Mongol Government and Society

Opposite Ancient Tradition

Mongolian horsemen ride during the opening ceremony of the Naadam, a festival in modern Mongolia that originated as part of the quriltai.

BEFORE THE RISE OF CHINGGIS KHAN, THE BASIC MONGOL social and political unit was the clan. A group of related families formed a clan, and their primary purpose was to work together to survive. Pastures were owned by the clan, not individuals. By the end of the 12th century, the clans began to form larger units called tribes. Blood ties-relationships within the clan and the tribes-determined a person’s social standing. The ruling clan of the Mongol tribes, called Borjigid or Kiyad, considered themselves to be born from heaven. They were known as people of the “white bone,” while commoners were people of the “black bone.” The ruling clan decided who and when the tribes would fight and enforced tribal customs.

Tribes elected their leaders at quriltais, which were social feasts as well as political gatherings. Some historians suggest the quriltai was not a true election, since not every Mongol could vie for the top position. Leaders came from the most powerful clans within a tribe, and voters most likely affirmed the reality that one of these men had the skills and the power to run tribal affairs. The first tribal leaders may have been religious leaders, called shamans. By the time of Chinggis, the leaders were chosen for their military skills and their ties to noble families.

The leaders relied on nokors to carry out tribal affairs. Nokors moved from one leader to another, looking for the one who could offer them the greatest riches or military power. Nokors also acted as personal servants and bodyguards for their leaders. Their greatest service came during military campaigns. Leaders, especially the khans, built loyalty among their nokors by giving them booty from conquests or from taxes collected in the foreign lands the Mongols controlled.