Empire Déjà vu

Check the satellite view of world history and you see the same amazing pattern. A time-lapse photograph of the world, extending the period of written history, would show the deja vu element.

As the recent events in the world are played out, this coming together is predictable. But that is another subject and blog. The one I want to write on here, is the repetitive history of the empire.

Generally speaking, there have been nine dominant empires in history. From the Egyptians (5000 years ago) to the USA in the present. Definition of dominant is ‘the most powerful in the world, controlling significant tracts of land and instilling their culture’.

It always follows the same routine path.

A) commencement from nowhere; no hopers; nothing to signify future success (non-entities who struggle to survive).

B) they get a foothold and some form of unity - this builds an essential confidence.

C) opposition phase - existence is threatened. There is always a physical threat, but also can be extended to economic and unity threats.

D) having survived, their is a predictable chronological sequence.

• the belief phase (a big high)
• a grand vision is now part of the future
• feeling of mission and element of fervour
• physical strength and belief of invincibility
• conquest and expansion
• economic bigness
• scientific development and innovation
• arts, culture and intellectual content

E) Decay Phase

• belief of superiority over all others
• arrogance
• self indulgence and waste
• decay, value system declines, leading to social degradation

F) Decline Phase

• disunity of purpose and population starts infighting
• society starts disintegrating
• economic reversal leading to disasters
• currency and trade collapse

G) Destruction Phase

• a challenger appears ...simultaneous to the decline phase. Sometimes it is visible. Others come from the left field unexpectedly. Five years before Yarmuk, Rome did not suspect it will lose its grip to the Muslim Arabs. The Caliph in Baghdad never thought of the fast emerging Mongols as a danger.

• decay is complete by the time actual disintegration and destruction takes place.

This is happening right now and very visibly. Average age of empire in history 250 years. Average age of currency domination 100 years. Do the maths, it does not take much grey matter to figure out the present events.

The Mongol Miracle

Early in the thirteenth century, fresh from re-establishment of authority over Jerusalem, the Muslim world could have been forgiven for feeling strong. There was no immediate challenge. The newly established Mamluk Sultanate in Cairo, the fledgling rise of the Afghan slave dynasty in India and the strong Shah of Khwarezm in Central Asia/Khorasan seemingly in control of the then world.  

Covertly, there was disunity within the Islamic rulers and lack of the fervour, which had led the Muslims out of Arabia and taken them as far as Spain and China. This was now an aging civilisation, some six hundred years after the Prophet (saw).     

   

Unbeknownst, the greatest ever challenge to Islam to-date, was brewing at its northern borders. Temujin, a small time chieftain of the Mongol tribes was just beginning to unite the wild nomads into a beast of an army. The Mongols were to call Temujin, ‘Khan’ and history noted him as Genghis Khan. In a few years beyond 1206, Genghis Khan was to professionalise the army, combine it with the Turkic hordes and invade the great Chinese Jin dynasty. Moving with speed never seen before, he poured past the Chinese wall and sacked Beijing. 

In a few years due to Khwarezm intransigence, he turned westwards and destroyed this great empire and chased Jalauddin Shah a thousand miles, to exile beyond the Indus in India. In his wake, cities were massacred and burnt. The Islamic world simply wilted against a cataclysmic force. 

            

It was at this time that the Khan fell ill and chose his third son (there were four, all warrior like and ferocious) Ögedei as his successor. Ögedei managed the Mongol hordes for a quarter of century, without much split, and expanded conquest into Eastern Europe. However, Jochi one of the sons of Genghis, never forgave his father for this rejection and withdrew northward into safe territory away from the main hordes and he did not participate in the expansion. This small event was to save Islam over three decades later.

After Ögedei’s death, his successors turned their attention to the rest of the Muslim world, with the stated intention of destroying Baghdad (Abbasid Caliphate) and Cairo (Mamluks) and eventually wiping out Islam as a force. It is estimated in the Mongol battles and conquests from 1210 to 1260, an approximate 5% of the population of the world perished. The majority of these were Muslims. 

     

Helagu Khan, one of the successors of Ögedei, destroyed Baghdad and the Abbasid Caliphate in 1258, thus plunging the world into an age of ignorance for a period, as all knowledge was burned in the libraries of Baghdad. His army then proceeded towards Cairo. In the Battle of Ain Jalut (Goliath’s Spring) in 1260, Kitbuqa, henchman of Helagu, finally suffered defeat at the hands of the Mamluks. But only just. There was a Mongol miracle happening behind him, which saved the Mamluks and Islam.   

         

The forgotten son of Genghis, Jochi had spawned descendants. One of whom, Berke Khan had converted to Islam, when he met a Muslim caravan during his conquests. Berke Khan became a devout Muslim and when Baghdad was sacked, swore revenge on Helagu (his cousin) and to put a stop to any further conquests. The Blue and Golden Hordes of Mongols converted in significant numbers under the leadership of Berke Khan. Harried at the back by Berke and having lost strength, Helagu lost the Battle of Ain Jalut. This was the beginning, and subsequent defeats by Berke Khan weakened Helagu and he finally settled in his lands and forgot further conquests.   

The many Mongol and Turkic hordes settled all over as their power and fear declined. They slowly converted to Islam and in the next century, were to spawn the Ottoman Empire and the Tamerlane Empire (which eventually led to the Mughals of India). The Mongol conversion miracle was to sustain Islam as the dominant force for a further five centuries. But it all began from a small miracle of the disaffection of a son of the great Khan and was sustained by a chance encounter of one Prince with a caravan of Muslims.

Temujin - Genghis Khan, great leader of Mongols

Ögedei  - son and successor of Genghis Khan

Jochi - disaffected son of Ghenghis Khan  
Helagu Khan - one of the successors of Ögedei 
Berke Khan - son of Jochi 
Kitbuqa - general of Helagu 
Mamluk dynasty - rulers of Egypt, Hijaz and Syria 
Khwarezm- Kingdom Central Asia, Persia & Khorasan 

*picture is from Pinterest