The Mongol Empire although short-lived was one of the largest and most powerful empires ever on the face of the Earth, especially considering the time period.  The Mongol Empire lasted for a mere 185 years, small in comparison to the Roman Empire, and yet in that short time it was able accomplish more than many countries, empires, or kingdoms could ever hope to.  At its height the empire covered an area from modern day Korea, China, Russia, the Middle East, India, and all the land in between.  However in many ways the enormity of the Mongol Empire is what would ultimately destroy it.
    Through many resources I have conjectured that the official beginning of the Mongol Empire began in the year 1206 when Temujin was declared Genghis Khan and ruler of all Mongol people.  Genghis Khan had been able to succeed in something that no other Mongol chieftain had ever been able to do, he united the Mongol people into one unifying force.  The Mongol people had never known such unity, for many generations they had fought against each other but now they were fighting side by side against anything that would stand in there way.  This unified Mongol force could and would destroy almost every opposing force that tried to go against the Mongols.
    It was actually the year 1209 before the final independent Mongol tribe was united with the main Mongol force.  The last tribe to be taken in was called the Uighur which I mention because it is their written language that Genghis chose to have as his own.  The idea of incorporating other cultures inventions into their own lifestyle was greatly utilized by the Mongols, in fact many military tactics and weapons were borrowed from foreign civilizations to make their own army stronger and deadlier.
          There were several things about the Mongol Empire that were quite unique, in my opinion their most surprising and advanced characteristic is that they were tolerant and actually supported outside religions.  This is something that is almost never heard of in other empires of that time or any time for that matter.  What is just as surprising is that many of the religions that were in the Mongol Empire hated each other and yet they fought with each other to expand the reach of the empire.  For instance there were many times when Buddhists, Muslims, and Christians were fighting along side each other despite their many differences.  I for one consider this to be one of the most outstanding things that the Mongol Empire ever did.  This was one of the ways that the Mongol people kept their captured lands in peace, the Mongols did not prohibit any religion and in fact they usually promoted it among the people.
    The Mongol Empire in many ways is also considered the driving force that created a unified China and Russia.  Before the Mongol Empire both of those nations existed in only fragmented kingdoms that were constantly bickering and at war.  However once the Mongols came into power and invaded those lands the people living their were forced to join their kingdoms and small empires together to make governing easier for the Mongol conquerors.  Once the Mongol Empire became large it became quite clear the governing it would be a problem so the Khan of the time would divide up the land into Khanates, a Khanate is comparable to a state or province, each with its own head of government that would report directly to the head Khan.  So in an indirect manner the Mongols inadvertently united the Russian and Chinese lands into one nation that would of course eventually turn on their Mongol invaders.  So in effect the Mongols were the unifiers of two of the most powerful nations in the world today, China and Russia.
    Despite what I have said about the Mongol Empire they were indeed ruthless, cruel, and power hungry.  They destroyed everything that stood in their way and they killed a countless number of people to create their empire.  To them everyone and everything was fair game for attack, which included armies, animals, woman, and children.  They were great creators and destructors.  More than once did they burn a town to the ground and kill everyone, in fact that was the exact fate of the Russian cities of Moscow and Kiev of which both were burned.  As you go on reading you will discover that the Mongols were smart, ruthless, and evil all at the same time. 
    The Mongol armies were extremely successful despite being greatly outnumbered by almost every foreign army that they ever encountered.  Time and again the Mongols destroyed the opposing force even when they were outnumbered more than six to one as it was when they began the invasion of the Qin Empire, modern northern China.  This was mostly due to their ingenious military tactics, their extreme discipline, and their excellent use of modern weapons that were usually stolen from conquered armies.  The tremendous discipline of the Mongol armies it outstanding, in fact some things that they did with their military would be considered outrageous by today's standards.  The armies were extremely orderly despite the lack of great communication that we are capable of today.  They had an excellent way of deploying the Mongol military, what they did was the men, sorry no woman, were formed into groups of ten, then ten of those for a hundred, then ten for a thousand, and finally ten of those for a unit of ten thousand men which was called a tuman.  A practice in the Mongol army to deter traitors and cowardice was when one man in a group of ten would desert the entire group of ten would be killed.  With that policy each soldier's life literally depended on each other which made them act more like a team.  Each Mongol was also required to carry his own food which usually consisted of dried meat and dried yak milk however when that ran out the soldier would cut a vein open on his horse and drink the blood to maintain his strength.  That and cannibalism of the enemy was not always uncommon among the Mongols.  Actually many Mongols leaders would eat the liver of the leaders of the destroyed enemy armies so that they could capture the strength of that person and add it to their own.
    The Mongol armies and their leaders were excellent at deploying and inventing military strategies and they had one that destroyed many armies.  What they would do is send a small force near an enemy city and retreat as soon as the opposing force was spotted, the opposing force would then take chase to the small Mongol force.  The enemy army would then suddenly find themselves surrounded by Mongols ready for battle but that is still not the end of the Mongol plan.  The surrounding Mongol army then begins to start fires so that their is no room for the opposing army to retreat allowing them to be killed by the armor piercing arrows laid upon them by the great Mongol army.  Another favorite strategy of the Mongols is rather creative but their is quite a bit of work involved with this one.  The Mongols would find an enemy city and as with all cities they would offer to spare the city if the citizens agreed to pay tribute to the Mongols by giving them one tenth of everything in the city, including people.  Usually the citizens would answer no and that is when the Mongols would start their stuff.  The Mongol army would cut down trees and build a wall around the entire city closing it off from food, resources, and outside help.  The walls would lead the city to starvation and finally the Mongols would bomb the city with stones and fire until they surrendered, they were all dead, or the Mongols got board and decided to enter the city so that they could kill them in hand to hand combat.
    By clicking below you will be able to learn even more about the Great Mongol Empire.  In the next section I will go more in depth about the timeline of events in the Mongol Empire.