Genghis Khan
and obtained by the emperor. Once Genghis Khan came in, this was changed by what White describes as being a ‘particularly novel’ aspect of Yassa law: wealth generation. Under Khan, subjects of the empire lived under the freedom of wealth security, as after death their property remained within the family rather than being repossessed by the Khan as was the norm previously. This was a crucial step to removing feudal advantages, as nobles and royalty no longer had a superseding right to property through which they could control peasantry. Now under law, peasants had the chance to own and retain land across generations, allowing for steady and individual financial progression and justifying Jack Weatherford's (p. xix) claim that because Khan's empire wasn’t one that ‘hoarded wealth and treasure,’ he was able to establish himself as the ‘maker of the modern world.’ His second key economic liberation was enhancing free trade through the infrastructural improvements to the silk road and the facilitation of free movement within the empire. Through establishing the largest contiguous empire in history, Khan had the benefit of controlling large portions of the silk road, leading to a more comfortable and free exchange of goods and culture in these areas, establishing a peaceful time referred to as Pax Mongolia. Khan had always been a supporter of intellectual liberty, which was displayed in his religious policies but also in his permission of trade between various ethnic groups. To elaborate on this more, Jack Weatherford describes this process as making ‘culture portable’ (p.229). He uses the example of medicine, to show how the Mongol courts allowed for significant cultural exchange between Arab and Chinese doctors, facilitating their pursuit of medicinal knowledge. The reason this was important was explained by Weatherford using the drug analogy, whereby drugs are only a profitable entity of trade if there is sufficient knowledge of their benefits. So, by allowing Arabs (the leading country in surgery), to converse with the Chinese (who led in knowledge of pharmacology), not only did Khan allow for the improvement of medicine, but he acted as a steward of knowledge for Asia, making it far easier for people to travel and obtain knowledge without the threats from the territorial and incongruent cluster of ununified villages that populated the Silk Road previously. The enhancement of opportunities to travel and seek knowledge increased the economic outlook of the people of the empire since they were more resourceful and had greater occupational mobility because ‘every form of knowledge carried new possibilities for merchandising’ (Weatherford p.229). The effect of this would be generational, as the Silk Road maintained its position as a leading trade route until the mid-15 th century, signalling that Khans’ reformations contributed greatly to free transport of people, culture and knowledge for hundreds of years. Having demonstrated how the religious, economic and intellectual liberties granted to the subjects of Khans empire liberated them, it is clear that Genghis Khans radical changes were not mere compromises or insignificant changes that had no long-term yield, but rather decisions stemming from Khan’s principal beliefs and global vision. With religion, Khans views displayed an appreciation for theological complexities and difference, while his practical appreciation for skill above nobility saw great enhancement in financial freedom and professional opportunity. Through his unification and development of the silk road, people had the security to explore and collaborate with foreign cultures, while boasting the ability to exchange goods freely from east to west. Yes, Khan was a brutal conqueror when resisted, but a fair and thoughtful emperor who catalysed progression towards personal freedom in a variety of ways, a testament to his versatility. Equally, his changes were long lasting and impactful, as they were adopted by his successors and praised by scholars ranging from the medieval era to
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