Slavery in Mongol History (Essay Sample)

Slavery in Mongol History
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Slavery in Mongol History
Slavery in Mongol History
People were owed by other people legally in the age of slavery. Slavery was a common aspect I many cultures, slaves were forced to work for their owners with no benefits and they were the lowest orders of the social classes. The development of slavery was dependent on the social structures of a person, and where the society lacked proper structures, there was no slavery. For example, the hunting and gathering societies lacked slavery due to the absence of social structures. The Mongol Empire was the largest continuous land empire in world history. As was the norm at the time, Mongols raided their neighbors, including Europe, and took slaves as spoils of war. The enslaved people were sold off to the Venetians, the city of traders. At the height of the Mongolian empire, citizenship and slavery status was a function of gender and conquests.
The Mongolian empire is characterized by Nomads. Their nomadic way of life limited their expansion before the rise of Chinggis Khan into leadership (Bold, 2011). In addition, the relevance of slaves in the community was limited by the limited applications of slave labor. However, as a function of the crown of trade in the Empire and the introduction of the Islamic religion, the economic prospects were wider than at any other time in history. These wide prospects and the rise of stable leadership and social structures based on wealth and leadership necessitated the onset of slavery in the Mongolian empire.
There were mixed religious affiliations in Mongolia. Traditional Chinese and Buddhists religions did not advocate for slavery, though this did not stop the vice in some Chinese societies (Bold, 2011). Islam, on the other hand, positively had aspects of slavery because of the existence of slaves in the Arab civilizations (Bold, 2011). The Islam religion also categorically forbids its followers from enslaving fellow Muslims. Therefore, the presence of Islam in the empire was a barrier against enslaving of people from the empire.
The result of this ban by religion and the growth in military strength, coupled with the rise of raiding as an economic activity was incidence of slaves from other parts of the world. The most common slaves in the Mongolian Empire were of European origin. They were captured in raids and subjected to slavery to sustain the growth of the Mongolian empire (Bold, 2011).
The middle ages were dark times for women. They were treated as the property of man and had no political representation. Their main function was reproduction and productive labor to support their families. In addition, there was an incidence of war and violence in frequent intervals as a function of the war. The result is that the atmosphere was not conducive for any manner of social development and the welfare of women were ignored. During these times, all raids treated woman as property (Bold, 2011). After the defeat of their men, they were taken away by the conquering army. The Mongolians were no different. They conquered many cities and captured the women and took them home as part of the spoils of war.
Once in Mongolia, the women were sex slaves for the capturing men. They were forced to engage in the acts of sexual relationships with the men to survive or to earn a source of livelihood. In all cases, the slaves were treated as the property of their captors, they held the lowest positions and were frequently interchanged (Bold, 2011). In Mongolia, the women were also forced to work manually for their masters in addition to the sexual exploitation. Their position was particularly difficult because they were also hated by their native women due to the associated sexual relationships.
Where these women bore children, the children were born into slavery and were likely to live the rest of their lives that way. The girls would get the same treatment as their mothers, and the boys would be sold off or forced to work for the slaving masters. The extreme difficulty of giving birth or raising a child in slavery is also well documented (Bold, 2011). When a woman fell pregnant, she lost her sexual appeal and production ability and was, therefore, dispensable.
However, there are cases where the captured women were integrated into the community and given the same status as the existing women. As such, they could marry the slavers and have a relatively stable social and economic life compared to the slaves. The practice of assimilation of woman was a function of the need for social stability because of the role of the raids and violence in robbing a community of its women. However, the relative stability of the Mongolian empire at its peak, reduced the assimilation of women (Bold, 2011). After its collapse, the numerous warlords and wars that erupted resulted in approaching of slavery in a different way, women were no longer captured for slavery, but for assimilation.
In terms of protection and security, women were given minimum supervision because the conditions would not have supported an escape for am enslaved woman. Attempt to escape would lead them straight into the hand of other men and get the same treatment (Eltis, 2011). The treatment of women as property was not the exclusive domain of the Mongols. In Europe, the treatment was common practice in the middle ages due to the lack of political stability at a time.
At the peak of the Mongols, the men who propelled the empire to a global power were natural warriors. They trained to fight from boyhood and were accustomed to hardships and death. Therefore, they were catastrophic to the enemies in war. The skill of these men and their ability in battle made them an irresistible force (Eltis, 2011). Therefore, they were capable of taking extremely well protected European cities such as Moscow with ease. In their marches, they captured women for the amusement and performance of basic chores and men for commercial purposes and in some cases, integration into the Mongolian army.
The integration into the army was conditional because the integrated person was under the leadership of a Mongolian warrior. The Mongols were aware of the use of slaves to turn against them. Therefore, their numbers were always kept at a manageable level to prevent internal revolts that would have made them weak in battle. On the other hand, the number was sufficiently large to inspire the Mongolians to victory and to intimidate enemies.
There are accounts that show the Mongolians as ruthless killers who killed all men in their path and took their women and property. However, the slave trade in Venice developed due to the rise of the Mongol empire (Dunnell, 2010). The Mongols traded the slaves with the Phoenicians and derived money and other goods relevant to their course. Therefore, the Men were taken for commercial and a military purpose. Women were also sold into slavery in some cases. However, a large number, relative to men, was retained.
The differences in the treatment of captured men and women are a function of social and political differences between the two (Benjamin, 2007). For example, the portion of men as leaders implies that they were targeted by opposing warriors to reduce the chances of the future resistance. In addition, the perception of higher productive potential in men and relatively more body strength increased the application of men in commercial trade.
Slaves had no entitlements in different cultures that were characterized by slavery. They were merely a means of production used by the dominant society to achieve the objectives of the legal members of the society. For example, at the height of slavery in the American continent, the slaves were treated as objects with no rights to vote or participation in activities without the aut...