chief capital of Mongolia. To put...

The struggle of Kubilai Khan against Arik Buga, his brother, has been described in some detail already, as well as the downfall and death of the latter. Next came Kaidu, a more...

The late Emperor was childless. His widow, Bulagan, who toward the end of her husband’s reign had great influence, wished to put on the throne Ananda, a son of Mangkala and gran...