TY - JOUR

T1 - Pests and Their Impacts on Humans

T2 - An Environmental History of Infectious Diseases during Mongol Invasions in East Asia

AU - Duan, Baihui

PY - 2024/12/17

Y1 - 2024/12/17

N2 - Korea experienced a severe mortality crisis under Mongol rule during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. Scholars have examined the high death tollduring the Mongol Invasions of Korea (1231–1259), arguing epidemics exacerbatedthe wartime conditions. By closely scrutinizing historical documentson epidemics and pests, this article situates epidemics within a broader environmental context that encompasses not only Korea but also Song China, Japan, and Vietnam in the thirteenth century. Although there is no direct evidenceto suggest the same pathogens for the parallel of epidemics across EastAsia, these countries shared the similarities of being invaded by the Mongols,and such vulnerable wartime conditions and the climate anomalies of the thirteenth century could be the main environmental variables to precipitate thesewidespread outbreaks in these regions.A key question remains regarding the type of wartime infectious diseases.This article adopts environmental perspectives to explore whether the thirteenth-century outbreaks in East Asia, especially Korea, might be connected tothe Black Death or could potentially be typhus—commonly seen in warfare orsomething else. Without ruling out the possibility that the Mongol invasionsmay have transported new pathogens to the Korean peninsula, I argue that theenvironmental legacy of these invasions was to create a new cultural diseaseenvironment in Korea. Korean historical records frequently mention the presenceof rodents and lice, likely transported by the Mongol cavalry, whichposed a threat to daily Korean life during the prolonged Mongol invasion periods,suggesting the possible outbreaks of plague or typhus. Furthermore, theMongol nomadic culture, with its affinity to livestock like horses, cattle, andsheep, also created another environment conducive to bacteria transmission.Even after the invasions ended, the established disease environments and continuous movements of people continued to affect the Korean peninsula and itsanimal and human inhabitants during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.

AB - Korea experienced a severe mortality crisis under Mongol rule during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. Scholars have examined the high death tollduring the Mongol Invasions of Korea (1231–1259), arguing epidemics exacerbatedthe wartime conditions. By closely scrutinizing historical documentson epidemics and pests, this article situates epidemics within a broader environmental context that encompasses not only Korea but also Song China, Japan, and Vietnam in the thirteenth century. Although there is no direct evidenceto suggest the same pathogens for the parallel of epidemics across EastAsia, these countries shared the similarities of being invaded by the Mongols,and such vulnerable wartime conditions and the climate anomalies of the thirteenth century could be the main environmental variables to precipitate thesewidespread outbreaks in these regions.A key question remains regarding the type of wartime infectious diseases.This article adopts environmental perspectives to explore whether the thirteenth-century outbreaks in East Asia, especially Korea, might be connected tothe Black Death or could potentially be typhus—commonly seen in warfare orsomething else. Without ruling out the possibility that the Mongol invasionsmay have transported new pathogens to the Korean peninsula, I argue that theenvironmental legacy of these invasions was to create a new cultural diseaseenvironment in Korea. Korean historical records frequently mention the presenceof rodents and lice, likely transported by the Mongol cavalry, whichposed a threat to daily Korean life during the prolonged Mongol invasion periods,suggesting the possible outbreaks of plague or typhus. Furthermore, theMongol nomadic culture, with its affinity to livestock like horses, cattle, andsheep, also created another environment conducive to bacteria transmission.Even after the invasions ended, the established disease environments and continuous movements of people continued to affect the Korean peninsula and itsanimal and human inhabitants during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.

KW - Koryo Korea

KW - Mongol

KW - pests

KW - epidemics

KW - Black Death

M3 - Journal article

VL - 21

SP - 13

EP - 46

JO - The Journal of Northeast Asian History

JF - The Journal of Northeast Asian History

SN - 1976-3735

IS - 1

M1 - 1

ER -