Military organization of the Mongols. Cheat sheet: Genghis Khan's reforms

Reforms of Genghis Khan. Military organization of the Mongols

Genghis Khan's first state decision carried out a military reform of society. The commanders received awards according to merit, and not by right of birth. The soldiers were deployed in tens, hundreds and thousands and were required to serve from fourteen to seventy years of age. To monitor order, in addition to the army of one hundred thousand, a guard of ten thousand was created, which served as the guard of the khan's yurt. The guard (keshiktash) was created from noble warriors who were personally loyal to Genghis Khan. The guard also included a thousand of the most loyal and powerful warriors - “bagaturs”.

The legislation was based on the military regulations. Two punishments were established: the death penalty and “exile to Siberia” - to the deserted north of Mongolia. A distinctive feature of this establishment was the introduction of punishment for failure to provide assistance to a comrade in trouble. This law was called Yasa, and Genghis Khan's second son, Chagatai, was appointed keeper of the Yasa (supreme prosecutor). In such a warlike and diverse crowd of people, it was necessary to maintain strict order, which always requires real force. Genghis Khan foresaw this and, from among the most proven warriors, created two guards, day and night. They were on round-the-clock duty in the horde, were constantly with the khan and obeyed only him. This was the Mongolian coercive apparatus, placed above the army command staff: an ordinary guardsman was considered higher in rank than a thousand-man officer. 95 noyons elected by the army were appointed as thousands.

The Mongol army was a close-knit equestrian formation. Unlike other nomads, the Mongols’ tactics included the principle of ramming - compact masses in deep formations, which were supposed to increase the impact (shock) force to the possible limits with the aim, for example, of breaking through the enemy’s center, one of its wings, etc. But the Mongols, in addition, had a high degree of maneuverability, and their light cavalry played a very active and not at all secondary role in battle.

The first cavalry units not only carried out a crushing blow to one or another section of the enemy front, but could push him to the flank, and also be thrown to his rear. Thanks to this ability to maneuver, there was no need to identify the point for the main attack in advance: it could be determined during the course of the battle, depending on the prevailing situation. The light cavalry not only reconnaissance and cover, but mainly performs the task of actively preparing the impending decisive strike. This is the famous "Mongolian lava". Maneuvering in front of the enemy’s front with extraordinary mobility, the horsemen jumped into his flanks, and, when appropriate, into his rear. These dexterous riders, armed with throwing weapons, sitting on their horses, trained like dogs, now breaking apart, now gathering into more or less dense groups, sent clouds of well-aimed arrows and darts into the enemy’s ranks, threatening him with one thing or another place attack and, usually not accepting the enemy’s close attack, turned to feigned flight, luring him and leading him into ambushes.

With such actions they frustrated and exhausted the enemy physically and mentally to such an extent that he sometimes surrendered the rear even before the Mongol heavy cavalry entered the picture. If the enemy turned out to be persistent, then the actions of the light cavalry, in any case, made it possible to determine its location, weak points or the most advantageous areas for delivering the main blow, where heavy cavalry masses were quickly and secretly, with skillful use of the terrain, brought up in deep closed formations , built in several lines.

Thanks to their high maneuverability, these masses had an advantage even over the valiant knightly cavalry of Europe, famous for its powerful striking force and the art of single combat, but extremely clumsy.

As a feature of Mongolian tactics, it can also be noted that the cavalry on the battlefield usually maneuvered “silently,” i.e. not by commands, but by conventional signs given by the badge (flag) of the boss. In night battles they were replaced by colored lanterns. Drums were used to give signals only in camp settings.

In accordance with the tactical techniques of the Mongol army, the armament of its two main “arms” was determined - light and heavy cavalry, otherwise called archers and swordsmen. As the name itself shows, the main weapon of the first was the bow and arrow; they themselves and their horses had no or only the most primitive and light protective devices; the archers had two bows and two quivers, one consumable, the other spare. The spare quiver was designed to protect the arrows from moisture. The arrows were extremely sharp. The Mongols were masters at making and sharpening them. Accustomed to archery from the age of three, the Mongol was an excellent marksman. Some of the archers were additionally armed with darts. Light sabers were available as additional weapons for possible hand-to-hand combat.

Genghis Khan's first state decision carried out a military reform of society. The commanders received awards according to merit, and not by right of birth. The soldiers were deployed in tens, hundreds and thousands and were required to serve from fourteen to seventy years of age. To monitor order, in addition to the army of one hundred thousand, a guard of ten thousand was created, which served as the guard of the khan's yurt. The guard (keshiktash) was created from noble warriors who were personally loyal to Genghis Khan. The guard also included a thousand of the most loyal and powerful warriors - “bagaturs”.

The legislation was based on the military regulations. Two punishments were established: the death penalty and “exile to Siberia” - to the deserted north of Mongolia. A distinctive feature of this establishment was the introduction of punishment for failure to provide assistance to a comrade in trouble. This law was called Yasa, and Genghis Khan's second son, Chagatai, was appointed keeper of the Yasa (supreme prosecutor). In such a warlike and diverse crowd of people, it was necessary to maintain strict order, which always requires real force. Genghis Khan foresaw this and, from among the most proven warriors, created two guards, day and night. They were on round-the-clock duty in the horde, were constantly with the khan and obeyed only him. This was the Mongolian coercive apparatus, placed above the army command staff: an ordinary guardsman was considered higher in rank than a thousand-man officer. 95 noyons elected by the army were appointed as thousands.

The Mongol army was a close-knit equestrian formation. Unlike other nomads, the Mongols’ tactics included the principle of ramming - compact masses in deep formations, which were supposed to increase the impact (shock) force to the possible limits with the aim, for example, of breaking through the enemy’s center, one of its wings, etc. But the Mongols, in addition, had a high degree of maneuverability, and their light cavalry played a very active and not at all secondary role in battle.

The first cavalry units not only carried out a crushing blow to one or another section of the enemy front, but could push him to the flank, and also be thrown to his rear. Thanks to this ability to maneuver, there was no need to identify the point for the main attack in advance: it could be determined during the course of the battle, depending on the prevailing situation. The light cavalry not only reconnaissance and cover, but mainly performs the task of actively preparing the impending decisive strike. This is the famous "Mongolian lava". Maneuvering in front of the enemy’s front with extraordinary mobility, the horsemen jumped into his flanks, and, when appropriate, into his rear. These dexterous riders, armed with throwing weapons, sitting on their horses, trained like dogs, now breaking apart, now gathering into more or less dense groups, sent clouds of well-aimed arrows and darts into the enemy’s ranks, threatening him with one thing or another place attack and, usually not accepting the enemy’s close attack, turned to feigned flight, luring him and leading him into ambushes.

With such actions they frustrated and exhausted the enemy physically and mentally to such an extent that he sometimes surrendered the rear even before the Mongol heavy cavalry entered the picture. If the enemy turned out to be persistent, then the actions of the light cavalry, in any case, made it possible to determine its location, weak points or the most advantageous areas for delivering the main blow, where heavy cavalry masses were quickly and secretly, with skillful use of the terrain, brought up in deep closed formations , built in several lines.

Thanks to their high maneuverability, these masses had an advantage even over the valiant knightly cavalry of Europe, famous for its powerful striking force and the art of single combat, but extremely clumsy.

As a feature of Mongolian tactics, it can also be noted that the cavalry on the battlefield usually maneuvered “silently,” i.e. not by commands, but by conventional signs given by the badge (flag) of the boss. In night battles they were replaced by colored lanterns. Drums were used to give signals only in camp settings.

In accordance with the tactical techniques of the Mongol army, the armament of its two main “arms” was determined - light and heavy cavalry, otherwise called archers and swordsmen. As the name itself shows, the main weapon of the first was the bow and arrow; they themselves and their horses had no or only the most primitive and light protective devices; the archers had two bows and two quivers, one consumable, the other spare. The spare quiver was designed to protect the arrows from moisture. The arrows were extremely sharp. The Mongols were masters at making and sharpening them. Accustomed to archery from the age of three, the Mongol was an excellent marksman. Some of the archers were additionally armed with darts. Light sabers were available as additional weapons for possible hand-to-hand combat.

In the heavy cavalry, men wore chain mail or leather armor; their headdress consisted of a light leather helmet with a strong backplate to protect the neck from saber strikes. The horses of the heavy cavalry had protective weapons made of thick patent leather. The main offensive weapons of the swordsmen were curved sabers, which they wielded perfectly, and pikes; in addition, each had a battle ax or an iron club, which was hung from the belt or from the saddle.

In hand-to-hand combat, as well as during skirmishes in small parties, the Mongols tried to throw or pull enemies off their horses; For this purpose, hooks attached to lances and darts were used, as well as lassos made of horsehair, which were thrown at the enemy from some distance. Trapped in the noose of the lasso

the enemy rider was pulled off his horse and dragged along the ground; the same technique was used against a foot enemy.

Large and medium-sized military units, such as thousands or hundreds, were mounted on horses of the same color. This is reliably known regarding the guards’ “thousand bagaturs,” which all had black horses.

The most important point in the structure of the Mongol army, in contrast to other nomadic peoples, was that they widely used various engineering devices to siege cities: catapults, rams, mining techniques, etc. Captured Chinese were used as specialists. For example, during the Central Asian campaign we see within the Mongolian army an auxiliary engineering division serving a variety of heavy combat vehicles, which were used mainly during sieges, including flamethrowers. The latter threw various flammable substances into the besieged cities: burning oil, the so-called “Greek fire”, etc.

As E. Khara-Davan points out, preparations for one or another campaign were carried out according to the same scheme:

A kurultai was convened, at which the issue of the upcoming war and its plan was discussed. There they decided everything that was necessary to form an army - how many soldiers to take from each ten tents, etc., and also determined the place and time for collecting troops.

Spies were sent to the enemy country and “tongues” were obtained.

Military operations usually began in early spring, when the grass was growing, and in the fall, when the horses and camels were in good health and the water obstacles were frozen. Before the opening of hostilities, Genghis Khan gathered all the senior commanders to listen to his instructions. The supreme command was exercised by Genghis Khan himself. The invasion of the enemy's country was carried out by several armies in different directions. From the commanders receiving such a separate command, Genghis Khan demanded to present a plan of action, which he discussed and usually approved, only in rare cases introducing his own amendments to it. After this, the performer is given complete freedom of action within the limits of the task given to him in close connection with the headquarters of the supreme leader.

When approaching significant fortified cities, the main armies left an observation corps to monitor them. Supplies were collected in the surrounding area and, if necessary, a temporary base was set up. Usually the main forces continued the offensive, and the observation corps, equipped with machines, began to invest and siege.

When a meeting in the field with an enemy army was foreseen, the Mongols usually followed one of two methods:

either they tried to attack the enemy by surprise, quickly concentrating the forces of several armies to the battlefield, or, if the enemy turned out to be vigilant and surprise could not be counted on, they directed their forces in such a way as to achieve a bypass of one of the enemy flanks.

But their military initiative was not exhausted by these methods. For example, a feigned flight was carried out, and the army with great skill covered its tracks, disappearing from the eyes of the enemy until he fragmented his forces and weakened security measures. Then the Mongols mounted fresh clockwork horses and made a quick raid, appearing as if from underground before the stunned enemy. In this way, the Russian princes were defeated in 1223 on the Kalka River. It happened that during such a demonstrative flight, the Mongol troops dispersed so as to envelop the enemy from different sides. If it turned out that the enemy was staying focused and prepared to fight back, they released him from the encirclement in order to later attack him on the march. In this way, in 1220, one of the armies of Khorezmshah Muhammad, which the Mongols deliberately released from Bukhara, was destroyed.

They also point out this interesting fact: before the battle, the Mongol put on silk underwear (Chinese chesucha). This tissue has the ability to be drawn into the wound along with the tip, delaying its penetration. The tip cannot pierce the fabric, and the tip removal operation becomes simple.

So, the consolidated Mongol ethnic group arose because of wars and only for wars. And they were not long in coming...

The name of Genghis Khan has long become a household name. It is a symbol of devastation and colossal wars. The Mongol ruler created an empire whose size amazed the imagination of his contemporaries.

Childhood

The future Genghis Khan, whose biography has many blank spots, was born somewhere on the border of modern Russia and Mongolia. They named him Temujin. He adopted the name Genghis Khan as a designation of the title of ruler of the vast Mongol empire.

Historians have never been able to accurately calculate the date of birth of the famous commander. Various estimates place it between 1155 and 1162. This inaccuracy is due to the lack of reliable sources relating to that era.

Genghis Khan was born into the family of one of the Mongol leaders. His father was poisoned by the Tatars, after which the child began to be persecuted by other contenders for power in his native uluses. In the end, Temujin was captured and forced to live with stocks placed around his neck. This symbolized the slave position of the young man. Temujin managed to escape from captivity by hiding in the lake. He was underwater until his pursuers began looking for him elsewhere.

Unification of Mongolia

Many Mongols sympathized with the escaped prisoner who was Genghis Khan. The biography of this man is a vivid example of how a commander created a huge army from scratch. Once free, he was able to enlist the support of one of the khans named Tooril. This elderly ruler gave his daughter to Temuchin as his wife, thereby cementing an alliance with the talented young military leader.

Very soon the young man was able to meet the expectations of his patron. Together with his army, ulus after ulus. He was distinguished by his uncompromisingness and cruelty towards his enemies, which terrified his enemies. His main enemies were the Tatars, who dealt with his father. Genghis Khan ordered his subjects to destroy all these people, except for children, whose height did not exceed the height of a cart wheel. The final victory over the Tatars occurred in 1202, when they became harmless to the Mongols, united under the rule of Temujin.

Temujin's new name

In order to officially consolidate his leading position among his fellow tribesmen, the leader of the Mongols convened a kurultai in 1206. This council proclaimed him Genghis Khan (or Great Khan). It was under this name that the commander went down in history. He managed to unite the warring and scattered uluses of the Mongols. The new ruler gave them the only goal - to extend their power to neighboring peoples. Thus began the aggressive campaigns of the Mongols, which continued after Temujin’s death.

Genghis Khan's reforms

Soon reforms began, initiated by Genghis Khan. The biography of this leader is very informative. Temujin divided the Mongols into thousands and tumens. These administrative units together made up the Horde.

The main problem that could hinder Genghis Khan was internal hostility among the Mongols. Therefore, the ruler mixed numerous clans among themselves, depriving them of the previous organization that had existed for dozens of generations. It bore fruit. The horde became manageable and obedient. At the head of the tumens (one tumen included ten thousand warriors) were people loyal to the khan, who unquestioningly obeyed his orders. The Mongols were also attached to their new units. For moving to another tumen, those who disobeyed faced the death penalty. Thus, Genghis Khan, whose biography shows him as a far-sighted reformer, was able to overcome the destructive tendencies within Mongolian society. Now he could engage in external conquests.

Chinese campaign

By 1211, the Mongols managed to subjugate all the neighboring Siberian tribes. They were characterized by poor self-organization and could not repel the invaders. The first real test for Genghis Khan on distant frontiers was the war with China. This civilization had been at war with the northern nomads for many centuries and had enormous military experience. One day, the guards on the Great Wall of China saw foreign troops led by Genghis Khan (a short biography of the leader cannot do without this episode). This fortification system was impregnable to previous intruders. However, it was Temujin who was the first to take possession of the wall.

It was divided into three parts. Each of them set out to conquer hostile cities in their own direction (in the south, southeast and east). Genghis Khan himself reached with his army all the way to the sea. He made peace. The losing ruler agreed to recognize himself as a tributary of the Mongols. For this he received Beijing. However, as soon as the Mongols retreated back to the steppes, the Chinese emperor moved his capital to another city. This was regarded as treason. The nomads returned to China and again filled it with blood. In the end, this country was subjugated.

Conquest of Central Asia

The next region that came under Temujin's attack was the local Muslim rulers who did not resist the Mongol hordes for long. Because of this, the biography of Genghis Khan is studied in detail in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan today. A summary of his biography is taught in any school.

In 1220, the khan captured Samarkand, the oldest and richest city in the region.

The next victims of the nomadic aggression were the Polovtsians. These steppe inhabitants asked some Slavic princes for help. So in 1223, Russian warriors first met the Mongols at the Battle of Kalka. The battle between the Polovtsy and the Slavs was lost. Temujin himself was in his homeland at that time, but closely monitored the success of his subordinates' weapons. Genghis Khan, whose interesting biographical facts are collected in various monographs, received the remnants of this army, which returned to Mongolia in 1224.

Death of Genghis Khan

In 1227, during the siege of the Tangut capital, he died. A brief biography of the leader, set out in any textbook, will certainly tell about this episode.

The Tanguts lived in northern China and, despite the fact that the Mongols had long since subjugated them, rebelled. Then Genghis Khan himself led the army, which was supposed to punish the disobedient.

According to the chronicles of that time, the leader of the Mongols hosted a delegation of Tanguts who wanted to discuss the terms of the surrender of their capital. However, Genghis Khan felt ill and refused the ambassadors an audience. He died soon after. It is not known exactly what caused the leader’s death. Perhaps it was a matter of age, since the khan was already seventy years old, and he could hardly endure long campaigns. There is also a version that he was stabbed to death by one of his wives. The mysterious circumstances of the death are also complemented by the fact that researchers still cannot find Temujin’s grave.

Heritage

There is little reliable evidence left about the empire that Genghis Khan founded. The biography, campaigns and victories of the leader - all this is known only from fragmentary sources. But the significance of the Khan’s actions is difficult to overestimate. He created the largest state in human history, spread over the vast expanse of Eurasia.

Temujin's descendants developed his success. Thus, his grandson Batu led an unprecedented campaign against the Russian principalities. He became the ruler of the Golden Horde and imposed tribute on the Slavs. But the empire founded by Genghis Khan was short-lived. At first it split into several uluses. These states were eventually captured by their neighbors. Therefore, it was Genghis Khan Khan, whose biography is known to any educated person, who became a symbol of Mongol power.

Genghis Khan's first state decision carried out a military reform of society. The commanders received awards according to merit, and not by right of birth. The soldiers were deployed in tens, hundreds and thousands and were required to serve from fourteen to seventy years of age. To monitor order, in addition to the army of one hundred thousand, a guard of ten thousand was created, which served as the guard of the khan's yurt. The guard (keshiktash) was created from noble warriors who were personally loyal to Genghis Khan. The guard also included a thousand of the most loyal and powerful warriors - “bagaturs”.

The legislation was based on the military regulations. Two punishments were established: the death penalty and “exile to Siberia” - to the deserted north of Mongolia. A distinctive feature of this establishment was the introduction of punishment for failure to provide assistance to a comrade in trouble. This law was called Yasa, and Genghis Khan's second son, Chagatai, was appointed keeper of the Yasa (supreme prosecutor). In such a warlike and diverse crowd of people, it was necessary to maintain strict order, which always requires real force. Genghis Khan foresaw this and, from among the most proven warriors, created two guards, day and night. They were on round-the-clock duty in the horde, were constantly with the khan and obeyed only him. This was the Mongolian coercive apparatus, placed above the army command staff: an ordinary guardsman was considered higher in rank than a thousand-man officer. 95 noyons elected by the army were appointed as thousands.

The Mongol army was a close-knit equestrian formation. Unlike other nomads, the Mongols’ tactics included the principle of ramming - compact masses in deep formations, which were supposed to increase the impact (shock) force to the possible limits with the aim, for example, of breaking through the enemy’s center, one of its wings, etc. But the Mongols, in addition, had a high degree of maneuverability, and their light cavalry played a very active and not at all secondary role in battle.

The first cavalry units not only carried out a crushing blow to one or another section of the enemy front, but could push him to the flank, and also be thrown to his rear. Thanks to this ability to maneuver, there was no need to identify the point for the main attack in advance: it could be determined during the course of the battle, depending on the prevailing situation. The light cavalry not only reconnaissance and cover, but mainly performs the task of actively preparing the impending decisive strike. This is the famous "Mongolian lava". Maneuvering in front of the enemy’s front with extraordinary mobility, the horsemen jumped into his flanks, and, when appropriate, into his rear. These dexterous riders, armed with throwing weapons, sitting on their horses, trained like dogs, now breaking apart, now gathering into more or less dense groups, sent clouds of well-aimed arrows and darts into the enemy’s ranks, threatening him with one thing or another place attack and, usually not accepting the enemy’s close attack, turned to feigned flight, luring him and leading him into ambushes.

With such actions they frustrated and exhausted the enemy physically and mentally to such an extent that he sometimes surrendered the rear even before the Mongol heavy cavalry entered the picture. If the enemy turned out to be persistent, then the actions of the light cavalry, in any case, made it possible to determine its location, weak points or the most advantageous areas for delivering the main blow, where heavy cavalry masses were quickly and secretly, with skillful use of the terrain, brought up in deep closed formations , built in several lines.

Thanks to their high maneuverability, these masses had an advantage even over the valiant knightly cavalry of Europe, famous for its powerful striking force and the art of single combat, but extremely clumsy.

As a feature of Mongolian tactics, it can also be noted that the cavalry on the battlefield usually maneuvered “silently,” i.e. not by commands, but by conventional signs given by the badge (flag) of the boss. In night battles they were replaced by colored lanterns. Drums were used to give signals only in camp settings.

In accordance with the tactical techniques of the Mongol army, the armament of its two main “arms” was determined - light and heavy cavalry, otherwise called archers and swordsmen. As the name itself shows, the main weapon of the first was the bow and arrow; they themselves and their horses had no or only the most primitive and light protective devices; the archers had two bows and two quivers, one consumable, the other spare. The spare quiver was designed to protect the arrows from moisture. The arrows were extremely sharp. The Mongols were masters at making and sharpening them. Accustomed to archery from the age of three, the Mongol was an excellent marksman. Some of the archers were additionally armed with darts. Light sabers were available as additional weapons for possible hand-to-hand combat.

In the heavy cavalry, men wore chain mail or leather armor; their headdress consisted of a light leather helmet with a strong backplate to protect the neck from saber strikes. The horses of the heavy cavalry had protective weapons made of thick patent leather. The main offensive weapons of the swordsmen were curved sabers, which they wielded perfectly, and pikes; in addition, each had a battle ax or an iron club, which was hung from the belt or from the saddle.

In hand-to-hand combat, as well as during skirmishes in small parties, the Mongols tried to throw or pull enemies off their horses; For this purpose, hooks attached to lances and darts were used, as well as lassos made of horsehair, which were thrown at the enemy from some distance. Captured by the noose of the lasso, the enemy rider was pulled off his horse and dragged along the ground; the same technique was used against a foot enemy.

Large and medium-sized military units, such as thousands or hundreds, were mounted on horses of the same color. This is reliably known regarding the guards’ “thousand bagaturs,” which all had black horses.

The most important point in the structure of the Mongol army, in contrast to other nomadic peoples, was that they widely used various engineering devices to siege cities: catapults, rams, mining techniques, etc. Captured Chinese were used as specialists. For example, during the Central Asian campaign we see within the Mongolian army an auxiliary engineering division serving a variety of heavy combat vehicles, which were used mainly during sieges, including flamethrowers. The latter threw various flammable substances into the besieged cities: burning oil, the so-called “Greek fire”, etc.

As E. Khara-Davan points out, preparations for one or another campaign were carried out according to the same scheme:

1. A kurultai was convened, at which the issue of the upcoming war and its plan was discussed. There they decided everything that was necessary to form an army - how many soldiers to take from each ten tents, etc., and also determined the place and time for collecting troops.

Spies were sent to the enemy country and “tongues” were obtained.

3. Military operations usually began in early spring, when the grass was growing, and in the fall, when the horses and camels were in good health and the water obstacles were frozen. Before the opening of hostilities, Genghis Khan gathered all the senior commanders to listen to his instructions.

The supreme command was exercised by Genghis Khan himself. The invasion of the enemy's country was carried out by several armies in different directions. From the commanders receiving such a separate command, Genghis Khan demanded to present a plan of action, which he discussed and usually approved, only in rare cases introducing his own amendments to it. After this, the performer is given complete freedom of action within the limits of the task given to him in close connection with the headquarters of the supreme leader.

4. When approaching significant fortified cities, the main armies left an observation corps to monitor them. Supplies were collected in the surrounding area and, if necessary, a temporary base was set up. Usually the main forces continued the offensive, and the observation corps, equipped with machines, began to invest and siege.

5. When a meeting in the field with an enemy army was foreseen, the Mongols usually adhered to one of two methods: either they tried to attack the enemy by surprise, quickly concentrating the forces of several armies to the battlefield, or, if the enemy turned out to be vigilant and surprise could not be counted on, they directed their forces in such a way as to achieve a bypass of one of the enemy flanks.

But their military initiative was not exhausted by these methods. For example, a feigned flight was carried out, and the army with great skill covered its tracks, disappearing from the eyes of the enemy until he fragmented his forces and weakened security measures. Then the Mongols mounted fresh clockwork horses and made a quick raid, appearing as if from underground before the stunned enemy. In this way, the Russian princes were defeated in 1223 on the Kalka River. It happened that during such a demonstrative flight, the Mongol troops dispersed so as to envelop the enemy from different sides. If it turned out that the enemy was staying focused and prepared to fight back, they released him from the encirclement in order to later attack him on the march. In this way, in 1220, one of the armies of Khorezmshah Muhammad, which the Mongols deliberately released from Bukhara, was destroyed.

They also point out this interesting fact: before the battle, the Mongol put on silk underwear (Chinese chesucha). This tissue has the ability to be drawn into the wound along with the tip, delaying its penetration. The tip cannot pierce the fabric, and the tip removal operation becomes simple.

Thus, in Mongolian society, law and order and legality occupied an important place in the regulation of social relations. A study of the practice of considering and suppressing violations of established rules in Mongolian society in the 13th century allows us to conclude that an extensive system of courts was created to strengthen the established order. The procedure for appointment to the position of judge, norms...

The authors identify the “Black Tatars” with those tribes that were the core of the tribal association that received at the beginning of the 13th century. common name "Mongol". The word “Mongol” itself still does not have a single interpretation in historical science. According to Chinese and other sources, “Mongols” was the name given to one of the ancient tribes that lived on the territory of Mongolia. The most likely assumption is...

Countries, ensure the protection of its borders from external enemies, conduct domestic and foreign policies. The state of the Volga Bulgars finally emerged at the beginning of the 10th century. It is characteristic that at this time the Bulgarian emir organized the minting of coins (902-908), and the first steps were taken to establish diplomatic relations with the Baghdad Caliphate (921-922). At the same time, the Bulgars adopted a new religion - Islam, ...

Order writing a unique work

Reforms of Genghis Khan. Military organization of the Mongols

Genghis Khan's first state decision carried out a military reform of society. The commanders received awards according to merit, and not by right of birth. The soldiers were deployed in tens, hundreds and thousands and were required to serve from fourteen to seventy years of age. To monitor order, in addition to the army of one hundred thousand, a guard of ten thousand was created, which served as the guard of the khan's yurt. The guard (keshiktash) was created from noble warriors who were personally loyal to Genghis Khan. The guard also included a thousand of the most loyal and powerful warriors - “bagaturs”.

The legislation was based on the military regulations. Two punishments were established: the death penalty and “exile to Siberia” - to the deserted north of Mongolia. A distinctive feature of this establishment was the introduction of punishment for failure to provide assistance to a comrade in trouble. This law was called Yasa, and Genghis Khan's second son, Chagatai, was appointed keeper of the Yasa (supreme prosecutor). In such a warlike and diverse crowd of people, it was necessary to maintain strict order, which always requires real force. Genghis Khan foresaw this and, from among the most proven warriors, created two guards, day and night. They were on round-the-clock duty in the horde, were constantly with the khan and obeyed only him. This was the Mongolian coercive apparatus, placed above the army command staff: an ordinary guardsman was considered higher in rank than a thousand-man officer. 95 noyons elected by the army were appointed as thousands.

The Mongol army was a close-knit equestrian formation. Unlike other nomads, the Mongols’ tactics included the principle of ramming - compact masses in deep formations, which were supposed to increase the impact (shock) force to the possible limits with the aim, for example, of breaking through the enemy’s center, one of its wings, etc. But the Mongols, in addition, had a high degree of maneuverability, and their light cavalry played a very active and not at all secondary role in battle.

The first cavalry units not only carried out a crushing blow to one or another section of the enemy front, but could push him to the flank, and also be thrown to his rear. Thanks to this ability to maneuver, there was no need to identify the point for the main attack in advance: it could be determined during the course of the battle, depending on the prevailing situation. The light cavalry not only reconnaissance and cover, but mainly performs the task of actively preparing the impending decisive strike. This is the famous "Mongolian lava". Maneuvering in front of the enemy’s front with extraordinary mobility, the horsemen jumped into his flanks, and, when appropriate, into his rear. These dexterous riders, armed with throwing weapons, sitting on their horses, trained like dogs, now breaking apart, now gathering into more or less dense groups, sent clouds of well-aimed arrows and darts into the enemy’s ranks, threatening him with one thing or another place attack and, usually not accepting the enemy’s close attack, turned to feigned flight, luring him and leading him into ambushes.

With such actions they frustrated and exhausted the enemy physically and mentally to such an extent that he sometimes surrendered the rear even before the Mongol heavy cavalry entered the picture. If the enemy turned out to be persistent, then the actions of the light cavalry, in any case, made it possible to determine its location, weak points or the most advantageous areas for delivering the main blow, where heavy cavalry masses were quickly and secretly, with skillful use of the terrain, brought up in deep closed formations , built in several lines.

Thanks to their high maneuverability, these masses had an advantage even over the valiant knightly cavalry of Europe, famous for its powerful striking force and the art of single combat, but extremely clumsy.

As a feature of Mongolian tactics, it can also be noted that the cavalry on the battlefield usually maneuvered “silently,” i.e. not by commands, but by conventional signs given by the badge (flag) of the boss. In night battles they were replaced by colored lanterns. Drums were used to give signals only in camp settings.

In accordance with the tactical techniques of the Mongol army, the armament of its two main “arms” was determined - light and heavy cavalry, otherwise called archers and swordsmen. As the name itself shows, the main weapon of the first was the bow and arrow; they themselves and their horses had no or only the most primitive and light protective devices; the archers had two bows and two quivers, one consumable, the other spare. The spare quiver was designed to protect the arrows from moisture. The arrows were extremely sharp. The Mongols were masters at making and sharpening them. Accustomed to archery from the age of three, the Mongol was an excellent marksman. Some of the archers were additionally armed with darts. Light sabers were available as additional weapons for possible hand-to-hand combat.

In the heavy cavalry, men wore chain mail or leather armor; their headdress consisted of a light leather helmet with a strong backplate to protect the neck from saber strikes. The horses of the heavy cavalry had protective weapons made of thick patent leather. The main offensive weapons of the swordsmen were curved sabers, which they wielded perfectly, and pikes; in addition, each had a battle ax or an iron club, which was hung from the belt or from the saddle.

In hand-to-hand combat, as well as during skirmishes in small parties, the Mongols tried to throw or pull enemies off their horses; For this purpose, hooks attached to lances and darts were used, as well as lassos made of horsehair, which were thrown at the enemy from some distance. Trapped in the noose of the lassothe enemy rider was pulled off his horse and dragged along the ground; the same technique was used against a foot enemy.

Large and medium-sized military units, such as thousands or hundreds, were mounted on horses of the same color. This is reliably known regarding the guards’ “thousand bagaturs,” which all had black horses.

The most important point in the structure of the Mongol army, in contrast to other nomadic peoples, was that they widely used various engineering devices to siege cities: catapults, rams, mining techniques, etc. Captured Chinese were used as specialists. For example, during the Central Asian campaign we see within the Mongolian army an auxiliary engineering division serving a variety of heavy combat vehicles, which were used mainly during sieges, including flamethrowers. The latter threw various flammable substances into the besieged cities: burning oil, the so-called “Greek fire”, etc.

As E. Khara-Davan points out, preparations for one or another campaign were carried out according to the same scheme:

A kurultai was convened, at which the issue of the upcoming war and its plan was discussed. There they decided everything that was necessary to form an army - how many soldiers to take from each ten tents, etc., and also determined the place and time for collecting troops.

Spies were sent to the enemy country and “tongues” were obtained.

Military operations usually began in early spring, when the grass was growing, and in the fall, when the horses and camels were in good health and the water obstacles were frozen. Before the opening of hostilities, Genghis Khan gathered all the senior commanders to listen to his instructions.

The supreme command was exercised by Genghis Khan himself. The invasion of the enemy's country was carried out by several armies in different directions. From the commanders receiving such a separate command, Genghis Khan demanded to present a plan of action, which he discussed and usually approved, only in rare cases introducing his own amendments to it. After this, the performer is given complete freedom of action within the limits of the task given to him in close connection with the headquarters of the supreme leader.

When approaching significant fortified cities, the main armies left an observation corps to monitor them. Supplies were collected in the surrounding area and, if necessary, a temporary base was set up. Usually the main forces continued the offensive, and the observation corps, equipped with machines, began to invest and siege.

When a meeting in the field with an enemy army was foreseen, the Mongols usually followed one of two methods:either they tried to attack the enemy by surprise, quickly concentrating the forces of several armies to the battlefield, or, if the enemy turned out to be vigilant and surprise could not be counted on, they directed their forces in such a way as to achieve a bypass of one of the enemy flanks.

But their military initiative was not exhausted by these methods. For example, a feigned flight was carried out, and the army with great skill covered its tracks, disappearing from the eyes of the enemy until he fragmented his forces and weakened security measures. Then the Mongols mounted fresh clockwork horses and made a quick raid, appearing as if from underground before the stunned enemy. In this way, the Russian princes were defeated in 1223 on the Kalka River. It happened that during such a demonstrative flight, the Mongol troops dispersed so as to envelop the enemy from different sides. If it turned out that the enemy was staying focused and prepared to fight back, they released him from the encirclement in order to later attack him on the march. In this way, in 1220, one of the armies of Khorezmshah Muhammad, which the Mongols deliberately released from Bukhara, was destroyed.

They also point out this interesting fact: before the battle, the Mongol put on silk underwear (Chinese chesucha). This tissue has the ability to be drawn into the wound along with the tip, delaying its penetration. The tip cannot pierce the fabric, and the tip removal operation becomes simple.

So, the consolidated Mongol ethnic group arose because of wars and only for wars. And they were not long in coming...

Bibliography

Gumilev L.N. In search of an imaginary kingdom. Trefoil mound. /

Khara-Davan E. Genghis Khan as a commander and his legacy. / http://gumilevica. kulichki. net