Chapter – 3

Nomadic Empires

In this post we have given the detailed notes of Class 11 History Chapter 3 (Nomadic Empires) in English. These notes are useful for the students who are going to appear in Class 11 board exams.

Chapter 3: Nomadic Empires

What Are Nomadic Empires?

• What’s the Deal?: “Nomadic empires” sounds weird because nomads move around a lot, living in small family groups with simple lives (like herding animals), while empires are big, settled places with lots of rules and land. This chapter shows how nomads, especially the Mongols, made huge empires anyway.
• Who’s in Focus?: The Mongols from Central Asia, led by Genghis Khan, built an empire in the 1200s and 1300s that stretched across Europe and Asia.
• Mongols vs. Farmers: Compared to settled people (like in China), Mongols had a simpler life—no farms or cities—but they weren’t cut off. They traded and fought with others and learned from them.
• Big Idea: How did the Mongols turn their wandering ways into a super strong army and a smart way to run an empire? That’s what we’re exploring.

Where Do We Learn About the Mongols?

• No Mongol Books: The Mongols didn’t write their own stories. We know about them from stuff written by city people—like travel diaries and history books.
• Mixed Opinions: City writers often called nomads “barbarians” (wild and mean), but when the Mongols got powerful, some writers started liking them. These writers came from all over—China, Europe, the Middle East.
• Examples:
  • Secret History: A Mongol story about Genghis Khan, but it’s different in Chinese and Mongol versions.
  • Marco Polo: A guy from Italy who visited and wrote about them.
• Russian Help: In the 1700s and 1800s, Russians studied the Mongols as they took over Central Asia. Later, Soviet writers said the Mongols went from simple tribes to a fancier society with bosses and workers.
• Lots of Languages: Stories about the Mongols are in Chinese, Persian, Arabic, and more, so figuring them out is tricky.

Genghis Khan’s Big Start

• Who Was He?: Born around 1162 as Temujin in what’s now Mongolia. His dad was a small chief, but he got killed, leaving Temujin with a tough childhood.
• Rough Times: He was captured and made a slave, and his wife, Borte, was kidnapped. He fought hard to get her back and made friends like Boghurchu and Ong Khan.
• Taking Charge:
  • Fought and beat old friends (like Jamuqa) and enemies (like the Tatars who killed his dad).
  • By 1206, he united all the Mongol tribes and got the name “Genghis Khan,” meaning “Boss of Everything.”

Genghis Khan’s Conquests

• Fighting China:
  • 1209: Beat the Hsi Hsia people in northwest China.
  • 1213: Broke through China’s Great Wall.
  • 1215: Took over Peking (a big city).
• Central Asia:
  • 1219-1221: Attacked places like Bukhara and Samarqand after their leader killed Mongol messengers. Destroyed cities that fought back (like Nishapur—totally wiped out).
• End of His Run: Died in 1227, but his empire kept growing.

What Happened After Genghis Khan

• Round 1 (1236-1242): His grandson Batu attacked Russia, Poland, and Hungary, almost reaching Vienna.
• Round 2 (1255-1300):
  • 1258: Hulegu took Baghdad (ended a big Muslim empire).
  • 1279: Qubilai Khan finished taking over China and started the Yuan dynasty.
• Slowing Down: After 1260, they stopped pushing west (Egypt beat them), focusing on China instead.

Who Were the Mongols?

• Different Groups: Mongols were related to people like Tatars and Turks. Some herded animals (horses, sheep); others hunted in forests.
• Where They Lived: Open grassy lands (steppes) in Mongolia—big plains, mountains, and deserts. Cold winters, short summers, no farming.
• How They Lived: In tents (called gers), moving with their animals. Families with more stuff (like animals) had more power.
• Fighting Over Stuff: Not much food or land meant they raided each other or neighbours like China.

How the Mongols Fought

• Army Setup: Every guy fought, organized in groups of 10, 100, 1,000, or 10,000. Genghis mixed up tribes so they’d be loyal to him, not their old groups.
• Smart Moves:
  • Rode horses fast and shot arrows well (learned from hunting).
  • Fought in winter, using frozen rivers to sneak up.
  • Used machines to break city walls (borrowed from enemies).
• No Mercy: If a city fought back, they’d destroy it—killed tons of people (like 1.7 million in Nishapur).

Running the Empire

• New Bosses: Genghis put his four sons in charge of big areas (called ulus) and picked loyal guys (noyan) to lead the army.
• Fast Messages: Set up a system (yam) with horses and riders to send news across the empire. People gave 10% of their animals (qubcur tax) to help.
• ** Helpers from Everywhere**: Used smart people from conquered places (like Chinese or Persians) to run cities and farms.

After Genghis: The Family Takes Over

• Leaders:
  • 1227-1241: Ogodei (son).
  • 1251-1260: Mongke (grandson).
  • 1260-1294: Qubilai (grandson, ruled China).
• Breaking Up: By 1260, the empire split:
  • Yuan: China (Toluy’s family).
  • Il-Khanids: Iran (Toluy’s family).
  • Golden Horde: Russia (Jochi’s family).
  • Chaghataids: Central Asia.
• Religion Changes: Some leaders (like Ghazan in Iran) turned Muslim.

How Things Changed

• Peace Time: By the mid-1200s, they made a safe zone (Pax Mongolica) for trade—like the Silk Route—using passes (paiza) for travellers.
• Settling Down: At first, they wanted to destroy farms for grazing, but later leaders (like Qubilai and Ghazan) protected farmers.
• Rules (Yasa): Started as simple orders (like how to hunt), later became a big “law” to keep Mongols together.

What They Did to Places

• Wrecked Stuff: Burned cities, ruined farms (like Iran’s water channels), killed or enslaved lots of people.
• Good Stuff: Connected Europe and Asia, made trade and travel easier—people from France even worked in Mongol courts!

Why the Mongols Matter

• Two Sides: City people hated them for destroying stuff; Mongols loved Genghis for uniting them and making them rich.
• Big Impact: Later empires (like India’s Mughals) copied them. Today, Mongolia sees Genghis as a hero.

Important Dates

• 1162: Temujin born.
• 1206: Becomes Genghis Khan.
• 1219-1221: Takes Central Asia.
• 1227: Genghis dies.
• 1258: Baghdad falls.
• 1279: China fully conquered.
• 1295-1304: Ghazan rules Iran.

Easy Words to Know

• Quriltai: Meeting of Mongol leaders.
• Ulus: Lands given to Genghis’s sons.
• Yam: Horse-message system.
• Qubcur: Animal tax.
• Paiza: Travel pass.
• Yasa: Mongol rules.

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