Marco Polo. 1271.

                My father, my uncle and I are planning a business trip to Cathay. They say that this will be a good opportunity to open up new trades with the country, and I agree, but I believe going to Cathay will actually result in our horrible deaths. After all, the whole place is filled, apparently, with those bloodthirsty Mongols who will do anything to get a little blood on their hands. I do not know if I am glad to be leaving the chaotic Europe, which has just become one big jumble of competing city states. At least the Mongols have stopped their conquering. According to the books I have obtained on the Mongols, long ago, to unite all of their nomadic tribe, leaders killed other leaders to gain control. Chinggis Khan, whom I have only read of, became the leader of this new united tribe and then proceeded to kill most everything in his path. In fact, to ascertain his chieftainship over all the Mongols, he killed every male who was taller than the axle of a cart.

                An example of the Mongols razing entire cities would be the city of Bukhara in 1219. According to records written by soldiers of Chinggis’ army and other sources from inhabitants, the Mongols came to Bukhara and destroyed most everything. They completely burned the outer walls and city, and then proceeded to use the inhabitants of the outer city as human shields for themselves. This might have been useful in extreme warfare that spans maybe several decades of rivalry, to perhaps end it, but as conquerors of a single city? It was unnecessary, given the amount of blood already shed- all 30,000 of the defenders were killed, and many more inhabitants died as well. For other cities, if they were defiant to the Mongols, the civilians of those cities would be rounded up and killed. Each Mongol warrior was required to bring back a sack with a required number of ears to show how many they had killed. This is proof that the Mongols are brutal!

                More recently, Kublai Khan, the grandson of Chinggis, has tried conquering Japan using the Koreans to build the boats. There was no new on why the Koreans would do this, but I suspect it is the fault of the Mongols- they must be terrorizing the Koreans to do so. Why would Kublai want Japan, unless he just misses war? Japan, as I’ve studied from my father (who is a merchant), has barely any natural resources, and most all they do is fish in the sea. Perhaps all Mongols crave war and bloodshed.

                The brutality these Mongols use makes me fear for the future of England. Who knows if the Mongols will destroy our world as we know it?

Marco Polo. 1297.

                I am on my way back to my beloved Venice, by the way of ship. During the long voyage back, I had planned on recording any activities I might had missed or had not had the time to write down, but instead of flipping through my journal for the first blank page I could find, I turned to the very first page. Out fell a leaflet with Kublai Khan’s face portrayed on it. My curiosity peaked by the strange picture, I began reading the first page. I read a little way through, then laughed as I realized how much my view of the Mongols has changed.

The Mongols have many beliefs and ideals, some of which contain religious tolerance and equality, cultural exchange, the knowledge of science, and the importance of trade.

                The Mongols loved trade! They were able to get things they normally wouldn’t because of their nomadic way of life. Pearls and precious metals came from India, and spices such as cloves were imported from Java. The huge empire of the Mongols allowed for international trade, and the Pax Mongolica, or terror- enforced peace, helped merchants travel routes relatively safely. 

           The Mongols also favored foreign contact. In fact, while ruling China, Kublai put many foreigners in high official positions. I meet several who were Muslim and even some Christians. There were several missionary programs there as well. The Pope had sent two missionaries to China in response to Mongol contact between them and Europe. Persian traders often came to Kublai's court. Persians would also be invited to come share their knowledge on medicines.

            The Mongols supported religious tolerance. Kublai even had plans to build a church, a mosque, and a temple for each respective religion! Muslims helped in the rule of China. Kublai even used some Confucians and Buddhists as advisers.
             The connections that Kublai Khan made also helped to further the technology of Europe, who was far behind. Gunpowder reached Europe, which helped them invent guns.
             Kublai has helped to connect the whole of the Eurasian continent in so many ways. I am glad that I have met such a great man.

             

January 18, 2014. An excerpt from the Unofficial Not a Journal of Liberal Arts and History.

Professor J. S, Director of Social Studies at X Not a University.

                Today’s world has many different views on the Mongols. Some views are tainted by media while others by extreme optimists¹- movies suggest that the Mongols were merciless in their conquests, while others point out the good their conquest did for the Eurasian continent. In many ways, it can be seen that the Mongols are misjudged. Why?

                First, it is crucial to know that there are, in fact, civilizations that were very similar to the Mongols. The Macedonian Empire is an empire that operated very similarly with the Mongols. But, the actions of its leader, Alexander the Great, are seen as actions that helped further the civilizations he conquered. Knowledge and development of different cultures and subjects were spread and learned. More discoveries in literature and sciences happened, and trade increased. But the fact of the matter remains that Alexander the Great conquered- he killed thousands and destroyed cities, just like the Mongols. The Phoenician city of Tyre, an island, managed to defy Alexander when he came to conquer them, but in the end, as punishment, Alexander either killed the citizens off or sold them as slaves.

                The Mongols have done this as well. According to Marco Polo’s first account of the Mongols in 1271 (See first paragraph of this post!), the Mongols also killed most of the inhabitants of the city of Bukhara in the same way. Genghis justified his actions by preaching to the remaining few inhabitants: “I am the flail of God. If you have not committed great sins, God would not have sent me upon you.” ²
                 Although these two empires were very similar in the way of obtaining their empires, each is viewed differently. The reason may be is because the Mongol Empire did not share much with Eastern Europe, who had to rely on stories of destruction and killing from survivors of razed cities. They also relied on stories from Marco Polo and missionaries, who each saw different things. Alexander's empire had many records written about it, so the world now knows most of how Alexander's army thought and what they really did. 

1.       Also known as goody two shoes who try to see the world in a blanket of rainbows. Do not trust them.

2.    Direct quote, taken from source 3.

Sources

1. Watkins, Thayer. N.p.. Web. 17 Jan 2014. <http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/watkins/alexandergreat.htm>.

2. "The Mongol Empire, 1206-1368." History Study Centre. ProQuest LLC. 2010. Web. 17 Jan. 2014. <http://www.historystudycenter.com/search/displayMultiResultStudyunitItem.do?Multi=yes&ResultsID=142F1AF52C1&fromPage=search&ItemNumber=1&QueryName=studyunit>

3. Fleming, Fergus, and Tony Allan. TimeFrame AD 1200-1300: The Mongol Conquests. 1st edition. Alexandria, Virginia: Time Frame, 1989. 9-32. Print.

4. Beck, R., L. Black, S. Kreiger, et al. World History: Patterns of Interaction. Orlando: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012. Print.
5. May, T.. N.p.. Web. 17 Jan 2014. <http://worldhistoryconnected.press.illinois.edu/5.2/may.html>.
6.University, Columbia. N.p.. Web. 17 Jan 2014. <http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/mongols/main/transcript.pdf>.
7. University, Columbia. Marco Polo in China. N.p.. Web. 17 Jan 2014. <http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/mongols/pop/menu/class_marco.htm>.