But Our Object Does Not Require Us To Attempt To Trace The
History Of These Nations, Under Their Various Appellations
Of Huns, Topa,
Geougen, Turks, Chozars, and others, till the establishment of the vast
empire of Zingis connected the history
And devastating conquests of the
Tartars with the affairs of modern Europe[2].
In the beginning of the thirteenth century, Temugin, the son of a Mogul
chief, laid the foundations of a vast empire in the north east of Tartary
or Mongolia. His father had reigned over thirteen hordes or tribes of the
Moguls, Moals, or Monguls: and as it was not customary for these warlike
tribes to submit to be ruled over by a boy, Temugen, who at the death of
his father was only thirteen years of age, had to contend with his
revolted, subjects, and had to obey a conqueror of his own nation. In a new
attempt to recover the command over the subjects of his, father, he was
more successful: and under the new appellation of Zingis, which signifies
most great, he became the conqueror of an empire of prodigious extent. In
person, or by means of his lieutenants, he successfully reduced the
nations, tribes, or hordes of Tartary or Scythia, from China to the Volga,
and established his undisputed authority over the whole pastoral world. He
afterwards subjugated the five northern provinces of China, which were long
imperfectly known under the name of Kathay; and successively reduced
Carisme or Transoxiana, now great Bucharia, Chorassan, and Persia: and he
died in 1227, after having exhorted and instructed his sons to persevere in
the career of conquest, and more particularly to complete the conquest of
China.
The vast empire established by Zingis, was apportioned among his four
principal sons, Toushi, Zagatai, Octai, and Tuli, who had been respectively
his great huntsman, chief judge, prime minister, and grand general. Firmly
united among themselves, and faithful to their own and the public interest,
three of these brothers, and their families and descendants, were satisfied
with subordinate command; and Octai, by general consent of the maols, or
nobles, was proclaimed Khan, or emperor of the Moguls and Tartars. Octai
was succeeded by his son Gayuk; after whose death, the empire devolved
successively on his cousins Mangou or Mangu, and Cublai, the sons of Tuli,
and the grandsons of Zingis. During the sixty-eight years of the reigns of
these four successors of Zingis, the Moguls subdued almost all Asia, and a
considerable portion of Europe. The great Khan at first established his
royal court at Kara-kum in the desert, and followed the Tarter custom of
moving about with the golden horde, attended by numerous flocks and herds,
according to the changes of the season: but Mangu-Khan, and Cublai-Khan,
established their principal seat of empire in the new city of Pe-king, or
Khan-balu, and perfected the conquest of China, reducing Corea, Tonkin,
Cochin-china, Pegu, Bengal, and Thibet, to different degrees of subjection,
or tribute, under the direct influence of the great Khan, and his peculiar
lieutenants.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 104 of 425
Words from 53593 to 54104
of 222093
