How were the Turks and Mongols able to take over...?

Question

...civilizations that were more established? I know they were more nomadic and barbaric than others, but how were they able to take over so much?

Answer 1

yeah mounted archers

Answer 2

Mounted archers.  That was pretty much it.  They were fast on horseback and their archery skills were amazing for the time.  After that I think it was quite a bit of fear that stopped people from rising up against them.

Answer 3

Archery is a factor, but more important are:

1)Effective horses

2)Light armour.  This included, for example, thick silk armor that would bend but not break - It could resist arrows without tearing; so arrows could easily be torn out without injury...Thus, Mongols were much faster than their enemies in armor which weighed hundreds of pounds.

3)Mongols had diets that were very high in milk and meat (protein), but attacked people who were largely vegetarian -eg., peasant farmers

4)Mongols learned to use their foes larger numbers against them - eg.,

terrorize the countryside, driving people into cities that were under siege and lacking in food, overcrowding them and worsening conditions.

5)Every Mongol soldier would light three or four campfires.  At night, it looked as if the Mongols' numbers were far higher.

6)Effective use of terror.  Mongols were quick to display heads of those they killed or use bodies to form parts of bridges...It didn't matter to them how they won, so long as they won.