“The Devil’s Horsemen”: Why Mongol Archers Were the Most Feared in History
Riding on horseback and armed with uniquely powerful bows, Genghis Khan’s archers struck terror wherever they rode.
Mongol mounted archers could shoot farther and with more force than their enemies. The secret lay in their compound bow design and preference for mounted combat. Ultimately, however, archers were only one part of the Mongol arsenal.
At the Battle of Kyoten in 1201, the great Genghis Khan was shot by an arrow and knocked off his horse. It is not clear whether the arrow hit him or his horse. What is clear, however, is that after winning the battle, Khan asked his newly shackled prisoners to produce the soldier who had hit him with the arrow. This soldier, known as Jebet, expected to die. Instead, he was named one of Hahn’s commanders.
Genghis Khan had every reason to promote Jebhe. His two talents, riding and sharp shooting, were the cornerstones of the Mongol army. Riding horses and armed with special synthetic bows, Khan’s cavalry, estimated by some to have made up 40% of his entire army, terrorized wherever they rode, paving the way for Mongol conquest and occupation of China, Central Asia, and eventually Eastern Europe. But what was the reason why this “horsemen from hell” were so effective and feared, as author James Chambers describes them?
Born to Ride Horses
Armies have used horses in battle for at least two millennia. But no other people have combined the strategic advantage of the horse with archery as well as the Mongols. As Dan Carlin said on his podcast Hardcore History, the Mongols were the Harlem Globetrotters of horseback archery, reportedly able to shoot and maneuver from horseback with a level of skill far beyond that of the armies they fought. After all, horses were an integral part of this nomadic culture.
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In 1201, at the Battle of Kyoten, the great Genghis Khan was shot by an arrow and knocked off his horse. It is not clear whether the arrow hit him or his horse. What is clear, however, is that after winning the battle, Hahn asked his newly shackled prisoners to produce the soldier who had hit him with the arrow. This soldier, known as Jebet, expected to die. Instead, he was named one of Hahn’s commanders.
Genghis Khan had every reason to promote Jebhe. His two talents, riding and sharp shooting, were the cornerstones of the Mongol army. Riding horses and armed with special synthetic bows, Khan’s cavalry, estimated by some to have accounted for 40% of his total force, terrorized wherever they rode, paving the way for Mongol conquest and occupation throughout China, Central Asia, and eventually Eastern Europe. But what was the reason why this “horsemen from hell” were so effective and feared, as author James Chambers describes them?
Born to Ride Horses
Armies have used horses in battle for at least two millennia. But no other people have combined the strategic advantage of the horse with archery as well as the Mongols. As Dan Carlin said on his podcast Hardcore History, the Mongols were the Harlem Globetrotters of horseback archery, reportedly able to shoot and execute maneuvers on horseback with a level of skill far beyond that of the armies they fought. After all, horses were an integral part of this nomadic culture.
Archaeological evidence indicates that horse domestication began in Mongolia around 1400 B.C., and to this day, the horse occupies a central position in Mongolian culture. Writer Elizabeth Kendall wrote in 1911, “To understand the Mongol, one must see him on horseback.” A Mongol without a pony is only half a Mongol, but with a pony he is as strong as two.”
If archery is the first leg of the Mongolian cavalry, horsemanship would be the second. Children who lived during the reign of Genghis Khan learned to ride horses much as they do today, starting between the ages of three and five and competing in their first races between six and twelve. Outside of the capital Ulaanbaatar, horses were the primary means of transportation, and it is due to their vast experience that Mongolians are widely regarded as the best horsemen in the world.
And let us not forget the horses themselves, which are believed to have changed little genetically since the time of the Khans. Contrary to popular belief, their military advantage lay not in speed but in endurance. Compared to foreign horses, the Mongolian breed needed little water or grain and could forage for food under the snow. Secrets of Mongolian Archery
As stated in the Secret History of the Mongols, the oldest surviving Mongolian document, Mongolian archers used many different types of arrows. Some were long-range arrows, while others were short-range arrows. Sounding arrows were used for signaling, and arrows with forked ends caused more damage. According to Japanese sources, the Mongols used to apply poison to the arrowheads before shooting arrows, but historians dispute this claim. (Incidentally, Genghis Khan’s father is said to have died from poison.)
The Secret History of the Mongols contains many stories that attest to the ferocity of Mongol archers, such as the story of Jebhe’s recruitment into Genghis Khan’s entourage. The Khan’s brother, Jochi Khasar, was widely known for his ability to shoot a target from over 900 ardas (the traditional Mongolian unit of measurement equal to the distance between the tips of the middle fingers when both hands are held out).
In Mongol history, it is difficult to separate fact from fiction. Mongolian archers were able to lean over the side of their horses to release arrows and press the bow against the horse’s neck to steady the bow. Although there is no direct evidence, the Comanche people of North America had the same technique, which is depicted in a painting by artist George Catlin from 1834 to 1835.
Mongolian horse archers are also said to have used a special technique called Parthian shot. Invented and popularized by the Parthians, a nomadic people from northeastern Iran who founded the ancient Parthian kingdom, a longtime enemy of Rome, this shooting technique involved mounted archers fleeing from the enemy at full speed and catching them off guard when they turned and released their bows.
Composite vs. longbow
The destructive power of a talented archer like Jochi was further enhanced by the quality of his bow. The bows used by the Mongols were composite bows, which had a bow shape that warped, allowing them to shoot with greater force than a typical non-warping longbow. It is said that the Mongolian composite bow could hit a target 350 yards away while the British longbow of the same period had a range of 250 yards, giving them an advantage on any battlefield.
Because composite bows were smaller than longbows, they could also be used on horseback. A skilled Mongol rider could control his horse with his knees and free his arms to aim and shoot. Saddles and stirrups made of wood and iron stabilized the archer and allowed him to shoot accurately while galloping at 37 miles per hour. This, combined with their mobility, often gave the Mongols an advantage over stationary opponents.
Source: “The Devil’s Horsemen”: Why Mongol Archers Were the Most Feared in History
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