Wait For It...The Mongols!: Crash Course World History #17

In which John Green teaches you, at long last, about the most exceptional bunch of empire-building nomads in the history of the world, the Mongols! How did the Mongols go from being a relatively small band of herders who occasionally engaged in some light hunting-gathering to being one of the most formidable fighting forces in the world? It turns out Genghis Khan was a pretty big part of it, but you probably already knew that. The more interesting questions might be, what kind of rulers were they, and what effect did their empire have on the world we know today? Find out, as John FINALLY teaches you about the Mongols.
Chapters:
Introduction: Wait for it...The Mongols! 00:00
What does it mean to be a nomad? 1:13
Genghis Khan 2:39
An Open Letter to Genghis Khan's Descendants 4:45
The Mongols After Genghis Khan 5:30
Five Reasons the Mongols Were Awesome 6:54
Five Reasons the Mongols Weren't Awesome 8:30
Credits 10:34
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[@Magnetul]

Imagine, people being promoted into a position based on merit and not family ties... crazy.

[@feetup7628]

what kind of savage does that right?!

[@Nameless9635]

No wonder he made the largest empire...if only fools today knew this trick.

[@Chilukar]

Funny how people assume we are different now. In the last 30 years two families have had the US presidency for 20 of them and only just missed out on another term. The same families have also had other members who were state governors and senators. Of the other candidates for president and vp in that time the parents of 4 were "ruling class" (governor, congressman, diplomat and admiral) and several more were the sons of millionaires. In the UK many, if not most, government and shadow government posts are filled with people who studied the same degree at the same university - 42% of who's students come from private schools. To put it another way you are 6 times more likely to get into government if you are in the right family. Even more stark is that 15% of the house of Lords are hereditary peers. We could do with some more "mongol thinking".

[@jorgemunoz4986]

Chilukar word. These fools up here think it’s not families power playing everything

[@dd-rw8ey]

Lamooo but tbh even now, your family matters more than you up to like 90 percent chance probably.

[@pizzabelongsonranchnthatso3894]

Imagine just sittin in ur hut chillin an all of a sudden ur wife is gettin stolen

[@stevethea5250]

stamp

[@James-Specter]

John Green has the highest authority out of any thing on Crash Course World History except wait for it ................. The Mongols. [Insert Mongoltage]

[@razkable]

india never got taken over by alexander or khan...India should be feared by all....thats insanity

[@jojobabok9373]

@@razkable I was never taken over by Alexander, Khan, Napoleon or any of these triflers... I must be feared by all.

[@blvck265]

😂 😂 😂

[@amandag.6186]

@@razkable especially the tamil kings who weren't even conqured by the man who conquered india, Chandragupta

[@stevethea5250]

@@jojobabok9373 why does he say mongles

[@cartoonmaster2401]

"The Floopity-flop, so...That's the technical name by the way. I'm a historian." One of your best lines John XD

[@Comraderob1]

Totally agree

[@minatothe4th379]

did the mongols kill their wives after the "floopity flop"?

[@makishimashougo8021]

XD

[@makishimashougo8021]

😀

[@LukeGood1018]

Try washing the pygmies before you run the mountain gimmick. Thrash away at the humble platypus, it may be your lazy pie owl.

[@McLightning95]

23 and Me: New Ethnicity discovered: You are .01% Genghis Khan

[@AJGoff110]

"Stupid truth, always resisting simplicity" That's gotta be one my favorite quotes of all time

[@ayushamahajan143]

I know right?? It's put my frustration into words.

[@conx40]

Its what i love about johns video's he i teaches us how to always see things from all perspective's specially in today's world..

[@evanoliver1918]

All these videos do what high school history could not: make learning fun.

[@rae4486]

yeas i love this channel

[@wenwildfan]

Evan Oliver watched this in my world studies class. :)

[@gordonramsay1530]

im watching this to study for my ap world history test actually

[@frankii5011]

Fanta Soft Drinks omg me too !!!

[@bigbro5556]

Where literally all freshman preparing for an Ap world history exam tomorrow lol

[@dorkmax7073]

Tax your enemies, see them bankrupt before you, and hear the lamentations of their accountants!

[@17Watman]

Coda Mission That is good.

[@jacobbrown4971]

holy sweet mother of god, I just watched all of this series for 5 hours straight laughing at and loving every Mongol reference. Now I get to the Mongol episode and it meets all of my expectations! This is a truly awesome aid in learning and just straight up entertaining. Why is this not a television show???

[@General420smoke]

there is a book series about him and they are great, the first book is called the "wolf of the plains", when he was around 8yrs old and his father died his family was banished from the community and had to survive by themselves. in the book it says that he killed his brother because he kept food for himself and didnt share with his family.

[@jacobbrown4971]

nice, ill have to check that out, thanks for the info. :)

[@puranjaysingh304]

I've been directing all my teacher friends to this channel. Their students absolutely love it. The Green brothers need to be on TV!

[@andrew.r.lukasik]

Puranjay Singh TV? You mean that increasingly irrelevant thing old people are used to stare at?

[@jacobbrown4971]

Andrew Raphael Lukasik no we mean the boob tube that America gets half its worldview from....

[@andyramirez6521]

I find it hilarious that the Mongols tried to invade Japan but died in a typhoon twice. It's also pretty funny that they put dummies on horses so that their armies would look bigger from far away.

[@dorjjodvo1992]

Andy Ramirez are how each soldier lit dozens of bonfires for the same reason

[@Samuel-iv4qt]

yeah, but the dummies worked.

[@bunnyfreakz]

"It's also pretty funny that they put dummies on horses so that their armies would look bigger from far away." It's not funny, it's war tactic and strategy from Sun Tzu. Western and middle eastern that time were too gullible to understand such war tactic. That's why they lost.

[@ItsThatSheep]

In Skyrim, some forts have dummies on the walls and i always mistake them for the enemies every time XD

[@biffyqueen]

There's a theory that the Chinese, who built the ships, deliberately fucked them over

[@janecollins9044]

As much as I like people discussing the 'glory days' of Mongol Empire, I wish more people would talk more about modern day Mongolia. Living abroad and talking to international students made me realize Mongolia is much more peaceful, progressive, free, tolerant and "chill" than any other nation tbh. It'd be much cooler if others saw that aspect of Mongolia as well.

[@jakobreagan2592]

It must be really cool to be able to say "I'm Genghis Khans grandson"

[@gallivantingsprt]

Its a very common thing in modern Kazakhstan. Plenty of people trace their roots from Ghenghis Khan. Its customary to ask a person which tribe he/she belongs to. And saying you're from Tore (Ghenghis khan descendants) is like saying you're a Lakers fan )

[@kuroosayuri797]

Yeah We Mongolians love saying we’re descendants of Genghis Khan

[@danayussubaliyeva3547]

you well might be, check it out :)

[@finnthehuman5232]

@@gallivantingsprt are you kazakh or russian?

[@gallivantingsprt]

@@finnthehuman5232 I am Kazakh, yes. why?

[@AlternateHistoryHub]

If you think of it, the Mongols basically reinvented Europe. Or at least, led to the events which reinvented Europe.

[@DWBambi]

Hey! I know you! And I like your videos! And yet I haven't subscribed yet! ...Yeah...

[@duxsvobodi]

The idea is awesome, but realisation could be a better

[@YoungKoolness17]

***** They didn't exactly migrate to southern Europe. They were either taking in by Romans, after an invasion of course, or they expanded INTO Roman lands, for example the germans who sacked rome

[@Garblegox]

And only at the low-low cost of approximately 40 million lives; roughly 8-10% of the world's population. A murder rate that, if it occurred in the 20th century, it would have taken the lives of 280 million people. The second highest death rate in the world following the An Lushan Revolt. Just try to keep that in mind. There was hardly a single conquered tribe in his confederacy that wouldn't have defected if they had a choice.

[@nicholasmitchell2960]

***** .... 1. kinda raciest. 2. did you watch his videos on eastern Islam and the dark ages, it had significant impact on modern society.

[@ar9963]

if anyone else is here for that ap world exam on thursday, may the mongols be with you

[@yvonnescorcia5661]

Mines Wednesday the 18th 😭

[@waniaskwtchy4384]

Yup

[@adventureguy5088]

Alexa Rudley lmao

[@juno7424]

Alexa Rudley may the mongols be with you

[@juliaallen8454]

Alexa Rudley May the Mongols be with you too

[@samthehypotheticaldad]

"I mean, I can't tell your gender there. You've got the pants but you also have the floopity-flop. That's the technical term for it; I'm a historian! XD" -John Green, 2012

[@flexnrex1367]

Reasons why crash course history is more popular than other crash courses. 1. Frequent cuts. 2. Frequent camera position changes. 3. Frequent Animations 4. Frequent sidetrack jibbering. 5. The constant change of intonation and tone. 6. Fast-talking. 7. Useless but interesting facts. 8. It feels like a conversation rather than a speech. 9. Frequent jokes. 10. A lot of connections to modern situations. 11. No breathing sounds. 12. Johns personality. 13. Dark humour. Crash course, you might want to invest more into animations. They are more interesting than lips moving.

[@neppynep6151]

"Your palace may last forever, but my yurt can go anywhere!" When your mates are agricultural, artistic plebs.

[@GBH420]

Ger

[@evenfate5906]

It’s true it’s ger

[@evenfate5906]

I am mongolian

[@johnielsmithuel6008]

"I can't tell your gender, I mean, you've got the pants, but you've also got the floopity-flop. That's a technical term, I'm a historian." And this is the man that wrote "the fault in our stars

[@mnshkmr11]

Because he didn't..

[@mhomho1979]

Also I hope their women didn't have facial hair like the picture

[@carlgeoffreysanchez1583]

I have been subscribing on CrashCourse for a long time, but it is only in your comment that I realized that he is the author of the 'The Fault in Our Stars'. I feel so bad. Thanks anyway.

[@shastribadminton22]

Best book ever.

[@anushkapandey4957]

Johniel smithuel OMG......he is???🤐😱😱😱

[@fsgjafgja]

I keep laughing everytime I see the "mongol-tage"... Especially at the poor guy getting dragged by a horse lol. Definitely my favorite episode to date

[@napoleondogeoparte2605]

why is it still fun 8 years later

[@someolfellow1094]

YES! THE GREATEST MEME ON CRASH COURSE FINALLY EXPLAINED!

[@tseveen120]

?

[@katiehowe3764]

Yesss

[@xxskyenebulaxx7385]

*mongoltage plays*

[@WarbirdTheater]

"...you also have the floobity-flop. That's the technical term, by the way. I'm a historian." This episode has been up for lord knows how long and that never gets old.

[@galaxi6585]

the Mongols attacked Japan TWICE but the typhoons defeated them.

[@mijidsamdansuidaan3221]

Second wave did get to the shores of Japan, but there was left too few to conquer the whole Japan.

[@Nameless9635]

Even the typhoon could not completely stop them...they managed to hit the shore and take some territories.

[@nukestrom5719]

Wrong. They had two major invasions 1274 and 1281 and typhoons helped Japaneses but its Samurai warriors who defeated Mongels.

[@bayanbatu6848]

what would happen , if mongols successfully landed on japan islands and invade all of u ? U better thank to weather .

[@emdadahmed5592]

Even if the Mongols hadn't died in 2 typhoons, they would still have been finished off. Explanation: Japan is almost entirely composed of forests and hilly, mountainous terrain. Horseback archery would have been incredibly difficult for the Mongols who grew up battling in the vast Eurasian steppes with hundreds upon hundreds of miles of vast landlocked terrain.

[@emmascott5519]

It's now been 7 years since this video was released and it's still the most used video in history classes I've ever seen. I've probably seen it 5 times since I took World History in 9th grade and watched it in class, and it was just assigned again in my second year of college. Nice to know history doesn't change that fast. :)

[@lostbladder]

A lot of people I go to school with hate this channel... meanwhile I'm over here binge watching every lesson in every subject for the second time...

[@indirects868]

lostbladder Why do they hate this channel?

[@smithnwesson990]

Because dumbass kids hate school. Wish i cared more back then.

[@raynethescribe2772]

My classmates hated whenever my teacher put one of these videos on because "he speaks too fast" and that's it. I've always enjoyed them, and look at me now, graduated high school yet still watching them.

[@peterz8008]

i like the channel too.

[@tamillaigidova7919]

Because they watch PragerU

[@isaacliang2674]

10:13 also killed so many people in Europe (around 40 million) that the trees in Europe were able to regrow as there was nobody to tend to the fields, or not enough of them at least. So thanks Genghis for being environmentally conscious. :)

[@GG-ir1hw]

I don't class Russians as Europeans because thier speech and writing looks and sounds like explosive diarreha. While the west of europe sounds normal.

[@sonixhawk4]

Calemb Jackman Arrogant much?

[@GG-ir1hw]

No just dislike Russians

[@GG-ir1hw]

And Russia's hates Western Europe then wants to be classed as europe?

[@0249er]

Calemb Jackman Russians are European, there writing is using the Greek alphabet unlike western Europe that uses the Latin one. Their speech is slav part of the indo-European family of languages that spread across Europe pushing out languages like Celtic and replacing them with french or English. other then that most of what we consider Russians are Scandinavians that speak Russian, so ya there European

[@rickyspanish6087]

Gangus Khan is probably one of my favorite military leaders.

[@BAHTHEARTIST]

that one moment when the mongols arrive villages: *exists* mongols: create big oof

[@henryczeisler4851]

watching it 7 years later like me

[@overlychaotic]

Me watching it 8 years later

[@DrBreezeAir]

As a Russian who spent a summer in London with a Mongolian ambassador's son I approve. But seriously Mongols were incredibly talented at waging war. They had huge experience in psychological warfare and had sophisticated arrow design to inflict almost guaranteed mortal wounds.

[@jackmadden4744]

For some reason im seeing -us- the mongals as the good guys...

[@uzolboo]

+Genghis Khan mmmhmmmm ;) fully agree brother!

[@irwanandaltria]

+Genghis Khan u know, this world is not painted with only black and white.

[@jackmadden4744]

Irwan Andaltria yes. i know. I'm yellow

[@irwanandaltria]

Genghis Khan I know you do, O Great Khan.

[@krc6535]

fuck you

[@vivitsa6215]

9:46 Wow. The Mongols are so good at fighting that they actually thought about bio chemical warfare? Mongols are scary.

[@eliza1826]

Yeah real psychopaths

[@razkable]

if khan didn't get sad and lose his motivation after the death of his mother he probabaly takes over most of asia and europe...crazy to think about...

[@Rune-Thief]

@@eliza1826 You don't seem to know the definition of that word and use it as a derogatory term. Let me remind you that morals back then are not the same as they are now, and in different cultures.

[@cmarley314]

Rune One could argue morality is objective, and applied differently, sometimes incorrectly

[@Rune-Thief]

@@cmarley314 Yes, though determining if someone is a psychopath still uses factual evidence.

[@ghnfyhj]

I bet this guy was so freaking excited when the Mongols were next 😂

[@sweethater8558]

I want a shirt that says "Nomads aren't Jack Kerouac".

[@cgarrand08]

ahhh i now understand the Ghengis Khan song when they says "i get a little bit Ghengis Khan" it means they want to invade China and create an empire with incredible trade routes and tolerance to religion that will crumple shortly after my demise

[@jabobabo6162]

cgarrand08 r

[@45gid]

To all religion except Taoism. Read up.

[@jackturner214]

And Judaism and Islam, since Ghengis Khan basically outlawed circumcision and kosher/halal slaughter.

[@kazaddum2448]

Jack Turner aside from the fact that the rulers of 3 of 4 khanates eventually converted to islam...

[@jackturner214]

Doesn't negate the fact that Ghengis Khan outlawed halal slaughter; he was not as tolerant of religious differences as has been suggested.

[@BeccaBLAH14]

I wanr a "Mongols: We're the exception" t-shirt

[@nicole._sihler]

that is already a thing

[@starwarsenjoyer7567]

Wanr

[@sidneym2919]

i would like this comment but it's at 69 likes and i don't want to ruin that

[@starwarsenjoyer7567]

@@sidneym2919 It's at 80 now. U can like it

[@alexburgess7237]

9:20 How is it can you say "scootleypooping" with such a straight face??!

[@doubleboy2388]

You can walk across the whole Mongol empire with a gold plate on your head without fear of getting robbed but, you can't live in your own hut without your wife getting stolen. How ironic. Lol

[@MissSladousek]

Rhat was before the empire Will.. listen better

[@PhanteusZ]

+Will Trill actually kidnapping a bride and committing adultery was prohibited in the Mongol Empire. The punishment was often death.

[@arishemghoul9571]

+Phanteus than why did they raped all those people the conquered

[@PhanteusZ]

ssj4mighty gogeta who said they raped?

[@arishemghoul9571]

Phanteus​ history

[@godzilla964]

Imagine if the Mongols had guns, tanks, and jets.

[@michaeldog123ful]

+godzilla964 They do technically

[@godzilla964]

True, but we haven't heard anything about a new Mongolian empire. Yet!

[@MojoBonzo]

+godzilla964 well imagine if their enemies had guns and tanks and jets! whats that supposed to mean?! lol

[@notnebeyuiswear2588]

They do know and they military is awful

[@willlangan6038]

+godzilla964 it wouldnt mean anything. what made them so effective was their unconventional tactics combined with brutal willingness to be violent as well as their massive logistical advantages.... they were good at what they did with what they had in a time period when they couldntve faced a foe that was orginized or disiplined enough to stand up to them.

[@draguinny3823]

2:58 Hello darkness my old friend....

[@imthejayyy6501]

Draguinny hahahhahahahahhahahahha

[@tomkoo7696]

mongols then - the greatest empire in history mongols now - country bewteen 2 monsters named russian and china

[@kassandracox7047]

Actually, most mongols live IN China. One of the largest provinces in China is Inner Mongolia. They have a fair amount of autonomy, and mostly speak Mongolian. They also tend to write in the traditional Mongolic script instead of in Cyrillic, which is pretty cool.

[@1943rfagan]

British empire was actually far bigger.

[@user-fs3qi8ug7e]

They are our descendants, every country ruled by us are now strong and powerful

[@airwakkerre1861]

@@1943rfagan nah

[@1943rfagan]

@@airwakkerre1861 It actually was. Do your research.

[@TheJulsMan]

The Mongols where the blueprint for how you make a badass empire. Step 1 - build a meritocracy, you get better results working with people who deserve it not people whose dad deserved it. Step 2 - let your reputation do the hard work for you. Be sure that everyone thinks you are the most blood thirty savage people out there; use racial phobias to your advantage. That way people will surrender without you even having to attack. Step 3 - tolerance makes for easy management. Instead of trying to control how people think just focus on how they behave. As long as they pay taxes and adhere to your rules on trade ... who cares what they worship. Step 4 - blend in. Not mentioned in this film was the fact that many people who where ruled by Mongols didn't even know they where ruled by Mongols. The average peasant was better off in the Mongol empire and probably didn't even know (or care) that there was a change in management. As a matter of fact, Beijing is the forbidden city because the Mongols who controlled China didn't want the ethnic Chinese to know that China wasn't even being run by Chinese.

[@daleludtke7803]

The Mongols basically let people rule themselves as long as they paid. And you were safe, if someone tried to attack you the Mongols would utterly annihlate the attackers.

[@darthxader1112]

That last part was awesome

[@musent_]

Step 5: ??? Step 6: Profit

[@thatpolishlife303]

Julian King .

[@MadHatter42]

Julian King You’re very correct, my friend, except on the last point; the Forbidden City was constructed by the Yongle Emperor, the second leader of the Ming Dynasty, which overthrew the Yuan Dynasty and replaces the Khans with native Chinese emperors again.

[@BuzzZu]

anyone notice in the subtitles, right after he says "im a historian" it says "suspiciously lacking a mustache" XD

[@lamiyam.899]

+Buzz Zu lol..yea

[@ethanturner6887]

+Buzz Zu How about the fact when he says if they arent easy questions to answer it says, "darn you fifa 11"

[@nightstar2400]

I went back and turned caption on just to see that XD

[@tommyracha]

+Colin Gray and after he says "no one can best crash course viewers, well except for the Mongols" and the captions say [when the mongol-tage rolls, we all win]

[@ciakulla4047]

I went back to see that also XD

[@asiajaiie2489]

so far, this is my favorite chapter in this ap world course 😭

[@afiaali2441]

Babur the first Mughal emperor of India was a descendant of Genghis Khan both on his maternal and paternal side and Babur and his many descendants went on to conquer and rule India for more than 300 years and it was the third largest empire in the history of India....so even though Genghis couldn’t...his descendants did rule over India.

[@oskarileikos]

3rd largest empire... in the history of India. Yeah. That's like saying the Scottish had the 2nd largest empire in Great Britain...

[@uzmafaridi5548]

Babur was not the descendant of Genghis Khan from both his sides. He was Half a Mongol and the other half was Timurid. The Mughals did not wish to be associated with Genghis Khan because of his image as a brutal ruler so the entire Mughal dynasty called themselves the TIMURID DYNASTY. Besides, it was the British who gave them the name Mughals.

[@shubhammeena5177]

he was a Turk, no?

[@dorjjodvo1992]

But Tamerlan is the most well known Moghol tho

[@SACHINYadav-sn4op]

@@shubhammeena5177 yes they were a Turkish dynasty

[@Pwnage195]

When John was talking about every day being a birthday for Genghis Kahn's descendants this music played. I thought i was hearing something behind me in my room. So for five minutes i sat there examining my room looking for places where that sound came from. Until i realised, it was just in the video.

[@dentonholmgren5715]

same.

[@salyernuts]

ditto

[@soni5996]

Relevant username

[@23shohamd]

SAME!

[@cassieopenthefckingdoor8981]

wtf

[@sweetlibertea763]

It seems to me that the Mongols cared more about living a good life than trying to create an everlasting empire, seems to me like a smart choice

[@darrenpat182]

Yeah, lots of products and raping and pillaging, while the long suffering keep calm and carry on british built the internet you are using

[@amandag.6186]

Imagine having an empire so massive and successful... ...and only having it fall less then 100 years because the first leadwr died(looking at you Alex and Khan) This comment was made by Roman Empire Gang

[@pvh500]

the stuff my World History teacher puts on and lays back to.

[@jessicarichards8372]

"you're floopity flop. That's a technical term, I'm a historian."-John Green John you rock!

[@connorboyer3986]

Your palace may last forever, but my yurt can go anywhere! Best line ever!

[@fowdarsachin8300]

[@clarkorion197]

It doesn't mean anything. They were probably just jealous and intimidated. The Mongols never had the money or the brains to build such palaces. They were always on the run being poor, barbarian, plague-spreading parasides who never fulfilled any purpose as a human. What children always get taught by their parents is that it's easier to destroy something than to embrace its beauty, but the Mongols obviously were too stupid to understand this concept. They had brainless zombie slave armies that knew how to destroy this planet and everything others had spent millenia on building and developing. If it was because of them we'd still all be hunters and gatherers. They were sick and like Stalin, Mao, Hitler, Nero or any other terrible leaders you can think of destroyed everything.

[@1sdani]

Clark Orion They actually helped the Earth. Carbon ratings went down during their reign and the land started to restore itself to it's former glory. They also were very intelligent, as I see it at least. They were incredibly knowledgeable in the arts of War and Trade and were masters of numerous skills such as Horseback Riding, Archery, and various forms of combat. They also were one of the few Civilizations in history to be truly devoid of the division of power between Sexes and Religions, and were the first Civilization to promote warriors based on merit instead of heritage and class. Sure, they killed thousands of people, and that is a very bad thing. But don't think other "Great" nations didn't also. The United States has killed over 260 THOUSAND people, during the Civil War alone, counting only casualties to Confederate soldiers... as I can't find statistics for the civilians. And while the war did free the slaves, it was not about that in the beginning, it was actually just about keeping the Confederacy from breaking off from the states. Plus, even if the cause may have been a good one, you cannot excuse the fact over 600 thousand lives were lost overall just so that the States could stay in control of it's revolting underlings. Also, keep in mind that had the Confederacy won the war, they would have treated the United States just as well as we treat Colonial Britain today in school. Yep, we would have been the oppressive "father" Nation and they would have been the underdogs who won. Not saying I'm supporting their fondness of slavery in any way, but instead I'm saying that we pretty much had two Revolutions in less that 100 years. Food 4 Thought ya' know.

[@linhhoang1363]

Clark Orion No, thats not about jealous or intimidated at all. Problem with the Mongols is they couldnt stand much about static settlements and agricultural living. Only such way of life would be the seed for cultural and technology to boom. You can see that clearly at other civilizations like Ancient Egypt, Persian or the Chinese. The Mongols cant have this kind of life because they are the nomads, so they only "borrow" others to do it for them (like, "borrow" engineers from the Chinese). So in the end, they did not be defeated by any nation but be converted eventually. For example, the Ilkhanate empire, one of the Mongols - many empire - did converted to Islam eventually but not in a war.

[@snorisnorelsen5938]

Clark Orion As someone who has been to Mongolia and met real live Mongols instead of just making assumptions about them, I have to disagree with you. Mongols have plenty of brains - they survive in environments that would kill most Westerners within a week or two. The Mongols have remained herders for two reasons: 1) Much of Mongolia is quite arid and not good for farming, and 2) They are HAPPY. They are a happy people, like their lifestyle, and have success with it. If it isn't broken, don't fix it. The Mongols didn't have money for much of their history because they never settled enough to start mining activities, so they didn't have any precious metals. Not only did they not have it, but they didn't really need it. Most traditional Mongolian families are essentially self-sustaining, and they never really "outgrew" the barter system. I don't look down on them for this; it worked for their way of life, so there is nothing wrong with that. And for those who think the Mongols are still barbarians, consider that the literacy rate in Mongolia for both men and women is higher than that in the US.

[@sotastic1]

goodluck to everyone taking their exam tomorrow i see u cramming

[@mineturtleanimations2988]

sofia shaw Lol

[@billpilgrim1121]

You honestly just made me want to explore the Mongols more. Also I could post this on most videos but you do a great job of condensing the history down while pointing out some cool events but also leave an air of "there's more" for the viewer to find if they choose.

[@nfinn42]

Bit disappointed that Subutai didn't get a mention, but it IS only a Crash Course. Greatest unsung military genius of all time IMHO.

[@pugilist102]

Nobody can beat his record, 65-1 with 32 nations subjugated.

[@matthewgamblin8628]

What about Alexander The Great?

[@nfinn42]

Matthew Gamblin Alexander the "Great" was a comparative underachiever. He conquered a lot of land area but he was mostly rampaging across poorly-defended farmland. He had nerve and the initiative required of great military leaders, but he never really faced an enemy that challenged his conquest seriously, at least not after the Granicus. He is remembered as "great" because history is written by the apologists of powerful rulers. In reality, dying young is probably the best thing he ever did for human civilization. He lived long enough to spread Greek concepts far and wide, but died before he could clamp them down into a tyranny that would be remembered with hatred for generations. Perfect timing. By comparison, Subutai maneuvered an army across Russia and Eastern Europe in winter through unfamiliar terrain, crushing experienced armies all along the way, usually while heavily outnumbered and without any supply lines or hope of retreat if he failed. He won the battles of Mohi and Legnica (500 km apart!) in two successive days, having split his force in the face of superior numbers, outmaneuvering and outwitting his enemies and crushing the knights of Poland and Hungary. At Mohi they allowed the panicked Hungarians to "escape" the encirclement, because killing fleeing men was easier than killing desperate men with their backs to a wall... If that's not clear, here it is in one sentence: outnumbered, without hope of retreat, and in unfamiliar territory, Subutai split his forces into two wings over 500km apart and *conquered two kingdoms in two days*. Only Napoleon and Hannibal, in all of military history, stand on that level of sheer brilliance (in my opinion).

[@pugilist102]

nfinn42 Don't forget his expeditionary campaign around the Caspian Sea/Caucasus Mountains where his force of 20,000 defeated several armies 4 times his own. This guy ate numerically superior armies for breakfast.

[@saint_matthias]

pugilist102 65-1? What was the defeated battle?

[@thongbonerstorm9516]

Anyone else notices that empires seem to follow the laws of physics quite closely? Like how a chemical reaction requiring a catalyst (General like Khan) then expands rapidly using a immense amount of energy, just before fizzling out into nothing once that catalyst has been used up?

[@lhagiduty]

Everything has its beginning and its end. Law of the Universe.

[@awksweat230]

This is true for almost everything in the known world. Especially when you forcefully take something that doesn't belong to you(like the Mongols). There will be some opposition to that at some point.

[@TiTixWhite]

Lkhagvasuren Davaatseren Except for (Wait for it) THE MONGOLS descendants

[@samashe2339]

TiTixWhite When you say that instead of showing people on horses it shows people holding I-Phones and playing flappy bird or something.

[@melodya.5286]

As a young Mongolian, this was a really cool and insirational video.

[@enKmuran]

Egshiglen Amgalanbayar yeah, same here. i learnt much more about our history from KZbin than my entire secondary school.

[@gwendolynmcgarry3062]

"That's the technical term. I'm a historian."

[@Sabrowsky]

MR. GREEN, MR. GREEN, but I thought that the fragmentation of the mongol empire only started during the rule of Kublai Khan with the rebellion of his cousin Kaidu.

[@Assassinus2]

No, it did start after Ogedei. Batu Khan and Ogedei's son did NOT like each other at all, which is why Batu refused to attend the khuriltai that was held after Ogedei's death. Genghis Khan's sons got along pretty well, but their grandkids... wow, family issues indeed.

[@marlavaleriasantos6921]

Marco Polo reference? If so, this is lovely 💜

[@Sabrowsky]

Marla Valeria Santos its actually from a book I read a couple of years back but yeah, I kinda remembered it because of the show

[@matthewsmith1779]

+Marla Valeria Santos That show is such trash.

[@marlavaleriasantos6921]

You understand me. I really like that show.

[@ianhintz2257]

In how many episodes have you said "unless they were.. the Mongols!" or something like that?

[@zachos2]

anytime there's an exception.

[@fyredrakon]

+Ian hintz Tally: OVER 9000!!!!1!!!!1!11111

[@chaosblackstone7286]

+Ian hintz in every single one.

[@benjamintran3921]

+Ian hints he acts like a twelvie

[@satan595]

+Ben Tran You act like a twelvie

[@starwarsenjoyer7567]

10:18 the questions he asked are actually hard. I don't have an answer for any of them. You're doing your job great!

[@1DNoticeMOi]

This is literally saving my college career

[@trisaratops.]

Successful khanquests I see.

[@hentaihaven2843]

🥁 Da da tiss

[@firefoxproduction5053]

well this guy thinks he is funny

[@zephyr_u5]

he is tho

[@elmeryrjola1879]

Yeah it's amazing how they managed to Khantrol so many people

[@leblacksparrow6779]

Ok thanks for that

[@Plowie1]

If anyone's interested in the Mongols, an author called Conn Iggulden has an amazing series about Genghis' life from a child to his death and the lives of his children and grandchildren, well, mainly Kublai. All major events in the books are as historically accurate as possible. It really is a compelling read!

[@user-dx3jg6er1m]

"Your palace may last forever but my yurt can go anywhere" - John Green, May 17th 2012

[@reakerofhavic87]

This man murdered Agustus Waters and made me cry for an hour and now he's helping my with my history homework.

[@Mullet-ZubazPants]

Mongol religious tolerance was exaggerated. My favorite quote on this subject "They cared no more about the beliefs of their subjects than a farmer cares what his dairy cattle think about reincarnation."

[@dorjjodvo1992]

Wolfgang Von Zubaz exaggerated perhaps but still present which is better than condemning the other religions

[@Mullet-ZubazPants]

True enough. But many people want to portray their Laissez-faire attitude to religion in some kind of liberal democracy narrative. They had this policy because it was the most practical way to run a ginormous empire. If cracking down on religion served their purposes they would've done that

[@velk]

Source?

[@teenafterlifeofficial421]

Wolfgang Von Zubaz they were muslims

[@ganbat]

George Little europeans raped all young native girls when they meet them, columbus raped many young girls. native americans dont consider him hero anymore.

[@erynnesensei]

I love this show, the running jokes, balanced perspectives, the meaningful lessons, and John Green's fabulous nerdiness. Overall fantastic!

[@gartt5617]

watched this 5 years ago with in one of my classes, glad to see its still as classy now as it was then

[@ionlymadethistoleavecoment1723]

John just taught me more than 40 pages of a history book. thanks crash course crew!

[@poponachtschnecke]

Pixelated Mongol at the end made me smile so big!

[@MegaFunnyGuyz]

Gheghis was really good at khanquest

[@briannabrown5724]

Hah that was hilarious MrCanadiangenius

[@lashondawright2812]

Quick, concise and to the point. Love crash course.

[@xavierswartz5659]

God do i love the Mongols and John Green with the open letters. And yes, i love Stan as well even i he makes history boring.

[@nana-wv1pz]

On your test: The official term for the feathers on top of a Mongol's head? Answer: Floppity-flop

[@LadyCoyKoi]

LOL Then fail said test. >_

[@milesbarnes7608]

11:10 NYAN-KHAN!!!!

[@vishnuhareesh281]

No comments about John Green? I had to do this assignment on mongols [which I really didn't feel like doing]. So I just opened KZbin for a reference. Surprised to see John Green. I love him and his works. This video deserves a like.

[@blardyhell3095]

'The mongols are just a metaphor for life. They grew beards and pillaged towns, and we can too. *stares into someones eyes* you can too' - john green's next book

[@fan9775]

AOE 2 flash backs!!!

[@andrej7840]

Hussars and Mangudais 8)

[@aayushniraula84]

yes mangudai

[@isaacasdreams]

Yes! ... But why were the Koreans soo strong in that game?

[@andrej7840]

Isaac Kim Their unique unit.

[@fan9775]

+Isaac Kim k, What is the Korean unique units?

[@DestinyRenee1997]

Thanks for keeping me semi-sane while studying for finals, "Mr. Green" and crash course!

[@Dantick09]

+Destiny Renee I am procrastinating history by learning other histories xD

[@alvarosabogal9681]

Thank you for carrying me through WHAP John

[@priscillaperez9214]

I always rewatch this once a year. I gotta know my history.

[@marymcfadyen3666]

does anyone watch macro polo and got excited when john mentioned kublai

[@Follykoolaid18]

lol yeah

[@luishernandez-ji1nb]

Yep :)

[@ainorebane4147]

Yes, I was just about to comment this😄

[@republic-ld3hq]

Lol yeah. I was like where is Kublai? Then he said it.

[@matthewsmith1779]

That show is so terrible and extremely inaccurate. It was bad in the first season and just got worse in the second. I couldn't even get pass 3 episodes of the second season. Did you really not know who Kublai was before that show?

[@eile4219]

finally, I don't have wait for it. it's the Mongols.

[@andreamolina9240]

I was really excited to watch this video about, wait for it.... the Mongols. I think these videos are very interesting and funny and I really enjoy watching them for homework.

[@amandag.6186]

I have the feeling you have been waiting a long time for this

[@puntoni5440]

I am Egyptian and almost every Empire colonized us... HUH WE ARE EXCEPTIONAL.

[@puntoni5440]

mushroom man HeHeHeee

[@amagdy1999]

Hamza yasser m7tot 3lena dayman kda :D

[@puntoni5440]

Simone King Eh really ?

[@puntoni5440]

Simone King Good to know.

[@Biko357]

Except for the mongols , we were the ones that stopped them ! انت هتسيحلنا قدام الاجانب ليه يا عم َ؟؟ :D :D

[@ericcadman1329]

Dear Crash Course History I would like to make a video request! I've watched just about every video you've made, and there are countless times that you mention the Mongols, whether its them being the exception to X factor in the West / Europe to their video. It is apparent that the Mongols played a huge factor in the shaping of a great part of the world in the 12th century onward, they were responsible for a revivification of the Silk Road, etc. As such though, in our Western schooling we learned basically nothing beyond what you'd consider the basics. I've always been fascinated by the travels of Marco Polo into the Mongol Empire, his stay there, and his travels throughout. In school, we didn't learn too much about him beyond (again) the basics. As Netflix continues to make episodes on his travels, I was just wondering if you might make a Crash Course on him specifically. Thanks!

[@nnommin]

Good luck! From Mongolia,Ulaanbaatar!

[@ShaswataShaha]

"I've conquered for you, a large empire. But my life was too short to take the whole world that I leave to you." -Genghis Khan

[@KrigRT]

I’ve been eagerly anticipating this...

[@umidontno040394]

The Mongols weren't any worse than the USA or any other empire. The Mongols were at least religiously and culturally tolerant to the people they conquered.....unlike the USA. Edit: I am not saying the USA was worse than the mongols or that the mongols were nice people. I am saying that pretty much all civilization are assholes but, they are seen differently and they shouldn't be. the romans and Macedonians are seen as great people while the mongols are seen as horrible barbarians. alexander is "the great" but, was a very similar person to Genghis khan. The USA is a good country to live in (currently) and i'd rather live here than most countries. but, we were/are still conquering assholes but, that is just the nature of civilizations I guess.

[@FRIGTARD123]

At least the USA didn't slaughter entire towns and cities after they were captured.

[@umidontno040394]

Ethan Roush I hope you are being sarcastic.

[@umidontno040394]

actually, it also slaughtered tons of villages in the 1800s. just for conquest.

[@mackenziemorgan3704]

Excuse me, did you serve in the military? Because if you didn't that is really rude. You're judging people who risked their lives for their country, and other countries who were being threatened. The U.S is made out to be the bad guy, but the minute anyone has any problems the call the United States for help.When you're in war you have fight. What did you think? That they all get together and have a fucking tea party. So, yeah they bomb towns, but the other side fights back just as much.

[@umidontno040394]

Mackenzie Morgan I never said the US was the bad guy. just that almost EVERYONE is the bad guy. the mongols are made out to be barbarians but, did nothing worse than the USA. and were actually more culturally tolerant. and the US has fought about 4 wars of self defense out of dozens. my point is that the US is nothing special. not much different than the mongols or romans.

[@j.c5078]

The host is really awesome!

[@lazyboy395]

he published a book that was made into a movie u know

[@speedstacker51]

lazyboy395 While I loved the book and am super excited it's being made into a movie I'm getting a little frustrated that it's now the only thing people associate him with. He is more then a YA author who was thrust into fame. He has a great all around purpose of wanting people to be informed and intelligent and generally make people's lives more awesome. I just hope people don't forget one of John and Hanks main goals is to create their vlogs, explantions, crash course videos etc.- and not just their pop culture claim to fame as the author of tfios.

[@raptor10412]

And he and his brother created VidCon!! :D

[@mandah0520]

oh god, i have seen this video probably dozen times 0:20 gets me every time! and i go bar bar bar bar right after lol

[@starwarsenjoyer7567]

12:07 floopity flops. I'm a historian too. I loved the pokey thingies that knights used. And the flingy pokeys. Those were cool too.

[@meister3400]

"...you have the floopity-flop, that's the technical term by the way i'm a historian"- John Green 2012

[@TheBasjenator]

The Netherlands have sixteen million people. Coincidence? I think not.

[@s4ujcd]

TheBasjenator Happy Birthday!

[@ikschrijflangenamen]

TheBasjenator Closer to 17, actually.

[@PhanteusZ]

TheBasjenator Netherlands were mostly in Europe though... Although one thing that Netherlands and Mongols (as well as arctic/siberan natives) have in common is very high Cranial capacity. However, Netherlands needed high cranial capacity to control large stock muscle groups.

[@user-vw2jq3to5e]

XZDrake Its population is declining. So... not for long.

[@ikschrijflangenamen]

Enna Silkov Netherlands is still pleasantly growing in population though :-)

[@yashnanda6413]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. John Green, you are the man!!💯💯

[@wtk942]

Thank you for your good work!, you make us learn and understand our world!

[@arturomiranda8120]

Señor Green, #CrashCourse es una de las mejores iniciativas que he visto en mis años como profesor. ¡Gracias por ser tan asombroso! I recommend play: Genghis Khan, The Clan or Grey Wolf!

[@700gsteak]

The Dothraki in Game of Thrones represent the Mongols.

[@Shubham8839]

Exactly what i was thinking

[@SaddamHussain-gx9nc]

700gsteak True, and I’d like to add that the Dothraki language is based on Arabic, as the creator of it (a linguist) is fascinated by Arabic.

[@AFGalwayz]

Not just the mongols but steppe peoples in general. Their homeland the dothraki sea is based off the eurasian steppe that was inhabitated by all kinds of nomadic people.

[@geenaace5147]

Fantastic video! Thank you do much for educating me!