Ch 11 Mongols in Persia & Russia

Mongol invasions of Persia

First invasion (1219–1221) by Chinggis Khan; second attack (1251–1258) by grandson Hulegu

Mongol impact on Islamic world

Victory shocked Islamic history of progress and expansion; marked by extreme ferocity and slaughter

Sack of Baghdad (1258)

Ended the Abbasid Caliphate; around 200,000 people killed

Effect on Persian agriculture

Agricultural peasants heavily taxed and pushed off their land

Pastoral impact on Persian land

Mongols brought herds that damaged farmland; underground water channels were neglected

Persian industries under Mongols

Wine production increased and the silk industry benefited

Persian bureaucracy under Mongols

Mongols used Persian administrative systems and left most government operations to Persians

Reforms of Ghazan (1295–1304)

Repaired previous damage, rebuilt cities, restored irrigation networks

Religious conversion in Persia

Mongols who ruled Persia converted to Islam

Mongol cultural assimilation in Persia

Court members learned Persian; some Mongols farmed or married locals

End of Mongol rule in Persia

Hulegu’s dynasty collapsed in the 1330s; Mongols and Turkic allies assimilated into Persian society

Post-Mongol Persian society

Persian rulers returned to patriarchal traditions

Mongol invasion of Russia

Mongols arrived between 1237–1240

Russian resistance

Russian princes failed to unite against the Mongols

Destruction in Russia

Mongols destroyed cities; survivors and surrendering cities were deported or sold into slavery

Mongol view of Russia

Saw little value—weak economy, not on major trade routes

Mongol access to Russia

Easily reachable from the steppes

Russian tribute requirements

Russian princes required to send tribute to Mongol capital

Economic burden on Russians

Heavy taxes; border raids sent tens of thousands into slavery

Russian princes under Mongol rule

Some princes gained wealth by manipulating their role as tribute collectors

Russian Orthodox Church under Mongols

Flourished due to Mongol religious tolerance and tax exemptions

Rise of Moscow

Moscow became the primary tribute collector

Mongol cultural assimilation in Russia

Mongols remained separate from Christian Russians; instead assimilated to the culture and Islam of the Kipchak people

Loss of Mongol identity in Russia

Mongols eventually became culturally Kipchak

Russian adoption of Mongol practices

Adopted Mongol weapons, diplomacy, court rituals, tax systems, and military draft

Mongol influence on Moscow’s growth

Mongol policies helped Moscow rise as the core of a new Russian state

Mongol courier system in Russia

Russians made good use of the Mongol mounted messenger system

Orthodox Church expansion

Mongol rule strengthened the Church’s influence in rural regions

End of Mongol rule in Russia

Russians broke Mongol control in the 15th century due to Mongol division, plague, and growing Russian strength