The rise and fall of the Mongol Empire - Anne F. Broadbridge

翻译人员: Carol Wang 校对人员: Jiasi Hao

It was the largest contiguous land empire in history—

纵观历史， 蒙古是最大的大陆帝国——

stretching from Korea to Ukraine and from Siberia to southern China,

东到韩国、西至乌克兰， 北至西伯利亚、南抵中国南部，

and was forged on the open plains.

整个帝国建立在开阔的平原上。

In the 12th century CE, before the Mongol Empire formed,

公元十二世纪， 在蒙古帝国建成之前，

the East Asian steppe was home to scattered groups of Mongol

东亚大草原是分散的蒙古族群

and Turkic pastoral nomads led by Khans.

和可汗率领的 突厥游牧民族的根据地。

The people herded sheep, cattle, yaks and camels.

人们牧养牛羊、牦牛和骆驼，

They lived in felt tents and moved between summer and winter campsites.

他们居住在毛毡帐篷中， 来回迁徙于夏天与冬天的营地。

Nomadic women held significant authority,

游牧民族的女性拥有至高的权力，

managing these migrations, many of the flocks and trade.

负责部族的迁徙， 管理成群的牲口及其买卖；

Meanwhile, men specialized in mounted warfare.

与此同时，男性则专攻于马背上的战争。

These nomadic groups often fought each other.

这些游牧部落之间常常发生争斗，

That was to change under Temujin, who was born into an aristocratic Mongol family.

直到铁木真上台， 这种局面得以改变。

铁木真出生在一个蒙古贵族家庭，

Despite losing his father at an early age and growing up in poverty,

尽管他早年丧父，幼年贫困，

he quickly rose to power by forging strategic alliances with other leaders.

但通过与各族首领战略结盟， 他迅速取得了强权。

Unlike those khans, Temujin promoted soldiers based on merit

与其他可汗不同，铁木真 根据战士的功绩来晋升战士，

and distributed spoils evenly among them.

并将战利品平均地分发给他们。

His most brilliant move was to scatter the nomads he conquered

他最聪明的是，把征服的牧民 分散安插到他自己的士兵中，

among his own soldiers so they couldn't join together against him.

以防止他们联合反抗。

These innovations made him unstoppable,

这些壮举使他势不可挡，

and by 1206, he had united the people of the felt-walled tents

到 1206 年， 他统一了各游牧部落，

and become Chinggis Khan.

成为了成吉思汗。

The Mongols were shamanists,

蒙古人信奉萨满教，

believing that the spirits of nature and their ancestors

相信自然神灵和他们的先祖

inhabited the world around them.

居住在他们之上的世界。

Over all arched the Sky god Tenggeri.

万物之上则是天神腾格里，

Chinggis Khan believed that Tenggeri wanted him to conquer the entire world

成吉思汗相信，

腾格里希望自己 能以他的名义征服整个世界。

in his name.

With the nomads of the Mongolian plain united,

随着蒙古平原各游牧民族的统一，

this seemed within reach.

征服世界也是唾手可得的事。

Anyone who resisted the Mongols was resisting Tenggeri's will,

但凡有人反抗蒙古人， 则是在违抗腾格里的意愿，

and for this insubordination, had to die.

因为反叛，他的下场只有一死。

Under Chinggis Khan,

在成吉思汗的率领下，

the Mongols first subdued northern China and the eastern Islamic lands.

蒙古人首先征服了中国北部 和伊斯兰国土东部。

After his death in 1227,

成吉思汗于 1227 年去世，

the Divine Mandate passed to his family, or the Golden Lineage.

其王权传至他的家族， 即黄金家族。

In the 1230s, Chinggis Khan's sons and daughters

十三世纪三十年代，

成吉思汗的子女们战胜了 中亚的土耳其人和俄罗斯各诸侯，

conquered the Turks of Central Asia and the Russian princes,

then destroyed two European armies in 1241.

随后，在 1241 年， 摧毁了两支欧洲军队。

In the 1250s, the Mongols seized Islamic territory as far as Baghdad,

十三世纪五十年代，蒙古人占据了 整个伊斯兰疆域，远至巴格达，

while in the East their grasp reached southern China by 1279.

1279 年，他们军队在东部 一路攻打到中国南部。

Life within the Mongol Empire wasn't just war, pillage and destruction.

蒙古帝国的生活 并不仅仅是战争、掠夺和毁灭。

Once the Mongols conquered a territory, they left its internal politics alone

一旦蒙古人打下新领土， 他们会保留其本身的内部政治，

and used local administrators to govern for them.

雇佣当地的行政人员来治理当地。

The Mongols let all religions flourish, as long as the leaders prayed for them.

蒙古人带领各个宗教兴盛繁荣， 只要各宗教领袖为其祈祷颂德。

Although they routinely captured artisans, scholars and engineers,

尽管他们例常抓捕 工匠、学者和工程师，

they appreciated what those specialists could do

但很重视这些能工巧匠们的专长，

and forcibly settled them across Asia to continue their work.

强制派遣他们到亚洲各地 去继续他们的工作。

The most valuable produce in the Empire was gold brocade,

蒙古帝国最珍贵的产品是金线锦缎，

which took silk from China, gold from Tibet and weavers from Baghdad.

其技艺揉合了中国的丝绸、 西藏的金线和巴格达的织布。

Gold brocade clothed the Mongol rulers, covered their horses

金线锦缎用来为蒙古统治者制衣、 装饰他们的马骑，

and lined their tents.

以及装裱他们的帐篷。

The Mongols particularly prized gunpowder technicians from China.

蒙古人尤为重视中国的火药技术。

With much of Eurasia politically unified, trade flourished along the Silk Road,

随着欧亚政治上的统一， 且凭借强大的马上信使和中转站。

helped by an extensive system of horse messengers and relay posts.

贸易沿着丝绸之路遍地开花，

Robust trade continued at sea, especially in blue-and-white porcelain,

海上的贸易依然强健， 尤其是青花瓷贸易，

which combined white pottery from Mongol China with blue dye from Mongol Iran.

青花瓷将蒙古中国的白陶 和蒙古伊朗的蓝染结合在一起。

But this was not to last.

不止如此，

Succession to the Great Khan didn't automatically go to the eldest son,

大可汗的继承权 并非自动传给长子，

but rather allowed brothers, uncles and cousins to vie for leadership

相反，则是让兄弟、叔伯 和表兄弟一起争夺领导权，

with senior widows acting as regents for their sons.

年长的寡妇则为她们的儿子摄政。

By the 1260s,

十三世纪六十年代，

Chinggis Khan's grandsons were in a full- blown civil war over inheritance

成吉思汗的孙子们 因为继承权发动全面战争，

and fragmented the realm into four separate empires.

将整个疆域分为四个独立帝国。

In China, Kublai Khan's Yuan Dynasty

在中国，忽必烈统治的元朝

is remembered as a golden age of science and culture.

被人们认为是科学文化的黄金时代；

In Iran, the Ilkhanate inaugurated the development

在伊朗的伊儿汗国，

of new monumental architecture and Persian miniature painting.

则开始了新式纪念性建筑 和波斯彩细密画的发展；

In Central Asia, the Chagatai Khanate brought forth leaders like Timur

在中亚，察合台汗国 出现了一些伟大的领导者，

and his descendant Babur, who founded the Mughal Empire in India.

诸如帖木儿和他的后裔 在印度建立了莫卧儿帝国的巴布尔。

And in Eastern Europe, the Golden Horde ruled for years

在欧洲东部，钦察汗国统治数年，

until a trading post named Muscovy grew into a major world power.

直到一个名为莫斯科的商贸站 变成了世界强权。

Even though the Empire lasted only a short while,

尽管蒙古帝国存续之短，

the Mongols left a legacy of world- domination that remains unmatched today.

蒙古人为世界留下了伟大的遗产—— 迄今世界难以达到的统治范围。