The year is 1209. Temujin completes his first military campaign as Genghis Khan, great leader of all Mongols, destroying western Tangut kingdom of Xi Xia. One night, the great sky god Tengri appeared to him in his dreams. "I know what you plan to do, great Khan. Your lord Tengri commands you to do otherwise. Build me a great empire. Build me towers that reach upwards to the heavens, and farms across my bountiful lands. Build me the great nation of Mongolia."
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Suppose Genghis Khan recieved a vision from his god, much like the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great was said to have in 312. In his dream, he was told not to conquer ever westward, but to end the nomadic lifestyle of his people and build a great civilization. Let's say Temujin conquers China, but goes no further. The great Khan proceeds to lay the foundations of a great empire, making Karakorum the capital of Mongol China and a hub of culture and learning. Instead of buring across the landscape destroying everything in his path, the once-nomadic tribes of Mongolia settle to create the most powerful empire the east has ever seen.
How would this change the rest of the world? I shall list a few of my ideas, but let you discuss further:
Baghdad is not burned by Hulagu Khan in 1258 and the middle east is spared hegemony under the Il-Khanate. The Islamic states do not think they were punished by god for becoming too secular, and the middle east remains the center of science and learning for centuries to come. The strong Mamluk caliphate of Egypt absorbs the collapsing Abbassid caliphate to consolidate all Arabs, creating a middle eastern superpower.
The printing press and gunpowder are utilized at a much earlier date by this strengthened Chinese empire.
The Russian principalities do not suffer as tribute states under the Golden Horde and are therefore free to grow and flourish centuries before they would have under mongol rule. Novgorod would become the dominant principality and eventually incorporate domains such as Sevestopol and Chernigov into the first united Russian house.
The following states would continue to exist: Volga Bulgaria, the Khwaresm Sultanate, Cuman Khanate, Chernigov, Kiev.
The European states of Hungary, Lithuania, and Poland would continue to grow and strengthen eastern Europe without being set back by countless raids by the Tartars. Bulgaria would remain a cohesive state.
The Black Death would be delayed without the Mongols rapid movement across Eurasia, perhaps for a century or more.
Please discuss any other ideas, stipulations, questions, problems, etc.
Thanks for reading =)
EUROPE 1300 A.D.
Because it may be hard to read, the regions in Indochina from left to right are: Bagan, Sakhothai, Khmer, Dai Viet and Champa. They are outlined in green to designate mongol tribute states. Below Bagan is Pagu, a state largely left unmolested by the Mongols in their Indochinese conquests.
