Elizabeth Lanier Marco Polo Mongolia Project

First Entry

I will be traveling in a caravan to Mongolia with my father and uncle soon. They have already been to the east. They left when I was six years old, and returned when I was fifteen, so I don’t know either of them very well. But this time I will follow them as they make the trek all the way through Asia. I am not excited at all to meet these Mongols. I don’t know much about them, but the things I do know are not very good. In fact, I’ve heard that they are bloodthirsty murderers, literally. There are rumors that warriors will actually drink the blood of their horses to stay alive! And, when they kill someone, they have to bring cut off the ear of the victim just to prove that they killed him! I’ve also heard stories about the Mongol leaders. Genghis Khan brought the Mongols together, by defeating other tribes, and absorbing them into his own. Once he had a big enough army, he slaughtered city after city. If a city didn’t open up its gates immediately, they would kill every citizen once they eventually got inside. Word has spread about this, so people will hand over the city as soon as they see the Mongols. I’ve heard that their army will cover the horizon, as far as you can see to either side.

Since they were originally nomads, moving from place to place, their empire is extremely large now. Ogedei Khan, Genghis’s son, expanded it from Korea, all the way to Persia. It’s the largest empire in the world, but it got to be so big through bloodshed. They’ve taken over China, as well, but they don’t consider themselves Chinese. They’ve gotten rid of the way the Chinese chose their officials, and have kept the powerful positions to themselves.

I’ve also heard stories about how clever they are. If they want to conquer a city, one of their strategies is a group of ten men will charge, and then flee. When the other side follows, which they usually do, the rest of the Mongol army of ten thousand will be waiting to fight.

-Marco Polo

Second Entry

Now that I have spent seventeen years in the Mongol Empire, I have completely changed my mind about them. I am sad to leave them, but I have to return to Venice, where I was born. The Mongols have been nothing but pleasant and welcoming to me. When we arrived, Kublai Khan himself sent a royal escort to meet us and bring us to him. I was appointed to a high position of power in the Great Khan’s administration.

There was no shortage of new things to see. To think, someone like me, an educated Venetian, could be so ignorant about an entire part of the world! One of the new ideas I encountered was paper money. Substituting actual gold and silver with paper was completely foreign to me. I had never heard of such a thing, coming from a city that was the center of trade for the Mediterranean. Another novel thing was using coal. Back home, we have always used firewood, but here, there is no way there could be enough firewood to satisfy their needs. There are so many bathhouses, that it is a necessity to use coal instead of firewood, since most everyone visits one three times a week.

Even though the Mongols are absolutely vicious in battle, they are very peaceful otherwise. I was accepted, as well as others. They are tolerant of different cultures, sometimes even integrating aspects into their own culture, like Nestorian Christianity. Kublai Khan has also greatly improved the system of communication. Messengers could cover over 250 miles a day! He encourages trade, and he oversaw the height of the Silk Road, where I travelled. Kublai Khan makes merchants feel valued as well, so trade has blossomed.

So, after spending nearly half my life in Asia, I have to return to Europe.

-Marco Polo

Third Entry

There are a lot of contrasting viewpoints about the Mongols. Some say that they were bloodthirsty monsters, focusing on the Mongols in battle. Others say that they were fair and peaceful, focusing on the Mongols at peace. These are both valid points, and they are both true.

We can draw a comparison between the Mongols and the Spartans. The Spartans were vicious at war, and so were the Mongols. The Spartans wanted to expand more and more, and so did the Mongols. The Spartans would have succeeded in expansion, like the Mongols did, had it not been for Athens, who had the same idea. Both the Mongols and the Spartans kept positions of power away from foreigners. In Sparta’s case, they even kept citizenship away from people who didn’t descend from the original Spartans. Also, both civilizations were focused on war.

The reason that opinions on the Mongols have changed over the years is that we mostly have sources from people that the Mongols defeated. They paint a picture of violence. But now, we have the resources to prove that the Mongols were actually very accepting in times of peace.

"The Mongol Empire." The Mongol Empire. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Jan. 2014.

"Kublai Khan." Salem Press. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2014. <http://history.salempress.com/doi/full/10.3331/GLMA_3621014911?prevSearch=mongol%2Bempire&searchHistoryKey=&queryHash=8f3a49fbb1dca0b783375b245ba58063>.

"Virtual Art Exhibit - The Mongols." Virtual Art Exhibit - The Mongols. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2014.

"The Mongol Dynasty." Asia Society. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Jan. 2014.

Wright, Esmond. History of the World: Prehistory to the Renaissance. New York: Produced Exclusively for W.H. Smith, 1985. Print.

"Marco Polo and His Travels." Marco Polo and His Travels. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2014.

"Mongols. A History of the Mongols (Monguls)." Mongols. A History of the Mongols (Monguls). N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Jan. 2014.