The Role of Women in the Mongol EmpireThe Mongols were a nomadic people who lived in tribes in Asia in the 13th and 14th centuries. The union of many tribes would eventually form one of the greatest empires in history. Due to the lack of rain in the region, the Mongols did not have widespread agriculture, but they raised sheep, cattle, goats, horses, and camels that thrived in the grasses and shrubs of the steppes where they lived. Mongolian tribes traveled with their herds to lands rich in grass so their animals could graze. When their herds deplete the vegetation, they migrate to a new area. The tribes were self-sufficient, not only did they live on the meat, milk and hides provided by their animals, but they also used them for commercial purposes. Despite the fact that the Mongols were a nomadic people, they still used a system of castes, chiefs and khans who controlled the different tribes. The Mongols did not allow intermarriage within clans, so the kidnapping of women from other clans was not an unusual occurrence (Hartog 4). The theft of the woman, however, caused numerous conflicts between the different tribes. Although tribal leaders could have multiple wives, only the primary wife and her offspring inherited the tribe and continued the lineage after her death (Lane, Genghis Khan 4). The role women played in Mongolian society was often a complex issue. Mongolian women were often bought or stolen by their husbands. Women were often treated like property and used like any other type of bartering tool. However, during the reign of Genghis Khan, women were not only mothers and tent wives, they also enjoyed considerable power within the family...... middle of paper .... ...or since the Mongol Empire, have women enjoyed so much power or influence over so many people (Weatherford, The Secret History) (Kindle location 97). Works Cited Hartog, Leo de. Genghis Khan: conqueror of the world. London: Taurisparke Paperbacks, 2004. Electronic Book Collection (EBSCOhost). Internet. February 22, 2014. Lane, George. Daily life in the Mongol Empire. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2006. Print. Lane, George. Genghis Khan and Mongol rule. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2004. Print. Stearns, Peter N. Gender in World History. New York: Routledge, 2000. Electronic Book Collection (EBSCOhost). Internet. February 22, 2014. Weatherford, Jack. The Secret History of the Mongol Queens: How Genghis Khan's Daughters Saved His Empire. New York: Broadway, 2011. Kindle edition. Weatherford, Jack. Genghis Khan and the creation of the modern world. New York: Crown, 2004. Print.