How were the Mongols able to easily defeat so many armies?

Question

It seems unheard of that a tribal country could have conquered so many nations. What did they do that enabled them to be so fearsome?

Answer 1

UNITY provides the strength for tribal cultures such as the Mongols and the Huns. When there is a strong leader to unite them - such as Attila in ~450 CE or Genghis Khan in the early 1200s - they become a massive force with superb horsemen and excellent bows. They could overwhelm and outmaneuver any army in an open area such as the steppes and plains. They had more trouble where there were mountains and forests that restricted mobility. Geography may have saved western Europe more than a strong defense.

Answer 2

Discipline. Unlike the feudal and semi-feudal armies they defeated the Mongols had a fearsome discipline. Where a feudal vassal might ignore a commander's orders in his quest for personal glory and loot or because his was a high noble title, this was unheard of in the Mongol army. In fact, when the Great Khan's son was with the army he was under the command of and obeyed the Mongol general.

Add in mobility, ruthlessness, a touch of luck, good leadership. There is never a single answer for such a question but this should help.

Answer 3

Superior technology and organization. Nobody else had bows as good as the Mongols; nobody else could move large armies so quickly; nobody else was as good at living off the land. Once Genghis Khan was able to unite the "Mongols", they became a formidable military force. After he picked up siege warfare, intelligence networks, and logistics from the Chinese, the Mongols were the most complete and effective military package of their era.

The Mongols could assemble a larger armies from a larger area faster than anyone else could; and they could move them further and faster than anyone else. They had better weapons than their opponents; they usually had better intelligence as well.