Central Asia under the Mongols

Abstract

After the death of Genghis Khan in 1227 the Mongol Empire quickly disintegrated. In accordance with nomadic tribal traditions, the empire was divided among members of Genghis Khan’s family. In theory, the descendants of Genghis Khan were subordinate to the supreme ruler (Great Khan), who could endorse or take away those principalities (uluses) with the approval of the tribal congress (kurultai). In reality, however, this arrangement was open to dispute by numerous contenders. Such internal disagreements notwithstanding, in the 1240s and 1260s the Mongols were still able to preserve their unity for major military campaigns in the south, east and west.