20 Fearsome And Fantastic Ways The Mongol Empire Altered The Course Of History
Think of the Mongols and you’ll probably picture hordes of wild warriors on horseback charging across endless landscapes as they brutally conquer all before them. That stereotype is not completely off the mark, but actually there was much more to Genghis Khan’s rule than just pillage and slaughter. Europe can thank these particular invaders for introducing everything from spectacles and mail services to paper money and iron stirrups. Read on to learn more about these intriguing people...
Before Genghis Khan and his hordes gobbled up territory extending from Eastern Europe to China in the 12th century, travel across this vast landscape had been fraught with danger. Frequent conflict between mutually hostile kingdoms along the route made it highly risky for travelers, including traders. This meant commerce, as well as the spread of innovative ideas, was severely hampered.
The Mongols recognized the advantages of free trade and so used their imperial authority to make the Silk Road a safe passage. Goods, including everything from pepper to horses, plus of course silk, could now be relatively easily transported between Asia and Europe under the iron fist of Mongol rule. And it wasn’t just about consumer goods. Crucially, a secure Silk Road also allowed the free exchange of ideas and innovations over huge distances.
Perhaps one of the most unexpected legacies of imperial Mongol control comes in the field of genetics. According to a 2015 article in the journal Nature, “Millions of men bear the genetic legacy of Genghis Khan, the famously fertile Mongolian ruler who died in 1227.” That’s the result of Mongol supremo’s reputed fertility. He’s said to have fathered hundreds of children.
A study in 2003 of 16 modern populations across the Asian continent discovered that 8 percent of men there had almost identical Y chromosomes. Their genetic material pointed to a Mongolian origin of some 1,000 years ago, roughly when Genghis Khan was in his fecund prime. The same study found that a staggering one in 200 men throughout the world displayed the same chromosomal evidence of Mongol heritage.
