Timothy May, ‘Combined Arms Warfare in the Mongol Empire’

The typical image of the Mongol conquests is one of fur-clad warriors on horseback pillaging and plundering with swords and shooting their enemies with bows and arrows. While not completely inaccurate, it misses not only the complexity of the Mongol military system as well as the Mongol Art of War. In addition to highly mobile armies of light horse-archers, the Mongols also field armies of what might be termed as combined arms. This went beyond the oft-cited “60-40” mix of light and heavy cavalry. In certain situations, we find Mongol armies using transforming siege weaponry into field artillery, adapting new tactics and combination of troops in riverine warfare, and mixes of cavalry and infantry in jungle warfare in southeast warfare.  This lecture by Timothy May will examine these operations in brief as well as discuss the ever-popular question of whether the Mongols could have conquered Europe.

May is the associate dean of arts and letters and professor of central Eurasian history at the University of North Georgia.  He is the author and editor of seven books, including The Mongol Art of War, The Mongol Conquests in World History and most recently, The Mongol Empire. This lecture is sponsored by the Department of Peace, War and Defense.