LYRICFLUENT
LYRICFLUENTHistory Vs. Genghis Khan Lyrics by Alex Gendler, Addison Anderson
Below, you will find the lyrics for History Vs. Genghis Khan by Alex Gendler.
He was one of the most fearsome warlords who ever lived
Waging an unstoppable conquest across the Eurasian continent
But was Genghis Khan a vicious barbarian
Or a unifier who paved the way for the modern world?
We'll see in 'History vs. Genghis Khan.'
'Order, order. Now who's the defendant today?
Khan!'
'I see Your Honor is familiar with Genghis Khan
The 13th century warlord whose military campaigns killed millions
And left nothing but destruction in their wake.'
'Objection. First of all, it's pronounced Genghis Kahn.'
'Really?'
'In Mongolia, yes
Regardless, he was one of the greatest leaders in human history
Born Temüjin, he was left fatherless and destitute as a child
But went on to overcome constant strife to unite warring Mongol clans
And forge the greatest empire the world had seen
Eventually stretching from the Pacific to Europe's heartland.'
'And what was so great about invasion and slaughter?
Northern China lost 2/3 of its population.'
'The Jin Dynasty had long harassed the northern tribes
Paying them off to fight each other and periodically attacking them
Genghis Khan wasn't about to suffer the same fate
As the last Khan who tried to unite the Mongols
And the demographic change may reflect poor census keeping
Not to mention that many peasants
Were brought into the Khan's army.'
'You can pick apart numbers all you want
But they wiped out entire cities
Along with their inhabitants.'
'The Khan preferred enemies to surrender and pay tribute
But he firmly believed in loyalty and diplomatic law
The cities that were massacred
Were ones that rebelled after surrendering
Or killed as ambassadors
His was a strict understanding of justice.'
'Multiple accounts show his army's brutality going beyond justice
Ripping unborn children from mothers' wombs
Using prisoners as human shields
Or moat fillers to support siege engines
Taking all women from conquered towns'
'Enough! How barbaric!'
'Is that really so much worse than other medieval armies?'
'That doesn't excuse Genghis Khan's atrocities.'
'But it does make Genghis Khan unexceptional for his time
Rather than some bloodthirsty savage
In fact, after his unification of the tribes abolished bride kidnapping
Women in the Mongol ranks had it better than most
They controlled domestic affairs
Could divorce their husbands
And were trusted advisors
Temüjin remained with his first bride all his life
Even raising her possibly illegitimate son as his own.'
'Regardless, Genghis Khan's legacy was a disaster
Up to 40 million killed across Eurasia
During his descendents' conquests
10% of the world population
That's not even counting casualties from the Black Plague
Brought to Europe by the Golden Horde's Siege of Kaffa.'
'Surely that wasn't intentional.'
'Actually, when they saw their own troops dying of the Plague
They catapulted infected bodies over the city walls.'
'The accounts you're referencing
Were written over a hundred years after the fact
How reliable do you think they are?
Plus, the survivors reaped the benefits
Of the empire Genghis Khan founded.'
'Benefits?'
'The Mongol Empire practiced religious tolerance among all subjects
They treated their soldiers well
Promoted based on merit, rather than birth
Established a vast postal system
And inforced universal rule of law
Not to mention their contribution to culture.'
'You mean like Hulagu Khan's annihilation of Baghdad
The era's cultural capital?
Libraries, hospitals and palaces burned
Irrigation canals buried?'
'Baghdad was unfortunate
But its Kalif refused to surrender
And Hulagu was later punished by Berke Khan
For the wanton destruction
It wasn't Mongol policy to destroy culture
Usually they saved doctors
Scholars and artisans from conquered places
And transferred them throughout their realm
Spreading knowledge across the world.'
'What about the devastation of Kievan Rus
Leaving its people in the Dark Ages
Even as the Renaissance spread across Western Europe?'
'Western Europe was hardly peaceful at the time
The stability of Mongol rule made the Silk Road flourish once more
Allowing trade and cultural exchange between East and West
And its legacy forged Russia and China from warring princedoms
Into unified states
In fact, long after the Empire
Genghis Khan's descendants could be found
Among the ruling nobility all over Eurasia.'
'Not surprising that a tyrant would inspire further tyrants.'
'Careful what you call him. You may be related.'
'What?'
'16 million men today are descended from Genghis Khan
That's one in ever 200.'
For every great conqueror, there are millions of conquered
Whose stories will survive?
And can a leader's historical or cultural signifigance
Outweigh the deaths they caused along the way?
These are the questions that arise
When we put history on trial
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