Episode 7 Chinggis Khan’s Kharazmian Campaign

The Mongol Empire

Dr Craig Benjamin (2020)

Film Review

In the 13th century, the Khwarazmian empire represented the last remnant of the Persian empire, conquered by Alexander the Great in the fourth century BC, the Parthian empire in the third century BC, the Kushan empire in the first century AD and Muslim Turks in the 11th century BC. Khwarazm was home to three major Silk Road cities:

• Bukahara – founded in 500 BC, adjacent to an oasis settlement dating back to the third millennium BC.
• Samarkan founded in 700 BC.
• Merv – founded in the third millennium BC, had an urban population of 300,000 when Chenggis Khan invaded, with hundreds of thousands more in the surrounding country side. One of the largest cities in the world, it never recovered after his youngest son Tolui destroyed its irrigation system in 1221.

After Shah Mohammed (see Chinggis Khan’s Early Conquests) killed Chinggis Khan’s merchants and humiliated his envoys, the Great Khan marched his Mongol warriors, reinforced by Uighur and Karov allies, 2,000 miles across the steppes to attack the Kwarazmian Empire. Choosing to keep his troops in fortified cities, Mohammed refused to confront the Mogol warriors on open ground.

Chinggis Khan’s sons Ogetai and Chagatai led the assault against Otra, where Muhammed had insulted the Mongol envoys. After a month the Mongols captured the governor responsible for the insult, sheltering in a citadel with 20,000 troops. They dragged him back to Mongolia in chains, where they executed him by pouring molten silver in his ears and throat.

Chinggis Khan’s oldest on Jochi joined Chagai and Ogedai in ambushing Urgench, while Chinggis Khan himself. The siege lasted 12 days until the Mongols essentially leveled the walls with the siege engines built by Chinese engineers from the Jin Dynasty. Taking artisans and attractive women as captives, the Mongols slaughtered 20,000 Tajik troops and 75% of the civilian population.

After dispatching his youngest son Tolui and and his son-in-law Toghutshar to lead the attack against Mervi, Chinggis Khan attacked the commercial trading cities of Termez and Balkh. In both cases he ordered all the civilians killed because his spies told him that Mohammed was in the area and could possibly recruit them. Each warrior was ordered to kill 400 men, a slaughter of  700,000-1,000,000.

Tolui’s army, outfitted with siege machines, next attacked Nishapur (in modern day Iran), which he leveled.

Meanwhile Shah Mohammed and his son took refuge on an island in the Caspian Sea, where he died either of pneumonia or dysentery. His son Jalal escaped to India. Leaving some troops to deal with Jalal in case he returned to Kharazm, Chinggis Khan returned to Mongolia to crush a Xi Xia rebellion in China.

Film can be viewed free with a library card on Kanopy.

https://www.kanopy.com/en/pukeariki/watch/video/12373094/12373108