A History Of Violence

Sowing the seeds of modern warfare

- Sabrine Ong

You have heard of Alexander the Great and Hannibal, but it's likely that the greatest general and military strategist of all has passed you by. He led the largest and most devastating horse-borne force ever seen, and conquered territories stretching from Hungary and Syria in the West, to Vladivostok and the Sea of Japan in the East. He pioneered siege engines and battlefield explosives, and devised new longbow designs. He laid the groundwork for modern warfare, from the Blitzkrieg strategy of the Nazis, to the use of chemical weapons and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). His name was Subotai the Valiant, and whilst Genghis Khan gained credit for the achievements of the Mongol Horde, it was Subotai who was the brains of the outfit.

Subotai was born near Lake Baikal, Siberia in 1175. As a child, his brother, Jelme, was pledged into the service of the Borjigin, the clan of Genghis Khan. He worked his way up to become a valued advisor, and when Subotai came of age and decided to turn his back on the family business of blacksmithing, it was Jelme who introduced him at court.

Jelme and Subotai were outsiders: Not only were they not Borjigin, they were not even Mongols. They weren't nomads, and they couldn't even ride. But Jelme's personal relationship with Genghis stood the brothers in good stead, and young Subotai was allowed to stand guard at the entrance to Genghis' tent, listening in to every conversation. As a result, he learned everything there was to know about Mongol military tactics: what had worked, and what had failed.

The Borjigin were just one of a large number of clans roaming the Mongolian steppe. Genghis Khan - the Great Khan - had yet to earn that moniker. The clans were constantly warring: They fought to control the best pastures, and possess the best horses, and blood feuds were rife. These small-scale conflicts gave young men like Subotai the chance to prove themselves.