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The Mongol warlord built the world's largest land-based empire. But he couldn't have done it without a change in climate. The difference was Genghis Khan, the warlord who united the tribes and launched them on their wave of unstoppable conquest. But the Mongol Empire wasn’t solely the product of Genghis’s will. As a fascinating new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS) demonstrates, the rise of the Mongols may have owed just as much to beneficial changes in the climate that made the grasslands of the Mongol steppes green and verdant, fueling the horses that were...

A wave of biker gangs from the US, Canada and Australia arriving in Europe has raised fears of deadly turf battle like the Nordic biker wars of the 1990s, European police agency Europol warned on Friday. Gangs such as the Comancheros and Rebels from Australia, Rock Machine from Canada and the Mongols and Vagos from the US were moving into Europe. ... The gangs were seeking out particularly a dangerous hard core of recruits in their bid to seize territory to traffic drugs, weapons and people... The gangs "have a propensity to use extreme forms of violence", including with Kalashnikov...

The vessel is the first of its kind to have been discovered relatively intact and dates from a series of attempts by Kublai Khan, emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, to subjugate Japan between 1274 and 1281. Researchers have previously only been able to recover anchor stones and cannonballs from the scattered wrecks of the Mongol fleets and they believe that this latest find will shed new light on the maritime technology of the day. The warship was located with ultrasonic equipment about 3 feet beneath the seabed at a depth of 75 feet. The archeological team, from Okinawa's University of...

The Mongol mysteries: Are 'deer stones' a clue? By Guy Gugliotta The Washington Post Sometime around 1000 B.C., a Mongolian tribesman climbed on the back of a horse and surveyed the windblown steppe that stretched as far as the eye could see. The weather was turning colder, and there wasn't enough grass for his goats. It was time to move. From the moment that decision was made, a tradition was born. Horses — yesterday's beasts of burden — became a means of escape. Soon they would become the tool of conquest, and the people of the steppe — whether Scythian,...

Genghis Khan's Mongol invasion in the 13th and 14th centuries was so vast that it may have been the first instance in history of a single culture causing man-made climate change, according to new research out of the Carnegie Institution's Department of Global Ecology, reports Mongabay.com. Earn Points What's this? Comments (21) Email Facebook Twitter Stumble Digg Share Unlike modern day climate change, however, the Mongol invasion actually cooled the planet, effectively scrubbing around 700 million tons of carbon from the atmosphere. So how exactly did Genghis Khan, one of history's cruelest conquerors, earn such a glowing environmental report card?...

The Mongols Nation motorcycle club is seeking more than $11 million from the city for alleged defamation of character and violation of its members' civil rights. In a lawsuit filed June 25, Mongols Nation attorney Albert Perez Jr. accused Lancaster's City Council and city manager of libeling and slandering members of the club, depriving them of their civil rights under color of state law, interfering with a contractual relationship for lodging and food, and inflicting emotional distress. Because of the alleged wrongs, the motorcycle club is asking the Los Angeles Superior Court to order the city to pay $5 million...

Mongolia counts carcasses after harsh winter By CHARLES HUTZLER, Associated Press Writer 2 hrs 48 mins ago UYANGA, Mongolia – Before he can fully tend to his dwindling herd, Demberel has to bury the dead cows, goats and sheep in earth barely thawed from Mongolia's worst winter in decades. Fetid and fly-ridden, the carcasses lie stacked by the hundreds around a burial pit dug by Demberel and a dozen fellow herders. A truck brings dozens more carcasses. Others lie in piles or strewn in nearby valleys, potential health hazards for animals and humans alike. "We're bitter and sad that we've...

In his final televised speech to the Iraqi people in 2003, Saddam Hussein denounced the invading Americans as "the Mongols of this age," a reference to the last time infidels had conquered his country, in 1258. But the comparison isn't very apt — unlike the Mongols, the Americans don't have the organizational genius of Genghis Khan. In the 13th century, Temujin — better known by his title, Genghis Khan ("world leader") — headed a tribal nation smaller than the workforce of Wal-Mart, yet he conquered and ruled more people than anyone in history. After Genghis Khan's death, his grandson, Hulegu,...

The Discovery Channel is running a *very* good special on the life of Ghengis Khan. It's about half over now, but it will rerun again at 11pm Central Time. It's been shown before, but it's very accurate. Well worth watching.

CHRISTIANS AMONG MONGOL INVADERS Seven hundred years ago, Japan faced the threat of imminent invasion by the Mongol, hordes of Kublai Khan. The entire nation was in a state of alarm and many Japanese felt there was no alternative but to surrender to the invaders . This was to be the most serious threat of aggression from abroad that Japan was to experience until World War II of the twentieth century. This attempted invasion of Japan by Mongol Invaders occurred in 1274 and again in 1281. The nomadic Mongol people, originated in the steppe lands, north of China, now called...

The Koryo-Mongol Allied Invasion of Japan - The Myth of Kamikaze Lee Wha Rang Allied armies of Koryo and Kublai Khan invaded Japan in 1274 and 1281. Both invasions failed at the hand of Mother Nature. The sword wielding samurais of Japan were no match for the invaders, who were armed with gun-powder canons and superior fighting tactics. The invaders succeeded in landing on Kyushu after occupying Tsushima and other nearby islands. But gathering storms forced the invaders to pack up and leave.

    For the freedom you enjoyed yesterday... Thank the Veterans who served in The United States Armed Forces.     Looking forward to tomorrow's freedom? Support The United States Armed Forces Today!     ANCIENT WARFARE Conclusion of The Mongols Genghis Khan Now with a larger following and the help of Togrul and the Chin (a large civilization in northern China), Temuchin was able to defeat the Tartars and avenge his father’s death (Nicolle 18). Temuchin continued to build power by removing rivals (Nicolle 18-19). Deals were struck with most Mongol chieftains giving them leadership roles and wives...

    For the freedom you enjoyed yesterday... Thank the Veterans who served in The United States Armed Forces.     Looking forward to tomorrow's freedom? Support The United States Armed Forces Today!     ANCIENT WARFARE Part IX of The Mongols Genghis KhanThe Mongolians of the 12th and 13th century were seen as nothing more than savage barbarians by their enemies, who inhabited what is now China, Russia, and the Middle East (Nicolle 7). Because the Mongolians were brutal and because Mongol history was mostly recorded by Mongol victims, this view has lasted almost eight hundred years (Nicolle...

    For the freedom you enjoyed yesterday... Thank the Veterans who served in The United States Armed Forces.     Looking forward to tomorrow's freedom? Support The United States Armed Forces Today!     ANCIENT WARFARE Part VIII of The Mongols Military Innovation The western expansion was a success for the empire until 1241 (see Wahlstatt). As they encountered the peoples of Europe, the Mongols with their advanced way of warfare were unstoppable. The Mongols used (and by doing so, introduced) several revolutionary military ideas to European combatants. Use of articulation. Mongols used a system of horns and...

    For the freedom you enjoyed yesterday... Thank the Veterans who served in The United States Armed Forces.     Looking forward to tomorrow's freedom? Support The United States Armed Forces Today!     ANCIENT WARFARE Part VII of The Mongols cont'd Mongolian Bow: The Shooting The Old Mongols have their own technique for shooting, known as the "Mongolian release." The Mongols, if right-handed, keep their bow in the left hand, pushes it forward as the right arm pulls the string all the way back to behind the ear. The left arm is now fully extended, and the...

    For the freedom you enjoyed yesterday... Thank the Veterans who served in The United States Armed Forces.     Looking forward to tomorrow's freedom? Support The United States Armed Forces Today!     ANCIENT WARFARE Part VI of The Mongols cont'd Mongolian Bow: Fish Glue and Sinew As we understand, a composite bow by definition has several layers. We have mentioned the birch frame, and the layer of horn/bone. In addition to this, there is a layer of specially prepared birch bark whose purpose is to protect against penetration of moisture. In addition to this is a...

    For the freedom you enjoyed yesterday... Thank the Veterans who served in The United States Armed Forces.     Looking forward to tomorrow's freedom? Support The United States Armed Forces Today!     ANCIENT WARFARE Part V of The Mongols Mongolian Bow Because the Old Mongols lived in an environment where survival skills were always of the utmost importance, it was a matter of course that they should develop excellent tools, both civilian and military. One piece of equipment that was of great significance in war as well as in the daily life of the Mongols was...

    For the freedom you enjoyed yesterday... Thank the Veterans who served in The United States Armed Forces.     Looking forward to tomorrow's freedom? Support The United States Armed Forces Today!     ANCIENT WARFARE Part II of The Mongols Mongol Military Might Mediaeval historians used to assert that the Mongol military superiority was due to their overwhelming numbers. As we are now aware of, this is incorrect, and assertions of Mongol numerical superiority must be interpreted as partly a specious excuse for European inferiority when fighting against the Mongols in the battlefield. Even though they never...

    For the freedom you enjoyed yesterday... Thank the Veterans who served in The United States Armed Forces.     Looking forward to tomorrow's freedom? Support The United States Armed Forces Today!     ANCIENT WARFARE Part I of The Mongols Origins When writing Mongolian history, there are a number of points from which one could conceivably start. One could choose to track the intricacies of Inner Asian tribal structure, and proceed to give an exposition of the demographic, economic and political conditions that constituted the outer circumstances around the emergence of the Mongols. This has been done...

TOKYO (AP) - Archaeologists have unearthed the site of Genghis Khan's palace and believe the long-sought grave of the 13th century Mongolian warrior is somewhere nearby, the head of the excavation team said Wednesday. A Japanese and Mongolian research team found the complex on a grassy steppe 150 miles east of the Mongolian capital of Ulan Bator, said Shinpei Kato, professor emeritus at Tokyo's Kokugakuin University. Genghis Khan (c. 1162-1227) united warring tribes to become leader of the Mongols in 1206. After his death, his descendants expanded his empire until it stretched from China to Hungary. Genghis Khan built the...