Religious Services and Rational Choices: Two Cases of Limited Tax Exemption in the Mongol Empire

Chinggis Qan’s tax exemptions were initially granted to individual clerics but were soon expanded to encompass the entire caste of major religious groups, which wielded significant influence over the population of the Mongol empire. These tax exemptions rendered religious establishments immune from various taxes and levies in return for their prayers and blessing for the longevity of the imperial family and special ability to communicate with Heaven [Tenggeri]. Since not all types of taxes and impositions were created or imposed during Chinggis Qan’s reign, their interpretation varied for his successors, providing flexibility for adjustment to their individual needs. When faced with fiscal constraints, Mongol leaders, as rational actors, targeted religious churches and monasteries possessing extensive land holdings and wealth. In his pursuit of the throne, Qubilai, requiring substantial resources, compelled the clergy in East Asia to pay commercial and land taxes in the thirteenth century. In the fourteenth century, facing financial constraints, another Chinggisid leader, Janibeg, briefly imposed tribute on the Orthodox Christian Church in Eastern Europe under Mongol control. This study explores the motivations behind their actions.