MONGOL WARRIORS A Mongol warrior did not join the army but rather was born into it Every Mongol man who could ride a horse was a soldier and all became expert equestrians early in life The Mongol prow ess for riding was especially noticed in collaboration with their The Mongol Empire grew to encompass many cultures across Europe and Asia far different than its own
9 INTRODUCTION Caption Title skill as archers on moving horses The Mongol warrior was always ready to fight whether he was hunting wild animals or going to war He met both challenges with vigor and an eagerness to prove his courage and fighting expertise The Mongols were not always the army with the best weap ons the strongest armor or the largest forces yet they were often the victors Unparalleled ferocity dazzling battlefield tactics and brilliant leadership were common factors in their successes Extraordinary discipline was also an ess ential component in fact desertion meant death Though the Mongols did not adopt a written lan guage until Genghis Khan’s reign a significant work of their early literature Mongqolun niuča tobča’an Secret History of the Mongols survives to relate the details of the Mongols rise It is a chronicle of the deeds of Genghis Khan and of his son Ögödei composed no earlier
10 MONGOL WARRIORS An ancient Mongolian saying is A Mongol without a horse is like a bird without the wings This Persian manuscript reflects the Mongols extraordinary horsemanship even in battle
11 INTRODUCTION than 1228 that was written at least partly to praise the leaders but also to record that era of history Other than this almost all writers even those who were in the Mongol service dwelt on tales of Mongol invasions and the destruction that resulted from it All these sources reveal information about the thrilling ascent of the Mongol warrior one of the most intriguing tales of the medieval world
