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One of Chinggis Khan's greatest legacies was the principle
of religious tolerance. In general, Chinggis provided tax
relief to Buddhist monasteries and to a variety of other religious
institutions. And though Chinggis himself never converted
to any of the religions of the sedentary peoples he conquered
(he remained loyal to Mongolian shamanism), he was quite interested
in Daoism, particularly because of the Daoists' pledge that
they could prolong life. In fact, on his expedition to Central
Asia Chinggis was accompanied by Changchun, a Daoist
sage from China, who kept an account
of his travels with his Mongol patron. Changchun's first-hand
account has become one of the major primary sources on Chinggis
Khan and the Mongols. [Also see The
Mongols in China: Religious Life under Mongol Rule, to
compare Chinggis's legacy to Khubilai Khan's policy of religious
tolerance.]
The creation of the first Mongol written language was another
legacy of Chinggis Khan. In 1204, even before he gained the
title of "Chinggis Khan," Chinggis assigned one
of his Uyghur retainers to develop a written language for
the Mongols based upon the Uyghur script. [Also see The
Mongols in China: Cultural Life under Mongol Rule, to
compare Chinggis's legacy to Khubilai Khan's commissioning
of a Mongol script.]
A third legacy was Chinggis's support for both trade and crafts,
which meant support for the merchants and artisans in the
business of trade and craft. Chinggis recognized early on
the importance of trade and crafts for the economic survival
of the Mongols and actively supported both. [Also see The
Mongols in China: Life for Artisans under Mongol Rule
and Life for Merchants under
Mongol Rule, to compare Chinggis's legacy to Khubilai
Khan's support artisans and merchants.]
Chinggis also left behind a legal code, the so-called Jasagh,
which consisted of a series of general moral injunctions and
laws. The Jasagh also prescribed punishments for transgressions
of laws relating particularly to pastoral-nomadic society.
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