Mongol Empire emerged from the unification of
Mongol Tribes in
East Asia under leadership of
Genghis Khan and was the one of the largest empire in history.
Genghis Khan died in
August 1227, during the fall of
Yinchuan, which is the capital of
Western Xia. The empire began to split due to wars over succession, as the grandchildren of
Genghis Khan disputed whether the royal line should follow which of his sons.
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| Mongolian Grasslands |
Genghis Khan left behind an army of more than 129,000 men; 28,000 were given to his various brothers and his sons.
Tolui, his youngest son, inherited more than 100,000 men. This force contained the bulk of the elite
Mongolian cavalry.
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| Statue of Genghis Khan at his mausoleum, China |
Ögedei Khan, was the third son of
Genghis Khan and second
Great Khan of the
Mongol Empire, succeeding his father. He continued the expansion of the empire that his father had begun, and was a world figure when the
Mongol Empire reached its farthest extent west and south during the
Mongol invasions of
Europe and
East Asia. Like all of
Genghis' primary sons, he participated extensively in conquests in
China, Iran, and
Central Asia.
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| Coronation of Ögedei in 1229. Rashid al-Din, early 14th century |
Among his first actions,
Ögedei sent troops to subjugate the
Bashkirs, Bulgars, and other nations in the
Kipchak-controlled steppes. In the east,
Ögedei's armies re-established
Mongol authority in
Manchuria, crushing the
Eastern Xia regime. In 1230, the great khan personally led his army in the campaign against the
Jin dynasty (China). Ögedei's general
Subutai captured the capital of
Emperor Wanyan Shouxu in the siege of
Kaifeng in 1232.
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| General Subutai - Medieval Chinese Drawing |
The
Jin dynasty collapsed in 1234 when the
Mongols captured
Caizhou, the town where
Emperor Wanyan Shouxu had fled. In 1234, three armies commanded by
Ögedei's sons
Kochu and
Koten, as well as the
Tangut general
Chagan, invaded southern
China. With the assistance of the
Song dynasty, the
Mongols finished off the
Jin in 1234.
From 1235–38
Ögedei constructed a series of palaces and pavilions at stopping places in his annual nomadic route through central
Mongolia. The first palace
Wanangong was constructed by
North Chinese artisans. The Emperor urged his relatives build residences nearby and settled the deported craftsmen from
China near the site. The construction of the city,
Karakorum (Хархорум), was finished in 1235, assigning different quarters to
Islamic and
North Chinese craftsmen, who competed to win
Ögedei's favor.
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| Stone tortoise of Karakorum |
In an offensive action against the
Song dynasty, Mongol armies captured
Siyang-yang, the
Yangtze and
Sichuan, but did not secure their control over the conquered sites. The
Song generals were able to recapture
Siyang-yang from the
Mongols in 1239. After the sudden death of
Ögedei's son Kochu in
Chinese territory, the
Mongols withdrew from southern
China, although
Kochu's brother
Prince Koten invaded
Tibet right after their withdrawal.
Batu Khan, another grandson of
Genghis Khan, overran the countries of the southern
Russian steppe.
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| Batu Khan, another grandson of Genghis Khan, overran the countries of the southern Russian steppe. |
Ögedei appointed
Dayir commander of
Ghazni and
Menggetu commander in
Qonduz. In winter 1241 the
Mongol force invaded the
Indus valley and besieged
Lahore, Pakistan. However,
Dayir died storming the town, on 30 December 1241, and the
Mongols butchered the town before withdrawing from the
Delhi Sultanate.
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| Lahore, Pakistan |
Ögedei was considered to be his father
Genghis Khan's favorite son, ever since his childhood. As an adult, he was known for his ability to sway doubters in any debate in which he was involved, simply by the force of his personality. He was a physically big, jovial, and very charismatic man, who seemed mostly to be interested in enjoying good times. He was intelligent and steady in character. His charisma was partially credited for his success in keeping the
Mongol Empire on the path that his father had set.
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| Portrait of Ögedei Khan (the 14th century) |
Ögedei Khan fell victim to alcoholism.
Chagatai entrusted an official to watch his habit, but
Ögedei managed to drink anyway. When he died at dawn on 11 December 1241, after a late-night drinking bout with
Abd-ur-Rahman, the people blamed the sister of
Tolui's widow and
Abd-ur-Rahman. The
Mongol aristocrats recognized, however, that the
Khagan's own lack of self-control had killed him.
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| Statue of Ögedei Khan in Mongolia |
The advance into
Europe continued with
Mongol invasions of
Poland and
Hungary. Before
Batu Khan's forces could continue into
Vienna and northern
Albania, news of
Ögedei's death in December 1241 brought a halt to the invasion. As was customary in
Mongol military tradition, all princes of
Genghis's line had to attend the
kurultai to elect a successor.
Batu and his western
Mongol army withdrew from
Central Europe the next year.
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| Modern Day Vienna |
