ABSTRACT
Chinggis Khan in expanding authority over the nomads of the steppe had behaved much like many earlier nomadic leaders; if he had met tougher opposition from sedentary states in Central Asia, the Mongols might not have gained the momentum required to seize greater prizes in Persia and China. The plague in Europe caused the questioning of religion, introduced women to crafts such as beer production as their husbands died, and may have encouraged labour-saving technology. Especially as the Mongols advanced, they were the subject of missionary efforts. The Uighurs had converted to Buddhism before the rise of the Mongols and were influential in Mongol administration. Khubilai in China would come to adopt and support Buddhism, though doctrinal disputes, especially between Tibetan and Chinese versions of Buddhism, would trouble him. Islam at first had little success in converting Mongols in Central Asia indeed Mongol conquests caused a crisis of faith in Islam for that religion had always seemed to expand before.
