I read this excellent post here by /u/krishaperkins about the typical diet of a Mongol on campaign, but it got me thinking whether or not the Mongol elite, particularly Temujin and his close family and associates, were also expected to survive this way whilst on campaign. Did their fare differ in any way from the typical Mongolian soldier? If it did, to the extent of our knowledge, how much planning went into securing the foodstuffs for the Khan and his entourage?
Bio-archeological:
Bio-archeology has done some research on this by stable isotope analysis of the deceased mongol elites. Three cemeteries were investigated for this analysis: Tavan Tolgoi (interpreted as associated with the ruling elite), Tsagaan chuluut (interpreted as incorporating lesser elites and perhaps commoners) and Ulaanzuukh (mainly commoners).
Apart from the luxury grave goods and animal remains found among the elites at Tavan Tolgoi, including 2 gold rings with falcons, indicating that the individuals had close ties to the lineage of Genghis Khan, the burials from Tavan Tolgoi have significantly higher N15 values than either Tsagaan chuluut and Ulaanzuukh, leading researchers to believe that the elites had more meat in their diet and had more access to it. However the sample size was deemed too small to come to a conclusion of integrity, along with environmental factors which may have changed the nitrogen and carbon ratios leading to the isotropic differences.
Military Logistics
It is important to note that we are talking about Khans (title of High King/Emperor) and other elites, their deaths would have been for many reasons, but death from starvation or malnutrition is almost never one of them. You can expect an army to starve not not it's top officials. This counts for attrition in general, which is not limited to hunger, but also includes temperature, disease, etc.
Geography and Sociology
It is important to note that the Empire was massive, covering many countries and cultures. Like most conquerors throughout history, this caused incorporation of everything from ideologies to military tactics and of course, to diets. Let's basically break down the Empire's progress into 3 parts. Genghis Khan's progress into central Asia, Ögedei Khan's progress into Russia and central China and Möngke Khan's progress into southern China and Middle East. Yes, that is a lot of land, a lot of people speaking different languages and a lot of different looking people
Therefore we can expect different branches of nobility (especially the lesser/incorporated nobility)following different customs, and therefore we can safely assume that not all of them drank fermented mare's milk like there was no tomorrow. Although the 3 emperors mentioned were Tengri, their ideals were liberal, at least in terms of a religious standpoint and allowed different religions to be practiced freely (kind of like the Jizya tax system by the muslim expansions) and later on fragments of the Empire after the death of Möngke Khan and after the civil wars adopted the cultures and religions of their lands.
I think a great example of this would be Ghazan the Great (caution : personal bias might set in here), seventh ruler of the Mongol Empire's Ilkhanate division in modern-day Iran. He was baptized and raised a Christian, grew up in an Ordo (nomadic palace-tent), educated by a Chinese Buddhist monk who also taught him about the Tengri faith and later he converted to Islam as part of a military agreement upon accession to the throne. A man who spoke Mongolian as his first language and was proficient in Arabic, Chinese and Latin, had many hobbies including linguistics, agro-techniques, painting, and chemistry, reformed major fiscal and legal policies. On paper, alcohol and pigs are off the list. In practice, it's up to speculation.
Now let all that sink in, that's a LONG way from a Tengri warlord from central Asian steppes if you ask me.
Sources:
Military logistics (Note - I only read extracts from this, I have not studied or fully read this to completion) : Morris, Rossabi - All the Khan's Horses.
Geography and Sociology (Note - There is literally a metric ton of information about this, I will just show the source of my own example of Ghazan the Great) :
Charles Melville - Padshah-i Islam: the conversion of Sultan Mahmud Ghazan Khan
Maḥmūd Ghāzān - Encyclopædia Britannica
Edit - Formatting, spelling & grammar
Hello everyone,
In this thread, there have been a large number of incorrect, speculative, or otherwise disallowed comments, including many asking about the deleted comments, which merely compounds the issue. As such, they were removed by the mod-team. Please, before you attempt answer the question, keep in mind our rules concerning in-depth and comprehensive responses. In the same spirit as the Great Khan, answers that do not meet those standards are ruthlessly trampled into oblivion.
Additionally, it is unfair to the OP to further derail this thread with off topic conversation, so if anyone has further questions or concerns, I would ask that they be directed to modmail, or a META thread. Thank you!
