The Mongols

The Mongol empire under his great leader Genghis Khan covered an area extending from the Sea of Japan to the gates of Europe.  The Mongols were ruthless horsemen with great skills at war; however, they also accomplished great feats in city building and transportation.  The Mongols were the pioneers in the field of warfare, transportation and communication over long distances but a lot of their achievements were overshadowed by their fame as ruthless warriors.  The fact of the matter is that they were ruthless against their enemies, but they also run a successful government that tried to be fair for all citizens.

Genghis himself established the code of laws which was equally applicable to the high class as well as the low.  Women enjoyed equal rights as the men, which was unheard of in the rest of the world during that era.  Mongols were actually very tolerant of other religions and they leveraged the knowledge of the people they conquered to improve their own empire.  The Mongols created a sophisticated mail system which expanded the length of the empire.  Ultimately, their waring ways contributed to the break up of the empire.  Factions competed for power and the empire disintegrated.  A lot of their citizens converted to Islam and later formed the core of what came to be known as the Ottoman empire.