Mongolian Armies :: essays research papers

The Mongols were nomadic herders and hunters who worn-out(a) their lives in the saddles of their steppe ponies. They learned to ride and use weapons, especially the composite bow, at an early grow. For hunting and war, every able-bodied male under the age of 60 years was expected to take part. The armies of the united Mongol tribes consisted of the correct adult male population.They fought under a strict code of discipline. pillage was held collectively. The penalty was death for abandoning a comrade in battle. This discipline, together with leadership, intelligence-gathering, and organization, raised(a) the Mongol force from a cavalry swarm into a aline army.The Mongol army was organized according to a decimal system, with units of 10, 100, 1000, and 10,000 men. These meter for units were probably rarely approached due to casualties and attrition. The 10,000-man unit was the major fighting unit, ilk a neo division, capable of sustained fighting on its own. soul soldiers i dentified most with the 1000-man unit of which they were a part, the equivalent of a modern regiment. Original Mongol tribes fielded their own 1000-man units. Conquered peoples, such as the Tatars and Merkits, were broken up and distributed among other(a) units so that they could pose no organized threat to the notion family.Genghis Khan created a personal guard unit of 10,000 men. This unit was recruited crossways tribal boundaries and selection was a high honor. In its early stages it served as a form of honorable hostage-holding. It grew into the family household and the source of the growing empires vox populi class.Mongol soldiers at first received no pay other than booty. Advancement was based on merit. Once the rapid conquests slowed, a spick-and-span system of pay was put in place. Officers were later able to pull in on their posts to heirs.Each soldier went on campaign with approximately quin horses, allowing quick changes and rapid movements.