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Yassa (Great Code)

Type Object Region Mongolian Plateau Time c. 1221–1230

The Yassa was the Mongol Empire's basic legal code issued by Genghis Khan in the 1220s, regulating military discipline, hunting rules, inheritance, a…

Timeline

  1. c. 1221–1223Mongolian Plateau · Mongolian PlateauGenghis Khan compiled nomadic customary law and wartime decrees into an early form of the Yassa, transmitting it orally through thousands and tumens to regulate military discipline and tribal conduct.
  2. 1224–1226Central Asian Steppe · Central AsiaDuring the western campaigns, the Yassa was supplemented with clauses on desertion, distribution of spoils, and hunting prohibitions, using harsh punishments to maintain expeditionary discipline and serving as the basic legal basis for operations across regions.
  3. 1227–1230Mongol Empire · Eurasian SteppeAfter Genghis Khan's death, the Yassa continued to be enforced as the empire's fundamental law, preserved in secret archives around Ögedei's accession, sustaining the order of succession and the enfeoffment of princes.

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