Mongol invasion of Central Asia

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The Mongol invasion of Central Asia occurred after the unification of the Mongol and Turkic tribes on Mongolian plateau in 1206. It finally completed when Genghis Khan conquered the Khwarizmian Empire in 1221.

The Uyghurs, Qarluqs and Khara-Khitan Khanate

The Uyghurs, Qarluqs and local Turkic and Tajik peoples submitted to the Mongolians. The Uyghur state of Kara-Khoja was a vassal of the Kara-Khitans, but in 1210, the Uyghur ruler of Kara-Khoja, Idiqut Barchuq appeared before the Khan to declare his allegiance to the Mongolians.^[1] He was rewarded with the daughter of Genghis in marriage, and the Uyghurs served under the Mongols as bureaucrats. A leader of the Qarluq and Buzar, the warlord of Chuy Valley, followed the Uyghur example.

The Kara-Khitans (Black Khitan) were Khitans of the Liao Dynasty (907–1125) who were driven out from China by the Jurchens of the Jin Dynasty. In 1124 some Khitans moved westward under Yeh-lü Ta-shih’s leadership and created the Kara-Khitan Khanate (Western Liao) between in the Semirechye and the Chu River. They dominated Central Asia in the 12th century afer they defeated the Great Seljuk leader Ahmed Sanjar at the Battle of Qatwan in 1141. However, their power was shattered in 1211 through the combined actions of the Khwārezm-Shah ʿAlāʾ ad-Dīn Muḥammad (1200–20), and Küchlüg, a fugitive Naiman prince in flight from Chinggis Khaan’s Mongolians. Kuchlug was given shelter by the Kara-Khiitans, but he usurped the Gurkhan's throne in 1211.^[2]

Kuchlug attacked the city of Almaliq, and the Qarlugs there who were vassal of the Mongolians appealed to Chinggis Khaan for help.^[3] In 1216, Genghis dispatched his general Jebe to pursue Kuchlug. The Mongols defeated the Kara-Khitans at Balasaghun, Kuchlug fled, but was later killed in 1218.^[4]

Khwarezmia

The Mongol invasion of Khwarezmia lasted from 1219 to 1221. In fact, it was not originally the intention of the Mongol Empire to invade the Khwarezmid Empire. Indeed, Genghis Khan had originally sent the ruler of the Khwarezmid Empire, Alouddin Muhammad, a message greeting him as his equal: "you rule the rising sun and I the setting sun". The Mongols' original conquest of all "people in felt tents", unifying the nomadic tribes in Mongolia and then the Turcomens and other nomadic peoples,^{[citation needed]} had come with relatively little bloodshed, and almost no material loss. However, the Governor of a Khwarezmian City refused to receive the emmissary and after a period of 3 days, had the ambassador and most of his party killed. The remaining Mongols were sent back with shaved heads, a traditional sign of slavery and submission within the Mongol culture. Upon hearing of this treatment months later, Genghis Khan flew into a rage and used the incident as a pretext for invasion.

The Mongol invasion of Central Asia however would entail the utter destruction of the Khwarezmid Empire along with the massacre of much of the civilian population of the region. The Mongols systematically exterminated a particularly large portion of the people of the cities, such as Bukhara. This earned the Mongols a reputation for bloodthirsty ferocity that would mark the remainder of their campaigns.

During the invasion of Transoxania in 1219, along with the main Mongol force, Genghis Khan used a Chinese specialist catapult unit in battle. They were used again in 1220 in Transoxania. The Chinese may have used the catapults to hurl gunpowder bombs, since they already had them by this time ^[5] While Genghis Khan was conquering Transoxania and Persia, several Chinese who were familiar with gunpowder were serving with Genghis's army.^[6] Historians have suggested that the Mongol invasion had brought Chinese gunpowder weapons to Central Asia. One of these was the huochong, a Chinese mortar.^[7]

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