Nomadic State in the Sedentary World The Military Mode of Government of Conquered Lands in the Mongol Empire

Absztrakt

The Mongols built their state around the essential institution of the army, which was the main instrument of control over the population. The Mongol Empire was thus characterized by a military-administrative system in which the administration was carried out by military commanders. This paper aims to show, with a special emphasis on the case of pre-Ilkhanid Iran and the Caucasus, that the Mongols first transposed this model to the conquered sedentary territories instead of using native administrators. In particular, it attempts to highlight the military character of the officials called darughachin, or basqaqs, sometimes hastily defined as civilian governors.