In the 13th century, a nomadic leader from the steppes of Mongolia forged an empire that would become the largest contiguous land empire in history. The Mongol conquests under Genghis Khan and his successors were so devastating that entire cities disappeared, with some regions losing up to 90% of their population.
In Persia alone, the population plummeted from 2.5 million to just 250,000. The great city of Merv, a cultural center of the medieval world, was virtually erased. Kiev's population fell from 50,000 to merely 2,000 after the Mongol siege.
The Mongols' military campaigns were ruthlessly efficient. They didn't just defeat armies - they dismantled entire civilizations through systematic destruction of agriculture, trade networks, and urban centers. This warfare strategy created devastating famines and economic collapse that lasted generations.
Historical records suggest the Mongol conquests may have reduced the world's population from 365 million to 323 million. While medieval chroniclers might have embellished some numbers, the archaeological evidence of destroyed cities and abandoned farmland confirms the massive scale of devastation.
Sources: Persian chronicles of Rashid al-Din, Arab historian Ibn Al-Athir, Archaeological |
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