Genghis Khan (part 5), Doom of the Khwarazmain

  

This post is following the last 4 ones. Make sure to read Genghis-Khan full history in part 1-4 of his adventures. 

Now this is where the fun part begins. Remember when I said he smashed the Jurchen and Song Dynasty? That was an avant bouche compared to the apocalyptical level of devastation Genghis-Khan would unleash on this region. If the Middle East was earth, the Mongol hordes were a KT extinction event. There is a reason why a lot of people put the end of the Islamic Golden Age on Genghis-Khan. Although it would have ended anyway, he definitely expedited the process. No, seriously! The Islamic heartland really got the short end of the stick when it comes to Mongol interactions. 

And starting off with the big daddy of the region, the Khwarazmain Empire. A major powerhouse of the area, they cemented their rule by defeating both the formidable Seljuk and Ghurid Empires and acting as an antagonizing force to the Abbasid Caliphate no less. This empire contained cities like Samarkand, Nishapur and Isfahan that made Rome, London and Paris look like countryside villages. It contained knowledge and wealth that surpassed any other nations in Europe and the Middle East. Plus, even if they were past their prime the empire remained a force to be recon with. Well, that was until they angered Genghis-Khan who proceed to utterly obliterate the area with such efficiency that it would never recover its former glory, ever. When Genghis-Khan and his hordes left, at most 90% of the empire’s population was killed, with all its major cities put to the sword for daring resisting them.  

You see, the Mongols had a very peculiar way of handling warfare. Unlike other nations that attack then negotiate, they would ‘talk’ first and then attack if it failed. And their negotiations would always go like this, “surrender and pay us tribute or die trying to resist.” And the Mongols stuck to this principle with fanatical resolve, as the like of Novgorod who bent the knee were virtually untouched, while anyone that stood up were annihilated. This is a policy that the major Khwarazmain cities would learn the hard way, as every single one made a stand and were wiped off the map. Without Genghis-Khan, the Khwarazmain end would be much more tranquil and smoother. Plus, it would probably be followed by one or many great empires. The knowledge of these people wouldn’t have been erased in an instant and who knows how much they could have affected the world. 

We’ll continue with the Genghis-Khan in the next post. Make sure to follow the next part of the series!