Cronkite: "For our viewers that don't know, Pantellaria and the Pelagies are a group of small Italian islands off the coast of Tunisia, which were the only territories controlled by the Army of Italy and Free Italian government before the commencement of the Italian Campaign. The islands wou...
The peasants, each bound to an allotment, had to pay rent in the form of products of land cultivation and handicrafts; in addition, they had to perform various kinds of work. The semi-free peasants were given a status equal to that of the feudal-dependent peasants. A central administration...
Shamans were the nearest thing the Mongols had to a priesthood, and they could be both men (bo’e) or, more rarely, women (iduqan). It was quite common for shamans to pass on their position and skills to their children although one might also become a shaman following a near-death ex...
Although the Mongols had ruled territories including today’s North China for decades, it was not until 1271 that Kublai Khan officially proclaimed the dynasty in the traditional Chinese style. His realm was, by this point, isolated from the other khanates, and he controlled most of present-day...
The majority of the officers were ethnic Mongols, however, many of the rank and file were various Turkic nomads who had become Mongol vassals. In addition to the light cavalry, there was a contingent of heavy cavalrymen who carried lances as well as the composite bow favored by the Mongols...
JOURNALIST: And that’s what I’m asking, not whether China or Russia will have regimes that have problems with democracy, as you yourself said, that are trying to gain influence outside their territories in various ways, because they will continue to do so. It is probably clear that yes...
The Mongols, led by Hulagu Khan, captured Baghdad, executing Caliph Al-Musta’sim and devastating the city. It was one of the bloodiest events in world history. This catastrophic event ended the Abbasids’ central authority and left the Islamic world without a caliph for the first time since...
"And having seen very much modesty and other habits of this kind among Christian people, certainly the Mongols loved them greatly at the beginning of their kingdom, a time ago somewhat short. But their love hathturned to such intense hatredthat they can...
as well as ending Goguryeo's aggressive warfare against its neighbor to the south, Silla. But Taizong's real motivation was most likely to prove himself capable of accomplishing what the Sui dynasty had failed to do: that is, conquer Goguryeo and thus restore the territories of Liaodong and...
and kicked ass from France to the gates of Moscow. Only the Mongols gained a more unsavory reputation for murder and mayhem. But love them or hate them (mostly hate) you got to tip your hat to their effectiveness. Their panzers stormed across the plains of Ukraine like nobody since Genghi...