The impact of Genghis khan's embassies and correspondence on the establishment and expansion of the mongol 603 _ 624 AH / 1205 _ 1227 AD )

Abstract

Genghis Khan, the Mongol emperor, sought from the beginning of his reign to use a policy of embassies and correspondence with the rulers and kings of the countries he intended to annex to his territories. This policy aimed at securing their submission, loyalty, and obedience, while avoiding resistance and wars. He began this by corresponding with the King of the Uyghur Kingdom, who immediately seized the opportunity, broke away from the Qara Khitai, and approached the Mongol Khan, expressing his desire to come under the sovereignty of the Mongol Empire. Genghis Khan received him with a warm welcome and sent him back to his country with honors, having become one of his loyal followers.

After that, he sent his Muslim envoy, Jafar, to the Emperor of the Jin Kingdom in northern China to gather information about the situation there. However, the envoy was arrested, but with his skill, he managed to escape, return to Mongolia, and inform the Khan about everything he encountered, including the routes he traveled, what happened to the Mongol envoy was the catalyst for launching major campaigns against this kingdom. As a result of these campaigns, Genghis Khan was able to achieve victory and annex the lands of the Jin Kingdom in China to his empire.

The southern Kingdom of Jin in China was not spared from the Mongol Khan. He was not satisfied with what he had achieved on the northern front, as he corresponded with its king and worked to highlight the strength that the Mongol armies had achieved under his leadership. He instilled fear and terror in the king’s soul and urged him to surrender and submit to ensure his survival. The message caused the king's confidence to waver, and he was forced to surrender. However, he attempted to deceive the Mongol Khan by relocating to his capital in an effort to distance it from the Mongol borders. This action prompted Genghis Khan to wage war and subdue the country by force.

Despite the lack of explicit references in Mongol sources to the correspondence claimed by Islamic sources between Genghis Khan and the Abbasid caliph al-Nasir li-Din Allah, urging the latter to encourage the Mongol Khan to invade the Khwarezmian territories.

Despite historians being divided between supporters, opponents, and skeptics, it was one of the main reasons for the fall of the Abbasid Caliphate and its ultimate disappearance.

Emperor Genghis Khan and Sultan Muhammad Khwarezm Shah exchanged embassies and correspondence, and treaties were established that called for peace between the two states and their commitment to securing trade routes between them. Indeed, caravans carrying goods from the Mongols continued their journey. However, the greed of the governor of the city of Otrar led him to kill the merchants and seize everything they were carrying. When Genghis Khan learned of this, he was enraged, but his wisdom and prudence played a role in calming the situation.

He sent his envoys to negotiate with Sultan Muhammad Khwarezm Shah, demanding the surrender of the governor of the city who had dared to kill the merchants. However, the sultan did not learn from this and became more obstinate, even killing one of the envoys. This led to his loss of the kingdom, as Genghis Khan launched military campaigns against the Khwarezmian territories and succeeded in subduing them one by one.

Genghis Khan exploited the rift between Sultan Muhammad Khwarezm Shah and his mother, Turkhan Khatun, who held significant power and influence in the country. He sent his envoy, Dashmand the Chamberlain, to propose peace to her, assuring her that he did not intend to control her lands and that the war was only between him and her son, Muhammad Khwarezm Shah.

He invited her to send someone on her behalf to deliver a decree granting her control over several cities. However, Turkhan Khatun did not trust the Mongol Khan's intentions and did not respond to his envoy. As a result, she was eventually captured and remained in humiliation under the Mongols until her death.

Genghis Khan did not only send envoys to rulers, kings, and sultans, but also to the inhabitants of cities he intended to conquer. For example, he sent his envoy, Hassan the Hajji, to urge the people of the city of Saganak to submit and surrender. However, he was killed by criminals.

The Mongol troops, seeking revenge for the death of this envoy, attacked the city and exterminated its inhabitants. When the intention was to conquer the city of Bukhara, the Mongol emperor sent an envoy to the city to persuade them not to resist. He nearly faced the same fate as Hassan the Hajji, but his reassuring words calmed the inhabitants, who realized they could not face the Mongol armies. Consequently, they secured their safety and surrendered the city without any fighting