Barbarians

The Mongols

Under the leadership of Genghis Khan, the Mongols in the thirteenth century built an empire that reached from China to the Caspian Sea. Barbarians: The Mongols explores the origins, development, and decline of this vast empire, the devastating battles against the Tatars, the Chinese, and the Ottoman Turks, and the ways the Mongols created vast communication networks spanning the Asian continent.

CURRICULUM LINKS
Barbarians: The Mongols can be used in history classes.

NOTE TO EDUCATORS
This program is appropriate for middle school and high school students. It contains some descriptions of graphic violence.

OBJECTIVES
After viewing this program, students should be able to discuss the origins of the Mongol empire in the thirteenth century; the background and accomplishments of Genghis Khan; the background and accomplishments of Timur; key military techniques and strategies used by the Mongols; and achievements and weaknesses of the Mongol empire in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.

STANDARDS
Barbarians: The Mongols fulfills the following National Standards for History for grades 5-12: chronological thinking, historical comprehension, historical analysis and interpretations.

PRE-VIEWING ACTIVITY
1.Before watching the video, read through and prepare to answer all the questions below.
2.What was happening in Europe, in the Middle East, in India, and in China in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries?

Discussion Questions

  1. What is the meaning of the following words: steppe, khan, nomad, yurt, yam system?

  2. Who were the Mongols’ chief Asian rivals?

  3. Who was Temujin?

  4. According to the video, how did Temujin’s personal family background affect his later development and motivations as a leader?

  5. In what way did Temujin reorganize the tribal Mongolian society of east Asia?

  6. Describe the Mongols’ military strategies. Why did these afford the Mongols such advantages over their enemies?

  7. If Genghis Khan were alive today and went to apply for a job, what accomplishments do you think he would list on his résumé?

  8. How important were the women in Genghis Khan’s life? Explain.

  9. What strategies did the Mongol armies use to intimidate and disorient those whom they attacked?

  10. Who was Tamerlane? Compare his leadership and accomplishments to Genghis Khan’s.

  11. What are some explanations for why Genghis Khan was so cruel and sadistic?

  12. After subduing the Chinese, Genghis Khan moved west into central Asia, where he understood that his territories were on the silk road—the major trading route between east and west. How did this alter his long-term goals for the Mongols? How did the Mongol empire affect communication and trade between east and west?

  13. Describing the weakness of the Mongol empire after Genghis Khan’s death, one of the historians in the video says, “There weren’t enough Mongols.” Why was the size of the Mongol population important? Was this inevitable?

  14. How did Timur’s defeat of the Ottoman Turks affect the balance of power with Christian Europe?
Extended Activities

  1. A Mongol’s journal: Imagine you are a Mongol soldier—on the steppes of Asia, preparing an attack on Northern China, transporting artisans back to Samarkand at the request of Timur. Write a series of journal entries about what this experience is like.
Related Videos
Primary Sources
  • A website done by an enthusiast of Mongol history: http://www.coldsiberia.org/

Air Dates

Classroom Materials