The Mongol Empire is the dominant superpower in the Mongol World, laying claim to the whole world and everyone in it. It has been 618 years now since the Pax Mongolica began, after the Inca Empire of South America formally surrendered to the Mongol Empire.
The system of government in the Mongol Empire has remained practically the same ever since it was devised by Genghis Khan in 584SH.
The Mongol Empire is an elective monarchy. When the previous Great Khan leaves power the next Great Khan is voted in by the Kurultai (parliament), and is usually a member of the Kurultai.
In turn, the Kurultai is made up of people who have been promoted up the ranks of their respective field through their lives, which has led to the Mongol Empire also being referred to as a meritocracy or a technocracy.
There are three ways that a Great Khan can leave power:
- Death - Most Great Khans rule for life, only relinquishing their power on their death bed.
- Retirement - Some Great Khans choose to retire if they feel they are unable to continue their role, such as if their mental or physical health is deteriorating.
- Abdication - Great Khans who seriously neglect their duties or turn insane can be forceably abdicated from power by the Kurultai. This is considered highly dishonourable so a Great Khan is first given a chance to retire if they are about to be abdicated.
Abdication is considered very serious and is only used as a last resort by the Kurultai. If, for example, if a Great Khan were to go into a coma, a Regent is usually voted in place to run the empire in the meantime.
The unconventional system of government used in the Mongol Empire can be explained by its origins as a a small group of nomadic tribes. The Kurultai was already around at that time (in a form) as a gathering of the chiefs of the different tribes, who would come together to discuss matters; Genghis Khan used this gethering to unite the tribes of Mongolia to form the Mongol Empire.
At first the Mongol Empire was almost democratic, as tribes would choose which chief to send to the Kurultai, but as the empire expanded and became more civilised the selection of the members of the Kurultai gradually moved over to being via the administrative hierarchy. This system, which is used to this day, is considered much better than the uncivilised 'mob rule' of democracy.
The idea of abdication came later. Basically, it saved the Kurultai the trouble of having to murder the Great Khan if they desperately needed the Great Khan out of power. Not only was this of advantage to both the Kurultai and the Great Khan himself, but it also brought more stability to the empire because the vote for abdication embodied the overall views of the Kurultai, while a uncertainty of a covert asassination could push the members apart.
Below is a map displaying the Khanates of the Mongol Empire.