How were the Mongols able to conquer such a vast empire?
From the mongol side, military discipline, good strategy and tactics, an utter ruthlessness in the face of resistance, and decent quality military arms. Also, an ability to "live off the land", allowing them to project their forces. they also adapted, learning to incorporate things like siege warfare(largely through the use of captive peoples familiar with such things). From the enemy side. Inability to adjust to Mongol fighting techniques. Unwillingness to ally and organize, allowing the Mongols to pick off enemies one by one. Constantly underestimating the abilities of the "barbarians" to carry out things like sieges, or attacks over long distances. In the case of the Chinese, while the Chinese were far more numerous, their social structure was not a particularly warlike one. The Chinese had evolved a technique of simply assimilating conquerers. This is not a bad tactic, as shown by Alexander the Great and the Persian empire.
How did the Mongols conquer such a vast empire when nomadic Mongolia was so small in terms of population?
Because most of Eurasia is empty space.Most of the Eurasian continent is taiga, steppe, desert, prairie or tundra, where inhabitation is sparse and where it is easy to ride horseback vast distances in short space. Mind you that Russia expanded from Muscovy to Bering Strait in almost as short time as the Mongols did to the other direction.There are four factors which contributed the rise of the Mongol empire:1) Two charismatic leaders - Tzinghis and his son Ögödei. They were not only warlords but true statesmen. Ögödei managed to keep the empire together and even expand it - more often than not such empires fall when their founder dies.2) Literacy and ideology. Contratry to usual steppe nomads, the Mongols had a writing system and they were literate. They also had a religious ideology to unite the world under one ruler.3) Excellent generals. The early Mongol generals, Subudai, Baidar and Batu, were the best generals of the 13th century, and could easily rank amongst such characters as Rommel, Patton or Zhukov. Their enemies had nothing like them. Unfortunately, the Mongols never managed to produce generals like them afterwards.4) The sorry state of their enemies. Russia was in civil war. China was ruled by one of the most corrupt dynasties ever (Song). Central Asian city states were undone piecemeal. Internal disputes amongst the Mongol enemies was more a rule than exception, making conquest easy.
How were the Mongols able to conquer such a large empire?
By ruthless inter-breeding. They had traditions of extreme warfare violence followed by murdering the ruling class of the other tribes then interbreeding the two tribes, so the offspring would all be a part of the Monguls, one tribe. They can actually trace 8 percent of the men in Asia back to the identical DNA of Ghangus Khan. The Monguls actually fell a part shortly after Ghangus Khan’s death. I guess not too many people have the stamina he had.
Why were the Mongols able to conquer so many other nations?
The Mongols grew up on the steppe where life was difficult and required endurance. They fought each other for many generations, until Genghis Khan united them and created a huge army. They rode tough horses, moved very fast, were expert horse archers, learned from the enemies they defeated and were extremely disciplined and mobile. If a Mongol warrior showed cowardice in battle, they killed not just that warrior, but his entire squad. Their families went with them during military campaigns and supported the army. The Mongols were a poor people in material terms until they began their conquests, so they had a big economic incentive to conquer. The Mongols developed good tactics, including the feigned retreat and psychological warfare, fought with bows, arrows, lances, swords, knives and siege weapons, and were extremely ruthless and violent. The Mongols were entirely cavalry, while their enemies often had infantry components and defended castles and walled cities. Their military success and credible stories of cruelty encouraged some to surrender before a major siege or battle. The Mongols were not out to change anyone’s religion, culture or economic system as long as the subject peoples paid tribute or taxes. They moved rapidly to surprise enemies and lived off the land they invaded. Mongol raiding parties could often move at will in the enemy’s territory, because of their speed and mobility. Genghis Khan had sons, grandsons and great generals who could attack in many different regions.
How were the Mongols able to conquer and maintain so much land? What qualities, characters, etc allowed them to do this?
They were hardy, nomadic and survivable. The Mongols were one of two nations to effectively use slave armies against their enemies by herding them like cattle. During winter war wasn't often fought but the Mongols would move whole armies up frozen rivers remarkably quickly. They could starve out a city just by moving near it and scaring away supply lines. Fighting the Mongols is like grabbing a fish with your bare hands, and it keeps shooting you while you try
How did the Mongols forge such a vast empire throughout the Asian world?
What were some of the keys to Mongol success? What role did military might play in the formation of the empire? What role did administrative and diplomatic skill play? Fwhat happened to the Mongol Empire in the generations following the Death of Genghis Khan?