The Linchpin to the Mongolian Empire: Effects of a Mongolian Policy Shift Regarding Religion (Part 5)

The Russians were aware that the Mongols existed but knew nothing about them until 1224. It is this year that the “unknown [Mongol] tribes came, whom no one exactly knows, who the are, nor whence they came out, nor what their language is, nor of what race they are, nor what their faith is, but they call them Tartars.”(53) The Russians faced nothing but questions of who the Mongols were. The Russians would become aware of the answers to these questions and the violent attitude of the Mongol Khanates. The Russians understood and declared that only God knew who they are and where they came from. In addition, they might know much about the Mongols but they understood that scholars had written information for the sake of the Russian princess memory. Through this, the Russians had an understanding of the Mongol conquests. This made the Russians aware of the Mongol conquests but they were not aware of their in toleration of religious beliefs in this stage of the Mongol empire. This resulted in the Mongols reverting back to plundering.

The Mongols systematically destroyed and plundered the towns of Russia with no regard to their religious beliefs or practices. It was common for the Mongols to begin military actions of days or weeks that held religious significance. The city of Torzhok experienced this tactic when the Mongols began their conquest on the first Sunday in Lent. The Mongols used their regular tactic of isolating the town by fencing it off from the world. Once the town is isolated, they would wait – while fighting for two weeks – until the Russians were too exhausted and weak to defend themselves any longer – with no help coming for them. In time, the Mongols took the town to kill all of its inhabitants including the religious figures.(54) The Mongols ceased to tolerate and incorporate the state religion because the Mongols interests reverted to the short-term benefits.

The Mongols were no longer interested in the long-term economic interests of their conquests. Consequently, the Mongols did not care about building the cultural exchanges as in the past. As a result, they no longer had a need for religion – its use as a tool was not an interest of the Mongol ruling elite. The Mongols plundered a region until they saw no more wealth. However, it was possible to set the Mongols to stop if the regions elites could convince them that they gave up everything the Mongols desired. In some instances, religious leaders were able to convince the Mongols to end an attack and leave but this did not guarantee that they would not return.

In this case, it was not long until the Mongols returned. The same winter, the Mongols returned to do much “evil” in the territories to receive the people’s contributions. The Mongols began to fear for their lives because of the unrest in the region. Therefore, the Mongols requested that Prince Alexander provide them with protection. The Prince honored their request by sending the Boyars sons to protect them. The Mongols believed that the protection of the Russian guards would entice the people to give their tribute. However, numerous people remained steadfast and refused to give their numbers for tribute because they preferred to die honorably for St. Sophia.
The Russian people were divided into the people who were steadfast to their religion and those who immediately went to be counted for tribute. The dividing factor is that the Mongols were sent to punish them for their sins.(55) The Mongols change in religious policy shifted their long-term plausibility as an intact empire. Religion continued to play a role between different cultures but the Mongols divergence of using it as a linchpin for political, cultural, and economic expansion shifted the long-term plausibility as an intact empire. The neglect of long-term interests became the downfall of the Mongol empire. The Mongols under Chinggis khan and his immediate successors had built a stable empire that involved numerous policies in a syncretic fashion. The breakup into the Mongol Khanates led to religion no longer being used in a syncretic fashion for the long-term obtainment of economic wealth.

End Notes

53 Mitchell and Forbes, eds., The Chronicle of Novgorod, 64.

54 Ibid., 83.

55 Ibid., 83, 96, 97.

Related Articles

• The Linchpin To The Mongolian Empire (Part 1) (bearveracity.com)
• The Linchpin To The Mongolian Empire: Origins of the Mongol State (Part 2) (bearveracity.com)
• The Linchpin To The Mongolian Empire: The Resources of State Building (Part 3) (bearveracity.com)

The Blessed Man (Part 2/2)

The following is C.H. Spurgeons verse by verse exposition of Psalm 1:4-6 that is originally from his weekly series entitled The Treasury of David. I have preceded each verse exposition by adding the appropriate verse.

Verse 4: “The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away (Psalm 1:4, ESV).”

We have now come to the second head of the Psalm. In this verse the contrast of the ill estate of the wicked is employed to heighten the colouring of that fair and pleasant picture which precedes it. The more forcible translation of the Vulgate and of the Septuagint version is –

Not so the ungodly, not so. And we are hereby to understand that whatever good thing is said of the righteous is not true in the case of the ungodly. Oh! how terrible is it to have a double negative put upon the promises! and yet this is just the condition of the ungodly. Mark the use of the term ungodly, for, as we have seen in the opening of the Psalm, these are the beginners in evil, and are the least offensive of sinners. Oh! if such is the sad state of those who quietly continue in their morality, and neglect their God, what must be the condition of open sinners and shameless infidels? The first sentence is a negative description of the ungodly, and the second is the positive picture. Here is their character

–they are like chaff, intrinsically worthless, dead, unserviceable, without substance, and easily carried away. Here, also, mark their doom,

– the wind driveth away; death shall hurry them with its terrible blast into the fire in which they shall be utterly consumed.

Verse 5: Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous (Psalm 1:5, ESV).”

They shall stand there to be judged, but not to be acquitted. Fear shall lay hold upon them there; they shall not stand their ground; they shall flee away; they shall not stand in their own defence; for they shall blush and be covered with eternal contempt.

Well may the saints long for heaven, for no evil men shall dwell there, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. All our congregations upon earth are mixed. Every Church hath one devil in it. The tares grow in the same furrows as the wheat. There is no floor which is as yet thoroughly purged from chaff. Sinners mix with saints, as dross mingles with gold. God’s precious diamonds still lie in the same field with pebbles. Righteous Lots are this side heaven continually vexed by the men of Sodom. Let us rejoice then, that in “the general assembly and church of the firstborn” above, there shall by no means be admitted a single unrenewed soul. Sinners cannot live in heaven. They would be out of their element. Sooner could a fish live upon a tree than the wicked in Paradise. Heaven would be an intolerable hell to an impenitent man, even if he could be allowed to enter; but such a privilege shall never be granted to the man who perseveres in his iniquities. May God grant that we may have a name and a place in his courts above!

Verse 6: “[F]or the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish (Psalm 1:6, ESV).”

Or, as the Hebrew hath it yet more fully, The Lord is knowing the way of the righteous. He is constantly looking on their way, and though it may be often in mist and darkness, yet the Lord knoweth it. If it be in the clouds and tempest of affliction, he understandeth it. He numbers the hairs of our head; he will not suffer any evil to befall us. “He knoweth the way that I take: when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” ( Job 23:10 .)

But the way of the ungodly shall perish. Not only shall they perish themselves, but their way shall perish too. The righteous carves his name upon the rock, but the wicked writes his remembrance in the sand. The righteous man ploughs the furrows of earth, and sows a harvest here, which shall never be fully reaped till he enters the enjoyments of eternity; but as for the wicked, he ploughs the sea, and though there may seem to be a shining trail behind his keel, yet the waves shall pass over it, and the place that knew him shall know him no more for ever. The very “way” of the ungodly shall perish. If it exist in remembrance, it shall be in the remembrance of the bad; for the Lord will cause the name of the wicked to rot, to become a stench in the nostrils of the good, and to be only known to the wicked themselves by its putridity.

May the Lord cleanse our hearts and our ways, that we may escape the doom of the ungodly, and enjoy the blessedness of the righteous!

A Mans Dream to Invest

The financial crisis has certainly caused many to view many financial corporations in a bad light. Those company’s that operate as a corporation that manages private equity capital (these company’s invest directly and/or indirectly into various company’s) certainly felt the brunt of the national skepticism and hatred.  

It has become the dream of Patrick Schattilly and I, Ronald Rodriguez, to launch a private equity company that does not fit into this traditional image.

This whole idea originally was born four years ago when we desired to connect various people who  (1) had specific knowledge into a specific asset, (2) who were interested in learning more about the markets.

 

Of course, we faced skepticism considering the atmosphere. But the thing that  hindered us the most was the fact that people were hesitant to trust two young men in their twenties with investment in relation to our knowledge and experience.

 

Neither of us will never deny the fact that those that denied us the opportunity had a factual concern. It must be said that we defiantly have shown the drive and willingness to learn to succeed while maintaining a high level of business ethics. 

We were blessed that several people decided to take a chance on us, which enabled us to officially launch the investment club on March 2009. Bot of us have served as the primary officers of the organization since than. Since our launch our annualized return has been around 11%. 

Read the full article here.

The Linchpin To The Mongolian Empire: Influence Over Religion and the State (Part 4)

The Secret History contains a good deal of religious ceremonies and references but there is little information available about religion itself. However, the Secret History clearly illustrates that Chinggis Khan firmly believed that Eternal Blue Heaven “…guid[ed] Chinggis Khan…and all of his successes are attributed by him to Heavens will.”(47) The Eternal Blue Heaven was the religious belief that he relied on heavily to justify his rule and dictate to him what actions to take. Chinggis Khan regularly placed the will of heaven above the will of himself. Chinggis Khan allowed Eternal Blue Heaven to dictate actions above himself. For example, Chinggis Khan still allowed the harming of the sons of Toghtoga Beki despite his hesitation because he believed that “[i]f your ability and powers are strengthened by Eternal Blue Heaven, if your power is great enough to lay hands on the sons of Toghtoga Beki. It would serve no purpose to bring them back to [him]. Just kill them.”(48) They firmly believe their strength came from the Eternal Blue Heaven. In addition, they believed that just as it gave you power it the same right to take the power away. Chinggis Khan believed this could happen when Eternal Blue Heaven no longer loved you, which occurred when there are internal family squabbles and the spreading of slander and lies.(49) Therefore, it became vital for leaders to stray away from actions that would place them in unfavorable conditions if he were interested in military conquest.

Chinggis Khan and the immediate generations understood they must not have internal family fighting if they expected to maintain the strength and military actions of the Mongol empire. Ogode Khan received a message that explained that the Mongols had success in the Russian city of Kiev because heaven gave them the strength and received good fortune from his uncle. For that reason, the first several rulers of the Mongol Empire found it necessary for them to stay in the good graces of the family to stay loved by Eternal Blue Heaven if they desired these results to continue. As a result, the power granted will continue to increase by heaven and earth.(50) The cultures around the world had strong ties to their regional religions but conversion was always voluntary.

The world religions – Christianity, Buddhism, and Islam – did not accept forced conversion to their beliefs. Therefore, in order to obtain converts the states needed to force people to convert indirectly. In order to do so, they used economic and political policies to
encourage people to convert to the state religion. Overtime, numerous regions in the Mongol empire enforced a state religion such as Islam in Persia. Although, subjects were able to retain their traditional religion, adherents to the state religion benefited from access to better economic benefits and political positions. Individuals who choose not to adhere to the state religion faced economic hardships.
The individuals who chose not to accept the state religion lived under economic hardships. The most common economic hardship was a poll tax levied upon non-adherents. However, the acceptance of the state religion resulted in the exception from the tax. But this tax
was not a heavy burden. Consequently, numerous Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians, Buddhists, Hindus, and others decided to pay the tax to keep their inherited family religions. The possibility of avoiding the tax must have been a strong incentive those who were not firmly committed to their faith.(51) Religion can be the greatest resource that a ruling party could have because of its legitimization factor.

The state religion was vital to establishing the legitimization of the ruling group. Thus, it became common for the state to adopt and allow the spreading of the religion. Therefore, the state sponsorship of religion resulted in Christianity, Buddhism, and Islam to become the popular worldwide religions because of the political, social, and economic pressures from the state. These changes culturally affected the regions population greatly. The cultural changes led to the ruling elites discovering the political uses in world religions. The ruling elites discovered that the world religions not only provided a source of legitimization but it also helped produce the cultural unification of the regions peoples.(52) Once a state religion is deeply ingrained into the culture, it laid the foundation to rule the region, which made it logistically easier for the extraction of the desired resources. Through the cultural exchange, the adoption of the regional faith became merchant’s greatest asset.

It became common practice for foreign merchants to adopt the state religion. This is a practical occurrence because practicing a state religion while in that region had its economic and political benefits. It helped keep them from having to deal with economic policies that could harm there business. In addition, it created a common ground for the merchant and the customers in the region to build a working relationship. However, the immediate renouncement of the state religion became common once a merchant left the region. In short, the adoption of the state religion was simply a tool to gain access to the best business possible. Furthermore, it was about nothing more then obtaining money or other valuable resources through the Silk Roads.

End Notes

47 Anonymous, Secret History, xx.

48 Ibid., 109.

49 Ibid., 144.

50 Ibid., 170, 128.

51 Bentley, Old World Encounters, 92.

52 Ibid., 83.

Related Articles

• The Linchpin To The Mongolian Empire (Part 1) (bearveracity.com)
• The Linchpin To The Mongolian Empire: Origins of the Mongol State (Part 2) (bearveracity.com)
• The Linchpin To The Mongolian Empire: The Resources of State Building (Part 3) (bearveracity.com)

The Blessed Man (Part 1/2)

The following is C.H. Spurgeons verse by verse exposition of Psalm 1:1-3 that is originally from his weekly series entitled The Treasury of David. I have preceded each verse exposition by adding the appropriate verse.

Verse 1: “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers (Psalm 1:1, ESV).”

BLESSED — see how this Book of Psalms opens with a benediction, even as did the famous Sermon of our Lord upon the Mount! The word translated “blessed” is a very expressive one. The original word is plural, and it is a controverted matter whether it is an adjective or a substantive. Hence we may learn the multiplicity of the blessings which shall rest upon the man whom God hath justified, and the perfection and greatness of the blessedness he shall enjoy. We might read it, “Oh, the blessednesses!” and we may well regard it (as Ainsworth does) as a joyful acclamation of the gracious man’s felicity. May the like benediction rest on us!

Here the gracious man is described both negatively ( Psalms 1:1 ) and positively ( Psalms 1:2 ). He is a man who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly. He takes wiser counsel, and walks in the commandments of the Lord his God. To him the ways of piety are paths of peace and pleasantness. His footsteps are ordered by the Word of God, and not by the cunning and wicked devices of carnal men. It is a rich sign of inward grace when the outward walk is changed, and when ungodliness is put far from our actions. Note next, he standeth not in the way of sinners. His company is of a choicer sort than it was. Although a sinner himself, he is now a blood washed sinner, quickened by the Holy Spirit, and renewed in heart. Standing by the rich grace of God in the congregation of the righteous, he dares not herd with the multitude that do evil. Again it is said, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. He finds no rest in the atheist’s scoffings. Let others make a mock of sin, of eternity, of hell and heaven, and of the Eternal God; this man has learned better philosophy than that of the infidel, and has too much sense of God’s presence to endure to hear His name blasphemed. The seat of the scorner may be very lofty, but it is very near to the gate of hell; let us flee from it, for it shall soon be empty, and destruction shall swallow up the man who sits therein. Mark the gradation in the first verse:

He walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor standeth in the way of sinners,
Nor SITTETH in the SEAT of SCORNFUL.

When men are living in sin they go from bad to worse. At first they merely walk in the counsel of the careless and ungodly, who forget God — the evil is rather practical than habitual — but after that, they become habituated to evil, and they stand in the way of open sinners who wilfully violate God’s commandments; and if let alone, they go one step further, and become themselves pestilent teachers and tempters of others, and thus they sit in the seat of the scornful. They have taken their degree in vice, and as true Doctors of Damnation they are installed, and are looked up to by others as Masters in Belial. But the blessed man, the man to whom all the blessings of God belong, can hold no communion with such characters as these. He keeps himself pure from these lepers; he puts away evil things from him as garments spotted by the flesh; he comes out from among the wicked, and goes without the camp, bearing the reproach of Christ. O for grace to be thus separate from sinners.

Verse 2: “but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night (Psalm 1:2, ESV).”

And now mark his positive character. His delight is in the law of the Lord. He is not under the law as a curse and condemnation, but he is in it, and he delights to be in it as his rule of life; he delights, moreover, to meditate in it, to read it by day, and think upon it by night. He takes a text and carries it with him all day long; and in the night watches, when sleep forsakes his eyelids, he muses upon the Word of God. In the day of his prosperity he sings psalms out of the Word of God, and in the night of his affliction he comforts himself with promises out of the same book.

The law of the Lord is the daily bread of the true believer. And yet, in David’s day, how small was the volume of inspiration, for they had scarcely anything save the first five books of Moses! How much more, then, should we prize the whole written Word which it is our privilege to have in all our houses! But, alas, what ill treatment is given to this angel from heaven! We are not all Berean searchers of the Scriptures. How few among us can lay claim to the benediction of the text! Perhaps some of you can claim a sort of negative purity, because you do not walk in the way of the ungodly; but let me ask you — Is your delight in the law of God? Do you study God’s Word? Do you make it the man of your right hand — your best companion and hourly guide? If not, this blessing belongeth not to you.

Verse 3: “He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers (Psalm 1:3, ESV).”

And he shall be like a tree planted — not a wild tree, but “a tree planted,” chosen, considered as property, cultivated and secured from the last terrible uprooting, for “every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up:” Matthew 15:13 .

By the rivers of water; so that even if one river should fail, he hath another. The rivers of pardon and the rivers of grace, the rivers of the promise and the rivers of communion with Christ, are never failing sources of supply. He is “like a tree planted by the rivers of water”,

that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; not unseasonable graces, like untimely figs, which are never full flavoured. But the man who delights in God’s Word, being taught by it, bringeth forth patience in the time of suffering, faith in the day of trial, and holy joy in the hour of prosperity. Fruitfulness is an essential quality of a gracious man, and that fruitfulness should be seasonable.

His leaf also shall not wither; his faintest word shall be everlasting; his little deeds of love shall be had in remembrance. Not simply shall his fruit be preserved, but his leaf also. He shall neither lose his beauty nor his fruitfulness.

And whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. Blessed is the man who hath such a promise as this. But we must not always estimate the fulfilment of a promise by our own eye sight. How often, my brethren, if we judge by feeble sense, may we come to the mournful conclusion of Jacob, “All these things are against me!” For though we know our interest in the promise, yet we are so tried and troubled, that sight sees the very reverse of what that promise foretells. But to the eye of faith this word is sure, and by it we perceive that our works are prospered, even when everything seems to go against us. It is not outward prosperity which the Christian most desires and values; it is soul prosperity which he longs for. We often, like Jehoshaphat, make ships to go to Tarshish for gold, but they are broken at Eziongeber; but even here there is a true prospering, for it is often for the soul’s health that we would be poor, bereaved, and persecuted. Our worst things are often our best things. As there is a curse wrapped up in the wicked man’s mercies, so there is a blessing concealed in the righteous man’s crosses, losses, and sorrows. The trials of the saint are a divine husbandry, by which he grows and brings forth abundant fruit.

The Perfecter of Our Faith: Into Which Our Faith Depends From Start to Finish.

The preceding excerpt (Hebrews 12:1-2) declaring the presence of a “cloud of witnesses” has been misconstrued in various ways, which will not be addressed here. The imaginary in the letter sent to the Hebrews is actually rather evident compared to the examples that many have likely come across through our lives.

The original goal of the “cloud of witnesses,” within context, was to provide encouragement and call to Christians that had become worn down by the normal struggles faced while living a Christian life to endure through the race. The letter to the Hebrews provided them (and us now) a theological understanding of a Christology of Hope.

My Own Prison

Cover of My Own Prison

In a previous articled entitled “When Life Reaches Full Circle,” I discussed how my childhood as a “church kid” played a significant role into how I was viewed and expected to act according to “church standards” and “parental ideals.” I went on to further explain how these standards/ideals harvested internal over an extended period of time as I walked a path I considered to be safe according to what I considered to be truth.

The path that I traveled left me one crimson stain after another as I went. The affects resulted in a over an extended period of time as I walked a path I considered to be safe according to what I considered to be truth.

I did not realize that every step on this journey was leaving me a crimson stain after crimson stain. The affects of this journey resulted in having to face the reality that a separation between the biblical truths that I learned as a child and a genuine relationship with Him had occurred until I faced a decision that was life changing.

I mentally checked out of church towards the end of Junior High and, in some degrees, I ignored what I was taught to accept which amounted to altered truths.

The phase of checking out did not end well as within about a year, I found myself in a situation that changed my life. I wish this pivotal event had only sent an earthquake through my life, but this decision included others. Thus, some of the side effects rippled to those that I find dearest.

The decisions preceding the linchpin event seemed to add individual dark clouds above me that made me feel like God was not around. I believed He was nowhere to be seen. This belief cause me to hit a point in believing I created my own prison.

It is truly difficult to convey the mental and emotional road I went through this time. As I spent time deliberating how to put thoughts into words, I could only refer to the song “My Own Prison” by Creed. As a result, I will let it speak for me as it represents this part of story well.

Running The Race

The opening word (wherefore) of verse 1 illustrates that the contents of chapter eleven has been preparing its readers for the proceeding verses. These verses show that His followers are not to “shrink back” (10:39) from their faith to return to face their struggles alone.

In my own prison, like others, I had to face the reality that the struggles I faced – and will face – are not intended to push me away. The crimson stains which resulted in a separation did not hinder His desire to have a personal relationship with me and (2) that He would never leave or forsake me (cf. Deuteronomy 31:6; Joshua 1:5; 1 Chronicles 28:20).

His followers are actually told to run “the race for which we are entered” (Hewbrews 12:1 NEB).

It can not be any more appropriate for these verses imagery to be focused on a stadium (cf. 1 Corinthians 9:24; Philippians 2:16; 2 Timothy 2:5) for a culture that causes our attention to be placed on achieving health, wealth/possessions, and glory/recognition.

As I have reflected on my own life, I have come to realize that my own struggles have occurred due to my own neglect of Him and not Him leaving. The pursuit of what ever my own personal desire might of been, it resulted in my own decision to slowly take Him for granted. And to ignore the fact that I actually had to make a conscious effort to put my faith into action on a daily basis.

I know that I am not alone in this journey as it is certain that everyone will face difficulties and our own fears in our own lives. Jesus stated that “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world (John 16:33, ESV).”

But everyone is able to deal with our own difficulties that test our faith, which builds our steadfastness according to James 1:2-4 (ESV), which states, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have it’s full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”

The attribute that all the members of the “Hall of Faith” had in common, and what we must aspire to do, is being fearless due to their great faith in God. Thus, they had a desire to follow Him wholeheartedly with no restraint.

In order to do so, it is necessary to lay lay aside all our excess weight that holds us back from committing fully to running the race (Hebrews 12:1-2).

Throughout the Bible, we are told not to be afraid or discouraged. We are also told of His faithfulness despite our fears and shortcomings. We see this common thread in what is refereed too as the “Hall of Faith” in Hebrews 11.

These men are not here because they did not have difficulties and fears that tested their faith in their faith. Rather, they had similar troubles and character faults as we have in our own lives.

These men are our heroes of faith which have already ran their races and are now in the stands as they are witnesses to the life of faith. These are no mere spectators of our own races as they are all collectively extorting each and everyone of us to run our race well to the finish.

The Linchpin To The Mongolian Empire: The Resources of State Building (Part 3)

The extension of political control is the most common method of presenting expansion.(37)The Mongol system of government provides a unique type of political empire building. The Mongols quickly redefined the meaning of political expansion through military conquest to establish themselves as the rulers of settled societies far from their home with vastly different cultures. “This type of military aggression is different from the local wars over dynastic rights that became common inside Europe, but has parallels in the rise of the Incas in Peru, the Spanish occupation of America, and the Turkish conquest of the Balkans, as well as the Mongols themselves.”(38) The administrative systems that warrior empires executed varied greatly. These systems ranged from the Mongol’s tribal system – under Chinggis Khan and his immediate successors – to the autocracy of the Inca, to the monarchies of Europe. However, no matter the form of authority, it was led by a military force that had a remarkable level of cohesion and mobility. However, there are instances that political expansion becomes complicated. It is the responsibility and ability of elites to transform military conquest into a sturdy empire. This conversion is what the Mongols failed to do themselves. In order to continue political expansion it became necessary for the Mongols to institute policies to expand culturally.(39)

The Mongols desire to continue their military and political conquest resulted in them providing a framework for cultural expansion. The increasing cultural contact between people of different races and ethnicities resulted in cultures forced to accept (or borrow) morals from the societies encountered. The cultural exchanges in each region are not universally set but rather are unique to their circumstance. This process will occur no matter the situation. It is simply a matter of it following military conquest or in a gradual peaceful method. “In Western Asia, for example, the Mongols long retained many of the values of their nomadic tribal origins, yet they quickly adopted the Muslim religion of the peoples they encountered.”(40) It is common for conquerors to not only adopt the regional religion but, also, assimilate into the conquered society’s culture. After 1200, this form of cultural expansion increased became a normal occurrence. The integration of numerous religions and languages resulted in a long-term shift in a new cultural configuration. The Mongol influence over cultural expansion did not end there because it became intertwined with the framework of economic expansion. In short, the purpose of the cultural expansion is the plausible economic benefits.
The plausible economic benefit is the linchpin of the Mongol interests in conquest. Consequently, it is not ironic that they established the framework to economic expansion. There economic interests laid upon two facets, which were complementary to each other. The first is the incorporation of the Mongol warrior’s nomads into a single political system, which resulted in giving societies – under their control – relatively stable conditions and markets. This not only resulted in prosperity and demographic expansion but it also made trading relationships safer and more effective between China, the Middle East, India, and Europe.(41) The economic expansion within the Mongol empire was apparent but the trade networks did not solely rely upon the empire to maintain a level of stability.

The trade networks did not solely rely on the Mongol empire to maintain stability because the trading network relied upon its own mechanisms to expand into Africa, Asia, and Europe. This is one of the numerous aspects that facets of expansion interconnect. This is because, “[j]ust as political expansion was carried out by specialized military elites, long-distance trade was conducted by specialized commercial societies.”(42) These commerce oriented cultures resulted in colonies being established over important trading routes, which were interconnected by languages, family, and familiar business activities. This resulted in the facilitation of beliefs, values, and cultural traditions across the silk roads between distinctive societies and economies. This was only able to occur because of the conditions created by the Mongols. These changes opened new opportunities in commerce because economic expansion opened trade from England to West Africa.(43) The openness to regional religion and culture permitted the Mongols to continue fulfilling their desire for conquest and state building.