Temujin later known as Genghis Khan (1162-1227) was the greatest Mongol chieftain that united all the Mongol tribes into an effective and ruthless fighting force. The most fierce and skilled fighters in Genghis Khan`s army were the deadly MONGOL HORSEMEN. Mongol relied too much on their horses. These horses were short stature, strong and had matchless endurance. These horses could run miles and miles in the open grasslands. The Mongol horses were solely dependent on grass that made it easy for Mongol warrior to cope with the costly expenses of the horse`s diet. It was said that Mongol boy learned to ride before he could walk. The Mongols had war as a full time job and due to rivalry among tribes these horsemen were always engaged in war with each other. These Mongol Horsemen under the command of Subotai conquered Russia and then Ukraine expanding the Mongolian borders to Northern Asia. Later, these ruthless warriors overran Poland and Hungary sabotaging the European Knights at the battle of Leignitz and Mohi. These Christian Knights although heavily armed and skilled but were no match to the war tactics and fighting skills of the Mongol Horsemen.
TRAINING:
Mongol Horsemen were highly skilled warriors. These war-mongers were forged from an early age and were taught to use bows, swords and spears. They honed these skills in hunts and wars. The most fascinating fact about these horsemen was that they fed on dried meat and mare`s milk. Sometimes they would drink fresh horse`s blood mixing it with mare`s milk. These warriors were not only skilled in warfare tactics but were also highly adaptive to their environment and were self-reliant. They would cross rivers and mountains with their horses. No obstacle could stop these riders from moving. Every Mongol raider carried a blade sharpening stone, needle and thread to repair their torn cloths.
SIZE OF ARMY:
Size of Mongol army was not large but they relied much on their battle tactics, unity, strength and speed. Using their complex battle strategies the Mongol warriors crushed through their enemy`s stronghold devastating all that came in their path. Genghis Khan`s army consisted of 23,000 horsemen who fought with composite bows and battle axes augmented with protective armors. These warriors were a part of group of `10`. They would use smoke signals, trumpets and animals voices to communicate with other battalion groups.
George Lane in his book "Daily life in Mongol Empire" mentioned different number of men in Mongol army according to different sources. He mentioned that during war against Khuwarzam Shah the Mongols had an army of about 700,000-800,000 men. Against Mamluks this army comprised of 200,000-300,000 men. According to another source the Golden Horde sent an army of 250,000 men to invade Transoxiana. Some historians calculated Mongol army having as many as 800,000 men in 1220 A.D.
WAR ARMS:
The Mongol Horsemen used maces, lances, hooks and snares, sabers and most importantly the composite bows. They had daggers sharpened to their arms for close ranged combats. These riders used special curved swords called scimitars.
The Mongol bows had an average range of 250 meters which was double the effective range of those English Long Bows. It was estimated that these composite bows had a draw weight of more than 166 pounds but no valid source to verify the statement is present. According to some literature these composite bows could efficiently fire at a range of 500 meters. These Horsemen used two types of bows. The light bows used in firing arrows rapidly from horseback. While, heavy bows used by infantry units. These heavy bows were the mightiest weapons that were ever used in battles till the mid 1800`s.
These bows had arrows with harsh and various sized arrow heads. they were forged in such a way that made it easy for the arrow to pierce through heavy armor. These Horsemen could fire 6 arrows in a minute. they were dead accurate when it comes to archery. They would timingly shoot arrows from horseback in mid-air to avoid disturbance while aiming.
These Horsemen would wear silk under their armor that blunted the impact of enemies arrows and spears. These fierce warriors would ride 100 miles a day which was unrivaled in that era.
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