Essay Sample on The Mongols: How Barbaric Were the Barbarians?

800 years ago the Mongols, a nomadic tribe from the grasslands of central Asia, were in their prime. They had conquered 4.86 million square miles of land during the 13th century. They had conquered so much land they were seen as barbaric and destructive. Therefore, I believe the Mongols were both un-barbaric and barbaric although they were more barbaric due to the damage they invoked while taking over other countries and land.

The Mongols were not barbaric due to the fact that they were religiously tolerant and had a low amount of criminal activity in their cities. The Mongols were tolerant of other religions. In order to prove this their khan/leader sent scribes to the Christians, Muslims, and Buddhists (doc 8). This act of peace let the religious leaders understand that although the Mongols took over their cities they wouldn’t be forced to lose their religion. Also during this time in the Mongol cities there was little to no crime because of the fact that the people understood the power the Mongols had and realized they shouldn’t commit crime (doc 6). 

However, with all of the good that came from them taking over countries I believe that they were truly highly barbaric due to the fact that they would leave nothing alive, would blame people for others' mistakes, burn their captives, and would bury people alive. The Mongols were so barbaric that they would kill every living thing from men to women to children to even cats and dogs (doc 3). This proved the stories that other civilizations heard. They also would force their warriors to death if they didn’t stay together (doc 1). For example, if one person had run away the rest of the people in his group would be put to death in (doc 1). This led to fear being struck into their warriors and also blamed everyone else for one man’s selfishness. The Mongols also would catapult the burned fat of their captives over castle/city walls in order to send the city into a frenzy and make it much easier for them to take it over (doc 2). This was their way of using napalm, a Greek invention. Lastly, they would bury their victims alive. In a scene from a persian manuscript there was a depiction of people being buried alive (doc 4). 

In conclusion, the Mongols were heavily barbaric due to the evidence provided. The evidence I provided demonstrated the lack of remorse the mongols possessed, and although some good things from the Mongols they don’t make up for the reign of terror they had.