Lecture 12: 1260 Ain Jalut—Can the Mongols Be Stopped?
o They were highly adaptable, quickly applying any new
technology that seemed useful. When they had trouble
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they imported counterweight trebuchets from the west, manned
by Muslim artillerymen.o When they attacked castles in Syria, they brought giant siege
crossbows developed in China. From China, they also learned
the use of explosives, which they employed both as weapons
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to Europe.x There was one notable instance, however, when a Mongol invasion
was permanently stopped by a clear-cut defeat in open battle. This
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the Battle of Ain Jalut in 1260.The Opponents
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of Temujin, a middle son of a tribal chieftain, trained to be an
outstanding horseman and archer, able to endure harsh conditions
and frequent deprivation.x By adulthood, Temujin had accomplished the impressive feat of
uniting the main Mongol tribes into a single fearsome horde. In
recognition of his supreme leadership, in 1206, he received the name
by which he would become mostly widely known: Genghis Khan.x 7KLV OHDGHU RUJDQL]HG KLJKO\ HI¿FLHQW DQG PRELOH DUPLHV DQG
dispatched them to subdue a neighboring rival state in northwest
China and to attack the great central Asian power of the day, the
Muslim Khwarazm Empire (based in today’s Iran and Afghanistan),
greatly extending Mongol power.x The Mongol conquest of China started with the northern Jin
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