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  • The Mongol Census: How an Empire Counted Its Subjects

    The Mongol Census: How an Empire Counted Its Subjects
    2026/06/06
    When the Mongols conquered the world's largest contiguous empire, they needed to understand who they ruled—and how to tax them. This episode explores the Mongol census, a massive administrative undertaking that transformed how the empire governed from Korea to Persia. We dive into the detailed registers compiled under Genghis Khan's successors, the controversial poll taxes that sparked revolts, and the secret censuses hidden from Mongol officials. We also examine how the Mongols borrowed census traditions from the Chinese and Persians they conquered, and how their statistical surveys influenced later states from Muscovy to Mughal India. Expect specific names like Shigi Qutuqu, the first Mongol census commissioner, and figures from the Jami' al-tawarikh. We'll also discuss the 13th-century census of China under Khubilai Khan, the counting of households in Iran under the Ilkhanate, and how the census data enabled the Yam postal system and military conscription. A look at how counting people built—and sometimes broke—an empire. #MongolEmpire #Census #ShigiQutuqu #Yassa #Juvayni #RashidalDin #JamiAltawarikh #KhubilaiKhan #Ilkhanate #YuanDynasty #Taxation #HouseholdRegistration #PaxMongolica #MedievalHistory #CentralAsia #China #Persia #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    11 分
  • Mongol Queens: The Women Who Ruled the Empire

    Mongol Queens: The Women Who Ruled the Empire
    2026/06/05
    When we think of the Mongol Empire, we usually picture Genghis Khan and his male generals. But women—khagans, regents, and diplomats—shaped the empire's survival and expansion. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the powerful Mongol queens: Töregene Khatun, who ruled as regent and controlled the vast bureaucracy; Sorghaghtani Beki, the Nestorian Christian mother of Khubilai and Hulagu who managed estates and chose the next Great Khan; and Mandukhai Khatun, the warrior queen who reunited the Mongols in the 15th century. They also discuss the role of women in the Yam system, as diplomatic envoys, and in managing the ordo—the mobile courts. Drawing on The Secret History of the Mongols, Rashid al-Din, and Juvayni, this episode reveals a hidden history of female power on the steppe. How did these women wield authority in a patriarchal empire? What does their influence tell us about Mongol society? #MongolQueens #TöregeneKhatun #SorghaghtaniBeki #MandukhaiKhatun #MongolEmpire #GenghisKhan #KhubilaiKhan #HulaguKhan #Yam #Ordo #Quriltai #TheSecretHistoryoftheMongols #RashidalDin #Juvayni #WomenInHistory #SteppeHistory #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    6 分
  • Mongol Siege of Baghdad 1258: The Fall That Reshaped the World

    Mongol Siege of Baghdad 1258: The Fall That Reshaped the World
    2026/06/05
    In 1258, Mongol armies under Hulagu Khan laid siege to Baghdad, the heart of the Abbasid Caliphate. This episode explores the military campaign, the role of the vizier Ibn al-Alqami, the sack of the House of Wisdom, and the execution of Caliph al-Musta'sim. It also examines the aftermath: the destruction of the irrigation system, the rise of the Ilkhanate, and the pivot point at Ain Jalut where the Mamluks halted Mongol expansion. Drawing on Persian sources like Juvayni and Rashid al-Din, we separate fact from legend, including the debate over whether the Tigris truly ran black with ink. This is a story of ambition, betrayal, and a cultural apocalypse whose echoes still resonate. #MongolSiegeOfBaghdad #Hulagu #AbbasidCaliphate #IbnAlAlqami #HouseOfWisdom #AinJalut #Ilkhanate #Qutuz #Baybars #MongolEmpire #Baghdad1258 #TigrisRiver #Juvayni #RashidAlDin #IslamicGoldenAge #MamlukSultanate #MedievalHistory #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    6 分
  • Mongol Yam: The Postal System That Held an Empire Together

    Mongol Yam: The Postal System That Held an Empire Together
    2026/06/04
    How did the Mongol Empire, spanning from Korea to Hungary, manage to govern with such speed and coordination? The answer lies in the Yam — a vast relay station network that revolutionized communication across Eurasia. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore how Genghis Khan and his successors built a system of post houses every 20 to 30 miles, stocked with fresh horses, food, and shelter for messengers. They trace the origins of the Yam to earlier steppe traditions, its expansion under Ögedei Khan, and the famous paiza tablets that granted passage. Lucas explains how the Yam moved news faster than any previous system, enabling rapid military coordination, intelligence gathering, and tax collection. He describes the grueling life of the yamchi — the station keepers — and how Marco Polo marveled at the system during his travels. Luna asks about the costs and corruption that eventually plagued the network, and Lucas reflects on the Yam's legacy in later empires. A vivid, fast-paced look at the infrastructure that made the Pax Mongolica possible. #Yam #MongolEmpire #PaxMongolica #ÖgedeiKhan #GenghisKhan #Paiza #Yamchi #MarcoPolo #SilkRoad #PostalSystem #Karakorum #Khanbaliq #History #FexingoHistory #CentralAsia #Steppe #Communication #Infrastructure Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    7 分
  • The Mongol Tammachi: Empire's Frontier Soldiers

    The Mongol Tammachi: Empire's Frontier Soldiers
    2026/06/04
    In this episode of Fexingo History, Lucas and Luna explore the role of the tammachi — the Mongol Empire's frontier garrison troops who held conquered territories and guarded borders. The conversation focuses on the career of Bayan of the Baarin, a key commander under Khubilai Khan who led campaigns against the Song dynasty and suppressed the rebellion of Nayan. Along the way, they discuss how the tammachi system evolved from earlier steppe traditions and how it compared to other imperial frontier forces. This episode offers a fresh angle on Mongol military organization, moving beyond the famous field armies and siege engines to examine the soldiers who stayed behind to hold the line. Listeners will learn about the specific challenges of garrison life, the mix of Mongol and local troops in frontier units, and how the tammachi contributed to the long-term stability — and eventual fragility — of the Mongol Empire. Perfect for anyone interested in military history, imperial administration, or the everyday realities of medieval conquest. #Tammachi #MongolEmpire #BayanOfTheBaarin #NayanRebellion #KhubilaiKhan #YuanDynasty #FrontierTroops #Garrison #SteppeHistory #MongolMilitary #CentralAsia #Quriltai #SongDynasty #Karakorum #JinDynasty #MongolConquest #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    7 分
  • Ortogh: The Mongol Trade Partnership That Shaped the Silk Road

    Ortogh: The Mongol Trade Partnership That Shaped the Silk Road
    2026/06/03
    In this episode of Fexingo History, Lucas and Luna explore the ortogh system, the Mongol Empire's revolutionary state-backed merchant partnerships that fueled the Silk Road's golden age. From the Yassa's protection of contracts to the tamgha tax reforms under Ögedei Khan, we uncover how Mongol trade guilds connected China to Persia, moving goods, ideas, and technologies across Eurasia. We meet the Uyghur merchants who pioneered these ventures, the role of the Yam postal relay in speeding commerce, and the joint-stock origins that foreshadowed modern capitalism. Discover how the ortogh enabled the spread of paper money, gunpowder, and the compass—and why their decline under Khubilai Khan mirrored the empire's fragmentation. A focused look at the economic engine behind the Pax Mongolica. #Ortogh #MongolTrade #PaxMongolica #SilkRoad #Yassa #Tamgha #ÖgedeiKhan #KhubilaiKhan #UyghurMerchants #Yam #Paiza #MedievalEconomy #SilkRoadHistory #MongolEmpire #JointStock #History #FexingoHistory #CentralAsia Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    5 分
  • Mongol Bridges: Engineering the Silk Road

    Mongol Bridges: Engineering the Silk Road
    2026/06/03
    In episode 75 of Fexingo History, Lucas and Luna explore the overlooked engineering marvels of the Mongol Empire: bridges. From the treacherous Yellow River crossings to the stone arch bridges of Persia and the floating bridges of the Yuan dynasty, the Mongols built infrastructure that tied the largest land empire together. Learn how teams of Chinese engineers, Persian masons, and local laborers constructed bridges that enabled trade, troop movement, and communication across the Silk Road. Discover the Battle of the Yellow River Bridge 1232, where Mongol engineers used pontoons to outflank the Jin army. Lucas explains the role of the yam system in bridge maintenance, the use of tamgha taxes for construction, and how Khubilai Khan's reign saw a bridge-building boom. The episode ends with the mystery of the vanished bridge of Karakorum—a legend of a stone bridge across the Orkhon River. This is a deep dive into the physical links that made the Mongol Empire work. #MongolBridges #SilkRoad #MongolEmpire #YellowRiver #KhubilaiKhan #YamSystem #BattleOfTheYellowRiverBridge1232 #YuanDynasty #OrkhonRiver #Karakorum #ChineseEngineering #PersianMasons #FloatingBridge #Pontoons #Tamgha #PaxMongolica #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    7 分
  • The Ortogh: How Mongol Partnerships Revolutionized Trade

    The Ortogh: How Mongol Partnerships Revolutionized Trade
    2026/06/02
    Long before the Silk Road's golden age under the Mongols, the empire's economic engine ran on an ingenious partnership system: the ortogh. These merchant-investor cooperatives, backed by Genghis Khan and his successors, transformed long-distance trade, spread risk across vast networks, and created the first truly global commercial class. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore how ortogh traders connected China, Persia, and Europe, how they operated under Mongol legal protection (Yassa), and why their model foreshadowed modern joint-stock companies. Along the way, we meet the Persian historian Juvayni, who documented their rise; the Uyghur merchants who mastered the system; and the silver-based economy that fueled it all. This is the untold story of how Mongol trust — not just terror — built the world's first integrated economy. #Ortogh #MongolTrade #SilkRoad #GenghisKhan #Juvayni #PaxMongolica #Yassa #CentralAsia #Karakorum #Samarkand #Khubilai #JointStock #MedievalEconomy #Uyghur #HistoryOfCommerce #MongolEmpire #WorldHistory #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    7 分