Were the Mongols more barbaric than Christian or Muslim warriors of the time?

Answer 1

The Mongols certainly have a reputation for barbarism. But wait!

Genghis Khan took as a wife a princess of the Kerais, who had been Christian since at least the early eleventh century. By the time Genghis Khan came to power in the late twelfth and early thirteenth century they had all become Christians and travelled with their priests. Other Mongol tribes were also Christian or predominantly Christian. Thus, when Genghis Khan unified the Mongol tribes and conquered much of the world, a good proportion of his army was Christian, including many of his commanders.

Sorkaktani, his Christian daughter-in-law, encouraged Genghis Khan to destroy Islam, and the Mongols were well on the way to doing so, when the ruling family had a change of heart and became Muslims. Having been well-taught by Christians as barbarian conquerors, they now turned their attention on crushing the Christians. This is one of the ironies of history.