On the establishment and decline of the Mongol empire

Abstract

The Mongols, from a fairly small tribe living in the Central Asian steppe with a thirst for power, established a powerful empire, dominating a large territory, stretching across the Eurasian continent between XIIIth and the first half of the XIVth centuries. In that empire, power was centralized and relatively unified among the Khanates (Kingdoms) through the system of Edicts or laws (Yasa) of Genghis Khan - "King of Heaven", and were enforced by military force. This was combined with relative tolerance of religion and encouragement for trade that promoted the empire’s early success. However, the formation of the empire was mainly based on brutal conquest, looting of wealth and other resources from conquered territories, with little emphasis on infrastructure development. In addition, political division and the power struggle among the Khanates caused the Mongol empire to weaken and collapse as the power of surrounding ethnic groups, especially the Han people, Eastern Slavs and Turks, expanded.