Final answer:
The Mongol empire, with its highly disciplined and skilled cavalry, excelled in siege warfare and rapidly expanded their territory.
However, their inability to conquer Japan, Southeast Asia, Egypt, and Europe was due to geographical challenges such as seas and dense jungles, climatic events like typhoons, strong local armies, and resources stretched thin by empire overextension.
Step-by-step explanation:
Factors Behind the Mongols' Success
The Mongol empire achieved remarkable success due to several factors, including their formidable cavalry, strong discipline, and superior siege tactics. The Mongols, under Genghis Khan's leadership, utilized their mobile and highly skilled cavalry to overwhelming effect, conquering vast territories from Europe to Asia. Their success in siege warfare allowed them to capture numerous cities that were once thought impregnable.
Limitations of Mongol Conquests
Despite their successes, the Mongols faced challenges that hindered their expansion in certain regions. The Mongol invasion of Japan failed largely due to the natural barrier of the sea and the disastrous impact of the typhoons, known as “kamikaze,” which destroyed their fleets. In Southeast Asia, dense jungles and a lack of experience in naval warfare posed significant obstacles. Similarly, in Egypt, the well-trained Mamluk soldiers, who shared a background with the Mongols, were able to repel their advances at the Battle of Ain Jalut.
Their unsuccessful attempts to conquer regions such as Japan, Southeast Asia, Egypt, and Europe can be attributed to geographical barriers, climatic challenges, formidable local armies, and the exhaustion of resources due to overextension of the empire.