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Mongols

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The Mongols are a large group of people with a shared history. They are an ethnic group from East Asia. Most Mongols live in Mongolia and China. You can also find them in parts of Russia, like Buryatia and Kalmykia.

Mongols-map
Mongols-map

They are part of a bigger family called the Mongolic peoples. This family includes groups like the Oirats and the Buryats. They are all connected by their common heritage. They also speak different versions of the Mongolian language.

MongolicLanguagesGraph
MongolicLanguagesGraph

The area where they primarily live is called the Mongol heartland.

Many different tribes lived on the plains long ago. Some people believe their ancestors were the Donghu. The Donghu lived in eastern Mongolia and Manchuria.

Later, groups like the Xianbei and the Wuhuan became important. The Xianbei were a nomadic people with a strong military. They had a leader named Tanshihuai who ruled from 156 to 181.

YuanEmperorAlbumKhubilaiPortrait
YuanEmperorAlbumKhubilaiPortrait

Other groups like the Khitan also rose to power. The Khitan started the Liao dynasty in 916. They ruled until the year 1125.

History shows how these groups changed over time. After the Liao dynasty fell, the Khamag Mongols became a top tribe. However, wars with the Jin dynasty and the Tatars made them weaker.

Anonymous - Tartar Huntsman - 19.166 - Metropolitan Museum of Art
Anonymous - Tartar Huntsman - 19.166 - Metropolitan Museum of Art

Everything changed in the thirteenth century. A leader named Genghis Khan united many Mongolic-speaking tribes. He brought them together under his rule. This created the massive Mongol Empire.

Mongols-map
Mongols-map

The word "Mongol" became a name for this whole large group.

The Mongol Empire grew to be incredibly huge. It spread across much of Eurasia.

Mongols-map
Mongols-map

Their lands reached from the Adriatic Sea all the way to Japan. They also reached as far as Palestine and Indonesia. Many Mongols became rulers in different lands. Some were Emperors of China in the Yuan dynasty. Others were rulers in Persia or even the Sultan of Egypt.

YuanEmperorAlbumKhubilaiPortrait
YuanEmperorAlbumKhubilaiPortrait

By 1240, the Golden Horde helped Mongols govern parts of Russia. By 1279, they had even conquered the Song dynasty.

Even though the big empire broke up, the people remained. The Mongols kept their unique identity through the years. They still live in the same regions today. You can see their culture in their homes and traditions. Many still live in a special tent called a ger.

Mongoliërs in een tent in Mongolië, KITLV 152237
Mongoliërs in een tent in Mongolië, KITLV 152237

Their history connects many different parts of the world together. From ancient tribes to great empires, their story is very long.

Mongolia, near Ulaanbaatar
Mongolia, near Ulaanbaatar
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🖼️ Images & Media (30)
File:Map of the Rouran Khaganate.png
Map of the Rouran Khaganate.png
File:元骑马武士俑1.jpg
元骑马武士俑1.jpg
File:Genomic_evidence_from_Avar_period_human_remains.png
Genomic_evidence_from_Avar_period_human_re...
File:YuanEmperorAlbumKhubilaiPortrait.jpg
YuanEmperorAlbumKhubilaiPortrait.jpg
File:Anonymous - Tartar Huntsman - 19.166 - Metropolitan Museum of Art.jpg
Anonymous - Tartar Huntsman - 19.166 -...
File:Northern Yuan and Golden Horde.svg
Northern Yuan and Golden Horde.svg
File:Qing Dzungar wars.jpg
Qing Dzungar wars.jpg
File:Langshining mao.jpg
Langshining mao.jpg
File:Battle of Oroi-Jalatu.jpg
Battle of Oroi-Jalatu.jpg
File:Mongolia, near Ulaanbaatar.jpg
Mongolia, near Ulaanbaatar.jpg
File:A Mongolian lady sits for her portrait before a Chinese photographer (cropped).png
A Mongolian lady sits for her portrait...
File:Khalkhin Gol George Zhukov and Khorloogiin Choibalsan 1939.jpg
Khalkhin Gol George Zhukov and...

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