Mongolia History: Difference between revisions

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History[edit | edit source]

Mongolia was inhabited by warring nomadic tribes, who learned to ride horses and their entire culture has been centered on the horse ever since. There have always been fierce struggles between neighboring tribes in Mongolia. Occasionally all or large portions of the region came under the control of a conqueror or a coalition of tribes. This led to the extermination or expulsion of some tribes and the intermingling of tribes. During periods when China was united and strong, they traded with Mongols and other Inner Asian peoples.

In repeated cycles the nomadic people of Mongolia either became vassals of the Chinese emperor, or they retreated beyond his reach into the northern steppes. On the other hand, when China appeared weak, Mongol tribes made raids into rich Chinese lands. On several occasions, raids into northern China were so successful that the victorious nomads settled in the conquered land, established dynasties, and eventually became absorbed by the more numerous Chinese.

Genghis Khan's army although not particularly large for its day, was distinguished by its superb horsemanship and expert archery, the discipline and control of its aristocratic leaders, and Genghis’s own brilliant military strategy and tactics. The neighboring Chinese Empire and the Central Asian states, both militarily weak and fragmented, inevitably surrendered to the Mongol hordes racing over Asia, as did the decaying Arab-Turkish society of the Middle East.

The Yuan dynasty was a period of Mongol rule of China which lasted nearly one hundred years, but after a century of Mongol dominance in China and the rest of Eurasia, the traditional patterns of Mongolian history reasserted themselves. Mongols living outside Mongolia were absorbed by the conquered populations, and Mongolia itself again became a land of incessantly warring nomadic tribes. Following the Yuan dynasty, various Mongolian khans attempted, but failed, to revive the great empire.

Tibetan Buddhism became the leading religious force among the Mongols in the 1500s. An alliance of Buddhist theocracy and secular Mongol aristocracy ruled the country from the seventeenth until the twentieth century.The Mongol leaders were, in fact, subordinate to Tibetan Lamas, and to the Manchu emperors of China's Qing dynasty.

As Chinese power waned in the nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries, Russian influence in Mongolia grew. After the Chinese revolution of 1911, Mongolia declared its independence from China. The rule of the “Living Buddha” was maintained and the city was renamed Niyslel Hüree. In 1924, the Mongolian People's Republic was established. The current constitution was adopted in 1992.

In the twentieth century, many aspects of Mongolia’s historic culture were also stifled or destroyed. Family histories were destroyed and the people were forbidden to use their ancient surnames. The ancient Mongolian script was forbidden and the Mongolian language has been written in the Cyrillic alphabet since the 1940s.

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-In the Dick Eastman Newsletter we find: ''(We need someone to research the date of this article and perhaps link to it)''
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+| link1=[[Mongolia Genealogy|Mongolia]]
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+== History ==
+Mongolia was inhabited by warring nomadic tribes, who learned to ride horses and their entire culture has been centered on the horse ever since. There have always been fierce struggles between neighboring tribes in Mongolia. Occasionally all or large portions of the region came under the control of a conqueror or a coalition of tribes. This led to the extermination or expulsion of some tribes and the intermingling of tribes. During periods when China was united and strong, they traded with Mongols and other Inner Asian peoples.
-Mongolians have had a long and rich history with several unusual genealogy twists. More than sixty years ago, the population was ordered to stop using family surnames. The Communist rulers proclaimed that each person was to use only their given names. A few years ago, the new generation of leaders reversed the older rule and ordered everyone to again start using surnames. A lot of confusion resulted, as many families had been dispersed in sixty years of war and turmoil. Many people did not know what surname to use.
+In repeated cycles the nomadic people of Mongolia either became vassals of the Chinese emperor, or they retreated beyond his reach into the northern steppes. On the other hand, when China appeared weak, Mongol tribes made raids into rich Chinese lands. On several occasions, raids into northern China were so successful that the victorious nomads settled in the conquered land, established dynasties, and eventually became absorbed by the more numerous Chinese.
-Now, in a unique turnabout, newly-discovered Mongolian genealogy records are providing insights into the history of Mongolia and China. In fact, the records are correcting errors found in many history books. The studies of the newly-discovered Mongol genealogy may help unveil some mysteries in Chinese history, such as the whereabouts of the remains of Genghis Khan (1167-1227), the great Mongol emperor whose grandson founded the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), and the fate of his descendants.
+Genghis Khan's army although not particularly large for its day, was distinguished by its superb horsemanship and expert archery, the discipline and control of its aristocratic leaders, and Genghis’s own brilliant military strategy and tactics. The neighboring Chinese Empire and the Central Asian states, both militarily weak and fragmented, inevitably surrendered to the Mongol hordes racing over Asia, as did the decaying Arab-Turkish society of the Middle East.
-The 25-foot-long genealogy, the largest Mongolian genealogy ever found, lists 14 generations of over 1,900 Mongols of the family, most of whom served as high-ranking officials between 1635 and the early 1900s. On top of the family tree was Tulin Gujen, a man who lived in the late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and whose forefather, Djelme, contributed tremendously to Genghis Khan's unification of Mongolian tribes.
+The Yuan dynasty was a period of Mongol rule of China which lasted nearly one hundred years, but after a century of Mongol dominance in China and the rest of Eurasia, the traditional patterns of Mongolian history reasserted themselves. Mongols living outside Mongolia were absorbed by the conquered populations, and Mongolia itself again became a land of incessantly warring nomadic tribes. Following the Yuan dynasty, various Mongolian khans attempted, but failed, to revive the great empire.
-"Genghis Khan therefore decreed that his family ally with the Djelme's, and his own daughter was married to Djelme's son," said Hu Guozhi, a Mongolian scholar in the Harqin Left Wing Mongolian Autonomous County, west of Liaoning Province, northeast China, where the genealogy was found. Since then, the two families have been closely linked by marriage between their offspring. Tulin Gujen, like his forefathers, married an offspring of Genghis Khan. In history books, Tulin Gujen was referred to as the last "fuma," or son-in-law of Genghis Khan.
+Tibetan Buddhism became the leading religious force among the Mongols in the 1500s. An alliance of Buddhist theocracy and secular Mongol aristocracy ruled the country from the seventeenth until the twentieth century.The Mongol leaders were, in fact, subordinate to Tibetan Lamas, and to the Manchu emperors of China's Qing dynasty.
-[[Category:Mongolia]] [[Category:History]]
+As Chinese power waned in the nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries, Russian influence in Mongolia grew. After the Chinese revolution of 1911, Mongolia declared its independence from China. The rule of the “Living Buddha” was maintained and the city was renamed ''Niyslel Hüree''. In 1924, the Mongolian People's Republic was established. The current constitution was adopted in 1992.
+In the twentieth century, many aspects of Mongolia’s historic culture were also stifled or destroyed. Family histories were destroyed and the people were forbidden to use their ancient surnames. The ancient Mongolian script was forbidden and the Mongolian language has been written in the Cyrillic alphabet since the 1940s.
+[[Category:Mongolia]]
+[[Category:Histories]]