HIS 111
Unit 11: Mongols
Bokhara Mosque; The Mongols came from further east than Bokhara, and the Mongols were not Muslims, but all that changed in time.
The Mongols did convert, and Central Asia became the heart of their empire.
What you must do in this unit
- There is very little in the textbook about the Mongols--check the book's index and check throughout chapter 13--and that irritates me. In the meantime, check out the wiki entry on the Mongol Empire.
- Read my remarks on the Mongol impact on Russia.
- Read my notes on the Mongols.
- Watch the short video.
- Read the excerpt from William of Rubruck's Account of the Mongols.
- Study the Questions to Consider and the Key Terms for the unit.
- Post (or respond) with your thoughts/ideas/comments in the discussion forum: What were some of the main features of Mongol political practice and ceremony (5 points)?
What you can do in this unit
Some videos that you can watch for this unit
Extra Credit Options
- For up to 25 points of extra credit, in a one-page paper (maybe
more for an exceptional two-page paper) consider the careers of Julius
Caesar,
Charlemagne and Genghis Khan.
- For up to 25 points of extra credit, in the pre-gunpowder era, there were perhaps no greater conquerors then Genghis Khan and Alexander the Great. In a one-page paper, compare and contrast the two leader in different categories, including, for example, rise to power, methods of conquest, and legacy.
- For up to 20 points of extra credit, submit the Mongol paragraph.
- For up to 10 points of extra credit, check The Mongols in World History website (or other websites) and
write a long paragraph that answers the question, What factors allowed the Mongols to construct such a large empire?
- For up to 10 points of extra credit, read Ibn al-Athir's On The Tatars, written
about 1220, and in a short paragraph comment on just how terrible were the Mongols.
- For extra credit, please suggest a
relevant website for this unit of the course. Send your instructor the title of the site, the URL and a brief explanation why you find the information interesting and applicable to the material being studied this unit.
Unit Learning Objective
- Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to (1) demonstrate knowledge of the scope and scale of the Mongol empire.
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