Mongol invasion of Central Asia in the context of "Borjigin"

Play Trivia Questions online!

or

Skip to study material about Mongol invasion of Central Asia in the context of "Borjigin"

Ad spacer

⭐ Core Definition: Mongol invasion of Central Asia

Mongol campaigns in Central Asia occurred after the unification of the Mongol and Turkic tribes on the Mongolian Plateau in 1206. Smaller military operations of the Mongol Empire in Central Asia included the destruction of surviving Merkit and Naimans (which involved forays into Cumania) and the conquest of Qara Khitai. These were followed by a major campaign against Khwarazm. Expansion into Central Asia began in 1209 as Genghis Khan sent an expedition to pursue rivals who had fled to the region and threatened his new empire. The Uyghur kingdom Qocho and leaders of the Karluks submitted voluntarily to the Mongol Empire and married into the imperial family. By 1218 the Mongols controlled all of Xinjiang and by 1221 all the territories of the former Khwarazmian Empire. In 1236, the Mongols defeated the eastern portions of Cumania and swept into Eastern Europe.

↓ Menu

>>>PUT SHARE BUTTONS HERE<<<
In this Dossier

Mongol invasion of Central Asia in the context of Iranian philosophy

Iranian philosophy (Persian: فلسفه ایرانی) or Persian philosophy can be traced back as far as to Old Iranian philosophical traditions and thoughts which originated in ancient Indo-Iranian roots and were considerably influenced by Zarathustra's teachings. According to the Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy, the chronology of the subject and science of philosophy starts with the Indo-Iranians, dating this event to 1500 BC. The Oxford dictionary also states, "Zarathustra's philosophy entered to influence Western tradition through Judaism, and therefore on Middle Platonism."

Throughout Iranian history and due to remarkable political and social changes such as the Arab and Mongol invasions of Persia, a wide spectrum of schools of thoughts showed a variety of views on philosophical questions extending from Old Iranian and mainly Zoroastrianism-related traditions, to schools appearing in the late pre-Islamic era such as Manicheism and Mazdakism as well as various post-Islamic schools. Iranian philosophy after the Muslim conquest of Persia, is characterized by different interactions with the Old Iranian philosophy, the Greek philosophy and with the development of Islamic philosophy. The Illumination School and the Transcendent Philosophy are regarded as two of the main philosophical traditions of that era in Persia.

↑ Return to Menu

Mongol invasion of Central Asia in the context of Genghis Khan

Genghis Khan (born Temüjin; c. 1162 – August 1227), also known as Chinggis Khan, was the founder and first khan of the Mongol Empire. After spending most of his life uniting the Mongol tribes, he launched a series of military campaigns, conquering large parts of China and Central Asia.

Born between 1155 and 1167 and given the name Temüjin, he was the eldest child of Yesugei, a Mongol chieftain of the Borjigin clan, and his wife Hö'elün. When Temüjin was eight, his father died and his family was abandoned by its tribe. Reduced to near-poverty, Temüjin killed his older half-brother to secure his familial position. His charismatic personality helped to attract his first followers and to form alliances with two prominent steppe leaders named Jamukha and Toghrul; they worked together to retrieve Temüjin's newlywed wife Börte, who had been kidnapped by raiders. As his reputation grew, his relationship with Jamukha deteriorated into open warfare. Temüjin was badly defeated in c. 1187, and may have spent the following years as a subject of the Jin dynasty; upon reemerging in 1196, he swiftly began gaining power. Toghrul came to view Temüjin as a threat and launched a surprise attack on him in 1203. Temüjin regrouped and overpowered Toghrul; after defeating the Naiman tribe and executing Jamukha, he was left as the sole ruler on the Mongolian steppe.

↑ Return to Menu

Mongol invasion of Central Asia in the context of Battle of the Kalka River

The Battle of the Kalka River was fought between the Mongol Empire, whose armies were led by Jebe and Subutai, and a coalition of several Rus' principalities, including Kiev and Galicia-Volhynia, and the Cumans under Köten. They were under the joint command of Mstislav the Bold and Mstislav III of Kiev. The battle was fought on May 31, 1223 on the banks of the Kalka River in present-day Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, and ended in a decisive Mongol victory.

Following the Mongol invasion of Central Asia and the subsequent collapse of the Khwarezmian Empire, a Mongol force under the command of prominent Mongol Noyans (generals) Jebe and Subutai advanced into Iraq-i Ajam. Jebe requested permission from the Mongol emperor, Genghis Khan, to continue his conquests for a few years before returning to the main army via the Caucasus. While waiting for Genghis Khan's reply, the duo set out on a raid in which they attacked the Kingdom of Georgia. Genghis Khan granted the duo permission to undertake their expedition, and after making their way through the Caucasus, they defeated a coalition of Caucasian tribes before defeating the Cumans. The Cuman Khan fled to the court of his son-in-law, Mstislav Mstislavich of Galicia, whom he convinced to help fight the Mongols. Mstislav the Bold formed an alliance of the Rus' princes including Mstislav III of Kiev.

↑ Return to Menu

Mongol invasion of Central Asia in the context of Nasrid dynasty (Sistan)

The Nasrid dynasty, also referred to as the Later Saffarids of Seistan or the Maliks of Nimruz, was an Iranian Sunni dynasty that ruled Sistan in the power vacuum left by the collapse of the Ghaznavid Empire and until the Mongol invasion of Central Asia. The Nasrids were a branch of the Saffarid dynasty, and the establishment of the Nasrid Kingdom at Nimruz in 1068 until its dissolution in 1225 represents a transient resurgence of Saffarid rule in Sistan.

The kingdom was established by Tadj al-Din I Abu l-Fadl Nasr who was the Malik of Sistan under the Ghaznavids. Nasrid maliks ruled intermittently as sovereigns or vassals of larger neighboring powers, including the Seljuks, the Ghurids, and the Khwarezmians. After the dissolution of the kingdom by Inaltigin Khwarazmi in the wake of the Mongol invasion, the region was ruled by a third dynasty of Saffarids, the Mihrabanids.

↑ Return to Menu