How Möngke Fixed the Empire's Finances Before Expanding Again

The Challenge

After Ögedei's death in 1241 the Mongol Empire went through a decade of regencies and a short, contested reign. Princes and officials issued their own orders, holders of official passes abused the relay stations, and taxation had become chaotic and corrupt.

When Möngke was elected Great Khan in 1251, he faced both a weakened administration and a plot against him from rival branches of the family.

The Approach

• Crushed the plot by rival princes early in his reign, securing his position before attempting reform
• Ordered a census of the empire and overhauled the tax system, setting regular rates in place of arbitrary levies
• Restricted the abuse of official passes and the relay network, and standardized weights and measures
• Only then resumed expansion: in 1253 he sent Hülegü west to Persia and Kublai into southwest China, and later led the war against the Song himself

The Impact

Möngke's reign was the last time the Mongol Empire acted as one state, with a functioning central administration and coordinated campaigns on several fronts. Hülegü took Baghdad in 1258.

His death on campaign in China in 1259 left no settled succession, and the empire split in the civil war that followed.

The Lesson for Leaders

Fix the base before you ask it to carry a larger load. Möngke restored control, counted his resources and repaired the revenue system, and only then expanded. His one gap, an unsettled succession, undid much of what he built.