The Mongol Empire: Origins, Strategy, and Expansion

Vocabulary flashcards covering the environment, society, military organization, and imperial divisions of the Mongol Empire.

Central Asian Steppe

A vast, wind-swept grassland characterized by extreme temperature swings and scarce arable land.

Nomadic Pastoralism

A subsistence lifestyle centered on herding sheep, goats, and horses while constantly migrating according to seasonal grazing grounds.

Yurts (Gers)

Felt-covered, collapsible tents used as portable dwellings by nomadic steppe pastoralists.

Tengriism

An animistic religion practiced on the steppe involving the worship of the Eternal Sky and nature spirits tied to the land.

Egalitarian Status (Steppe Women)

The comparatively high social standing of nomadic women, who managed camp economic life, rode horses, and exercised key political influence.

Temujin

The birth name of Genghis Khan, who overcame clan betrayal, captivity, and poverty to forge blood alliances and unify the nomadic tribes.

Kurultai (1206)

The general council of steppe tribes that acclaimed Temujin as "Universal Ruler" under the title Genghis Khan.

Decimal Army Structure

A military organization system that divided troops into units of 10, 100, 1,000, and 10,000 to break traditional tribal loyalties.

Tumen

A large Mongol military unit consisting of 10,000 soldiers within the decimal organization system.

Feigned Retreat

A tactical deception where cavalry pretended panic to lure enemy forces into ambushes, exploited through mobility and composite bows.

Khanate of the Great Khan

The division of the Mongol Empire centered in Mongolia and China, which became the Yuan Dynasty.

Chagatai Khanate

The division of the Mongol Empire that governed the Central Asian Silk Road trade routes.

Ilkhanate

The Mongol division that controlled Persia and the Islamic heartlands of the Middle East.

Golden Horde

The Mongol division that held dominion over Russia and the Eastern European steppe lands.