Great Yasa of Genghis Khan

Audience

The audience for these writings varied considerably. As most, if not all, of al-Makrizi's work derives from Juvaini, an administrator in the Mongol Empire, there is some complexity to the question of the audience. Juvaini's work was written primarily for other Persians, although he received patronage from the Mongol court, and thus it is likely that the Mongol nobility also read it. Al-Makrizi wrote his work after the collapse of the Mongol Ilkhanate in Persia, and his audience was primarily intended to be the officials of the Mamluk Sultanate. Nonetheless, others also cribbed or plagiarized extensively from Juvaini, and Juvaini probably did the same, particularly with respect to the maxims. The maxims were intended exclusively for the nobility, to serve as foundational wisdom and standards of character.

Mirkhwand, also writing in a later period, had a different audience in the Timurid Dynasty. The Timurid, successors to the Mongols in central Asia and Iran, still held Ghengis Khan's legacy in high esteem. Mirkhwand's discussion of the Yasa was important to the Timurids' understanding of the past and the Mongol legacy that endured in the region. Indeed, Timur, the founder of the Timurid Dynasty, used the Yasa as he saw fit, for many Turko-Mongol nomads in the region, even as Muslims, still referred to it. Also, toward the end of Sultan Husayn Bayqarah's reign, the realm was constantly threatened by invading Uzbeks, another successor to the Mongol Empire. Although many of the successors to the Mongols were Muslims and thus employed Islamic law, the Yasa still influenced their states. And in many areas of central Asia, where Muslims and non-Muslims intermixed, the Yasa was often the only legal code upon which both groups could agree.

Ibn Battutah, Vardan, and Mahakia wrote for non-Mongol audiences. Ibn Battutah wrote his work in North Africa, well away from the Mongol court, whereas Vardan and Mahakia wrote their works in Armenia. Other Armenians, primarily monks and priests, read them during the Middle Ages, so the audience was very narrow.