The Comanche's Brutal Rise To Power: Lords of The Southern Plains
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- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
- The Comanche people existed for centuries in the Northern Rockies as an impoverished off-shoot of the Shoshone tribe. They suffered at the hands of neighboring tribes, and were driven off their homelands, relegated to a life on the outskirts.
Then, the Comanche met the horse. Within a few decades time, they would go from a down and out tribe of hunter-gatherers to possibly the finest light cavalry in the world at the time. With the newfound power of the horse, they were able to dominate the tribes that had bullied them for so long.
The Comanche soon possessed vast swaths of the Southern Plains, from present-day Kansas to Mexico. They systematically drove out and destroyed tribes like the Apache, The Carancawa, the Waco, the Caddo and the Tonkawa. They drove out the Spanish Empire and kept the expansion of the United States at bay for decades.
Join History At The OK Corral for the story of how this once downtrodden tribe became perhaps the most successful empires in the Western Hemisphere and wrought a level of violence upon their enemies that had seldom, if ever been seen before.
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The similarities to Eurasian steppe warfare with no contact between the two is amazing
In evolutionary biology, we call it convergent evolution
Xlent analogy
Seriously
I was thinking the same thing. I suppose similar landscape creates similar tactics
Maybe the two are homo sapiens.
Their mastery of horses is awe inspiring. The German settlers around New Braunfels actually bought oxen instead of horses because the Commanche always took the horses.
without horses west wouldn't got developed or the oxen
Ze germans ...gotta love em😊
The Boer settlers in south africa used Oxen instead of Horses to haul heavy cargo Wagons and for farming.
When i was a little boy some poor Farmers here used Oxen or a special Horsebreed called "Kaltblüter" (a big and heavy Horse, slow but tough) for farming because a Tractor was to expensive and "normal" Horses cant do the heavy work.
I use the same tactic around here. I drive an old ugly car that nobody wants to steal.
I live here in New Braunfels
If you found this 17 minutes interesting, I highly recommend the book "The Empire of the Summer Moon ".
Is indeed a great read. Good call Mark
Empire of the Summer Moon, and The Captured.
no the comanche empire is a much better book@@oscarb9139
Thanks 🙏
This channel is slowly becoming one of my favorites
Came across your videos a few days ago. Great content! As a history teacher in Texas I’m happy to see so much wonderful information on Texas history.
Moral of the story: Don't bully any small tribes because they might find a way to get stronger and come after you.
In other words, "the enemy of my enemy."
The ultimate neo liberal sentement! Thank you, stealing that line. (Comment not accusatory.)
Well who won tho? 🤔
Talk to the Dakota regarding the Crow Scouts ...The Crow didn't appreciate The Dakota expelling them from .The Black Hills ...
Ghengiz Khan.
Based. One of the most accurate yet respectful coverings of a native tribe I have seen on this platform. You also got a good chuckle out of me with that 'or claimed to' bit at the beginning.
The Commanche were demon possessed . Truly. Why people are enamored and romanticize a tribe of people who gleefully raped and mutilated their victims is far beyond me to comprehend. Not to escape the atrocities that western man did to the indigenous tribes and peoples but truly the Commanche were demon possessed ..I thank God for the United States Cavalry AND the Texas Rangers for putting these rabid dogs down.
What is based? Do you mean biased?
The Comanche reminded me of the Mongols covering hundreds of miles in a day on horseback.
I believe there ls actually DNA ancestry between the two peoples.. commanches actually shared the Mongolian DNA more so than any other native American people.. go figure 🤷♂️
They may have been ferocious but they did stop for some photos though.
😂😂😂
Just found your channel! I love it. I am a historian (my college degree) by trade and I was just recently wondering if there was a channel like this. Congratulations on the view counts going up!
Welcome friend!
An
The Mongol horde of the southern plains.
Pretty much
I tell ya
And the government was Jin and the samurai 😕
A race of nomads who take pleasure in torturing women and children to death are not themselves worthy
Yep
I've always LOVED that map used in the opening,, and plan on getting it soon. Came across your channel by chance. Looking forward to viewing the entire series. Thanks so much for the upload :)
Amazing video, I’m doing a documentary on a Comanche massacre that happened around the town of Llano in the Legion Valley area. This massacre actually happened on land that me and my family own over there. I love to here more about Comanche and there culture!
The Comanche were much more cosmopolitan than is frequently presented. In central Texas and had long standing friendly relations with many other tribes. The Caddo from east Texas would yearly visit, trade, and hunt Bison with the Comanche, and on occasion participate in mutual supporting raids and attacks. For example the battle at Stampede Creek/Bird's Creek in Bell Co. consisted of Comanche, Caddo, and Kickapoo who were hunting Bison when they came into contact with Texas Rangers and a bloody fight that followed.
That is true and we're going to do much more on them. They also had agreements w the Germans in and around New Braunfels, theres still a treaty hanging at the Comanche Tribal HQ in Oklahoma! We'll do lots more on this, just wanted an indtroduction video. Such a fascinating tribe!
@@historyattheokcorral also a lasting peace treaty with New Mexico, de Anza and Comanche chief Ecueracapa signed it in 1786
@@masterofreality1552 that has nothing to do with the cosmopolitan nature of the Comanche society. Both the Tonkawa and Karankawa tribes were aggressive towards other Indigenous peoples and much given to cannibalism which the other tribes such as the Comanches abhorred and were mortal enemies. There were always polities and enemies. Look up the battle at Stampede Creek and the participants and make a case that the Comanche were not a cosmopolitan society.
@@masterofreality1552 show me one, even one, recorded case of Comanche consuming human flesh, it was a horrific concept to them as a culture. I never said the Comanche were flower children spreading peace and love. Their torture and raids are well known and documented but so are there many recorded instances of friendly relations between Comanche and other peoples such as the German community of Fredericksburg in Gillespie Co. Tx. You are whipping a dead horse my friend
@@masterofreality1552 We only ate their hearts. We're very cosmopolitan! 🙂
Proud of my heritage!❤
And You should be,,,i live in Hill Country Texas, Comanche creek runs thru our Ranch, i found Lance heads, arrow heads and a fleshing rock that really cool, its awesome to reach down and pick up a arrow head that was last touched by a Comanche Warrior
@@markgray6982 that sooo awesome I need to visit that town
I'm Māori and am fascinated with the history of your people. Similar in many ways yet also drastically different in very important ways. I've read two books so far and want to hopefully someday soon visit the native lands of your people. Amazing heritage and amazing people.
@@brycepardoe658 Napui or Waikato ?
@@russellbree6458 Rongowhakaata
This is a fantastic video. You should do one on the iron confederacy and cree traders and their introduction of the gun and other goods to the tribes in the northern plains, mainly the blackfoot. they used to be allies initially and became the power houses of the north. but like you said in the video, most of the biggest horse herds were in the southern plains because of the better climate and other factors.
Excellent piece! Definitely learned a lot look forward to more!
Thank you!
Great story very well told thank you.Keep them coming please,one small point,the motto of the special air service is Who dares wins
"The Comanche reached a level of violence that had never been seen before..." and ended on a reservation.
Yes, excellent presentation--- Seems like a more overall historical view of the Comanche, other than the views of settlers in the depredation book of Texas----
I enjoyed the vid. Please follow up on the rest of the history of the Comanche
An EXCELLENT book on the rise and fall of the Comanche is 'Empire of the Summer Moon' by S. C. Gwynne.
So much for the peaceful native.
So much for the peaceful invaders.
The same things all over the earth---not about race---it`s about humans from forever.
See you read Wallace & Hoebel Lords of the southern plains! :~) I read it too besides Nye Carbine and Lance and T. Fehrenbach. Good channel nice to use in old Europe. My favorite quote is from the searchers about the riding of a Comanche 100 Miles farther on the same horse.
A very interesting video on the Comanche. Truly amazing horsemen who were feared by those they faced. 💪🏼🙏🏻✨
Great piece of history. I respect this tribe. 💯 Thank you 💛 Sir
Good as ever! The coming from the Comanche out of the Shoshoni is new for many interested people; God save Wallace Hoebel, Fehrenbach and Nye, 2 of 4 writers with german heritage. Best regards from Ludwig
They tortured babies and children, cut their eyelids off and buried them into ant hills. Monsters. Worst of the worst. The Comanche were hated by all other tribes
Most conquerors in history were evil. It is the nature of the Human.
Torture was widespread and common practice from coast to coast
@@kenneth9874 that is true.
It's called collective punishment. Tribalism is the natural state of human beings. For most of our history both reward and punishment were dished out collectively. Furthermore brutality serves the purpose of deterrence. In the absence of a centralised state authority realistically deterrence is all one has militarily speaking.
@@brycepardoe658 it’s called brutal torture, and it was done for fun and pleasure.
Excellent and Outstanding Analysis!!!
Thank you!
Your fully on the way to 100000 subscribers, you have a passion for the history. You could do some CGI battle maps showing the tactics and famous battles similar to what Warhawk does with the Civil War, just my ten cents though. Keep it up though
I am so glad I found this channel ❤
Learning more about the Comanche indians I was dumb founded of the cruelness of this tribe.Their throwing a baby into a river to watch a captured exausted women go time and time again to save her child while they laughed with glee is unsettiling.
The Old West was far more brutal than most people realize. And not that long ago.
They tied one woman's baby to the back of a horse and drug him through cactus til he was torn apart. They were vicious
read Paul Raguenaeau,S.J. Shadows of Huronia,2003/1652 manuscript (in French): what did Iroquis to Hurons and Algonquins- 10 000 slaughtered but in what way! A few survived escaping to Quebec. Not only Indians but if one does not see Devil's hand in these societies he/she is a fool(in Bible: a lot of records of child's sacrifices). A romantic vision of past life societies propaganda is another lie,i.e. the lie -also from Satan (J8:44, Aristotle on privation principle)
Definitely not losing sleep that they got murked. To be honest, they got exactly what they deserved, the death and destruction they visited on others were returned to them
@@mico1664 yes this tribe was exceptionally different in their brutality. Perhaps they knew this and used it as intimidation tactic, but they were sadistic not just for show.
The near extinction of the buffalo was a big part of the defeat of the plains tribes.
Very well done! I am impressed.
Thank you for watching! Lots more to come!
They were ferocious as were the Apache.
Movies------- A Man called Horse.......Return of a Man called Horse
Richard Harris, an English Lord and obscenely wealthy, was captured while on a hunting trip to the US West and lived with Sioux tribe. He found their way much better than living in a huge mansion.
GREAT MOVIE that depicted old rituals that were very sacred.
Enjoyed both very much
Turn the volume up and turn the music off!
We'll notify the editing department. 🙏🏻
@@historyattheokcorral thank you. Parts of me are wearing out but not eye sight and hearing.
Picking up what he's putting down, no worries..
Great series!!
Simply great stuff
The to the Commanche's demise was the six shot revolver which was introduced to the whites in Texas around 1850. A ranger then could carry two pistols with several additional preloaded cylinders
You must be referring to the Colt Paterson revolver--- But, originally it was a 5 shot revolver manufactured from 1836-42, a 36 cal. with a 71/2 long barrel----
😊😊😊 great narration!
Thank you for helping us visualize how North America evolved. I appreciate the words of the witnesses read with context; 😎
Excellent video! thank you! i've heard the argument that the european conquest 'comancheria' was really only possible after the widespread availability of the revolver. given how quickly mounted short-bow weilding warriors could shoot off deadly accurate arrows...it's not surprising.
Genuinely so ducking happy I watched this, love the channel. That being said, I think I saw about 30 pixels in the whole video.
It's a Bison. That aside, this channel is superb. Thank you for this.
Excellent
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This gatling gun battle tactic is fascinating! Can you point me in the direction the find more information on it? where did you find this?
Amazing story
6:20 Eerily similar to Ammianus Marcelanus’ description of the Huns😱
These nomadic 'centaurs' were almost a mirror image of the fearsome Huns of 4th and 6th century. No mercy unless it tendered profit . The Devil's Horsemen.
That was only one of many tactics the natives would use drive Buffalo over cliffs or Buffalo jumps.
Cool thanks for sharing big dog
So much for the myth of the noble savage!
To be fair the Comanches were a special kind of evil. Many other tribes were indeed very friendly.
@@Quincy_Morris yeah they nearly exterminated the apache , and they were warlike also !
I think the myth of the noble savage from the Caribbean Natives, they welcomed christopher columbus warmy and even offered him many gifts.
But, then again, the arawak in those islands also massacred the original people living there. Other native tribes, replacing them. lol.
I believe the Comanche controlled as far south as Mexico City. Good video!
They did not but they raided as far south as roughly 100 miles north of Mexico city (the province of Jalisco) and they had camps in the mountain valleys in northern Mexico and could raid the Mexican North at will but to say that they controlled area much further south than maybe 100 miles south of the Rio grande would be false.
What was and was not controlled and by who was very grey at that time given the low population density of all factions.
The Comanche were the mongols in the West.
Superb.......
I enjoy your video very much. When we speak of Indians on the western plains it is mostly the Sioux and Cheyenne. For some reason the Comanche do not get the PR that they deserve.
They were excellent horsemen, that’s about it when comes to PR. Cruel, insane vultures etc etc. I’ve read too much on them and nothing is ever good.
They used to be but it's all negative so you can't talk about it in polite company
Let's be real here, they get more PR than the other two nations you mentioned. Especially in the last years.
Modern culture doesn’t like talking about the Comanches because modern audiences would assume racist stereotypes were being promoted as they could not believe anyone could be that evil.
PLEASE do some on PNW natives or Alaskan natives! Ppl never remember us until the come to Seattle. Haha everyone always forgets how different we really are tribe by tribe
We have an Alaskan history video up now! Much more to come on the PNW, such a fascinating history there!
@@historyattheokcorral I am watching your videos now. I'll go look. Haha I'm Quileute, the last of the Chimikuan band after Chief Seattle killed off our sister tribes. Long ago, not bitter at all haha. Quileute language is a VERY rare language and an oddity as to how it appeared and why we were so different.
But were able to retain A LOT of history in comparison to other tribes because of Chief Se'ntl. He was soooo imposing and good with his words. Deep voice. Carried himself well.
He marched his ass everywhere for majority of the tribes on the Salish Sea in the PNW. Demanded to separate tribes whom were enemies and give them their own land. He was amazing.
The UW does very well with preservation and have many details but also look up Ravens Tales. The Raven and Eagles stories. The REAL "se'sxac" legends of our ppl. The Potlatch. It's neat.
Many people do think of natives as one people. Vastly different culture tribe to tribe.
Up most Respect too~ The American Native Indians.
Where'd you get that background music? I love it
It's free use its called "Waltz For Zachariah"
Literally passed by Nocona Hills to the southwest side. I wonder how such a high point in a flat terrain got it's name lol.
Imagine waking up in the morning back then and asking yourself, “Is today the day I get killed by a Comanche?”
Excellent 👏👏👏
Great video. Thanks
Where can one get the maps you are showing?I would have all of those if possible to frame and hang and admire.
Love it mate
Thank you!
"itinerant root gatherers"🤣
ive never heard a more passive aggressive thing in my life 🤣🤣🤣
Comanches would burn the plains to run buffalo off cliffs.according to empire of the summer moon
The truth about what made the Comanche so cruel and brutal is known and kept in memory of a select few. Lost in time as there is always 2 sides to every story and only one side is told as the truth and fact ,the side that makes them comfortable knowing the real truth will never be told🤔
Buffalo hunters at Adobe Walls got lucky. McKenzie was methodical and merciless
Oh, how the mighty fall.
There's no complaints like that anymore about them at all in the 21st century. Every ethnic group has done something uncalled for.
You are either born there, or immigrated there. You are either native or immigrant. There is no other status. A slave woman from Gaul taken to Rome became a roman slave and all her children were romans, and so forth. The boy born in Texas, stolen by the Apache and then became a Comanche warrior was a native texan. The tribes did not care if he was native or immigrant or any other status in between that only exists in the woke mind of a 21st century humanist.
Any chance you have a list of books or resources for further reading on all of these videos?? Thanks so much!
Empire of the Summer Moon is where I began.
Comanche and Kiowa lived and fought in Northern Mexico also.
I swear hearing about Indian history. Is so beautiful and respectable. All these years of liveing in America I never appreciated the culture. Nor do the majority of Americans. Beautiful culture and a culture of warriors. Your average man of now wouldn't survive much back then. Wow
It is amazing that they evolved in to society similar to eurasian nomads, sort of late for horse bows though...
There’s a show called “the son” that shows how the Comanches raided the settlers and turned brought captives into the tribes … its a very good show!!!
They were great at one time but where are they now?
When are you continuing this series of videos?
Any suggestions where I could get print copies of maps like the one with the different tribe locations?
Odie B Faulk…….amazing historian of the American West.
Again long term necessity to adapt.
Anything on the Sere from Baja?
the base questio is who was guest and who a landlord . then????
Bravo
It seems that the Comanche had a lot of similarities to the Vikings!
100% Crystal Hill Comanche!✌️🌞
@@howardj602 I did see some information about Asian bloodline in American Indian people. I would like to do a test and see the results vs the word of my family and share it with them 🌞
@@howardj602 Sorry but I honestly can't say 100% and after a talk with family members, duh my last name Allen is english and I should have known this but I was a bit proud of my ancient relatives and lost in the moment after first watching this, sorry 🌞
What are the sources for the history of the tribes so early on?
They were great horseman, but they where a short squatty tribe, lol, some still are...
Anyway, part of they're success, was they didn't stop to eat, they would reach back, slice a strip off the running horses rear, and eat it raw while still moving.
That is wild!!
Uh, I descend from Numunuh - the Comanche, as we are later known. I'm not sure where you are getting your information from. Much of your story is true, especially the latter parts. But "minimalist?" 'Lower rungs of tribes?' We descend from Shoshone, true. But it was earlier. We would also join with a band of Pawnee later. It was Numunuh who met the Spaniards on the plains of Western Kansas, as we has moved East in the early 1500s. It was there in the 1540s to 1560s that we were introduced to the Mustang. Although, it would be decades before we mastered breeding them. From 1600 on would be the transition to nomadic. Mobile. It would, of course, peak in the 1800s. I descend directly from Quanah Parker. He's my Great Grandfather.
Great video and content. Very interesting. The 'experts' don't always get the details right. In future segments about these tribes, reach out to tribal people. There is much that is passed down orally from generation to generation. Things that the 'experts' disregard because it doesn't fit their narrative.
... and just like they were conquerors. They were also conquered. That's the history of the world. It's not necessarily dark or bleak. It's the way humans survived and expanded their culture & influence. If the Comanches would've had the opportunity they would've colonized the entire planet.
And do you think they would have abolished slavery, given women the right to vote, given land to those they conquered and brought on a century of peace in North America if they had?
funny that they would be remembered by the name their enemies gave them
Yankee doodle dandy was given to the colonials by their British enemies. Yankees stuck.
15 second commercials wtf
These pictures are a little bit lego but this is still good product
The very first horses evolved on the North American grasslands over 55 million years ago.
The peyote ceremony was with the Comanche.
That was a southwestern Indian thing with the Apaches etc.
You should try running some of the open source historical photography through an AI upscaler. Should give you both a higher resolution and more historically accurate image that would go better with your historically accurate style. Upscalers are pretty good so you could probably bring some of those old 512 images up to 1K or even more without much distortion. Just make sure you use face-trained one for face and landscape trained for landscape. No 1 size fits all with upscalers.
What is the ultimate battle you refer to at the end?
your videos are very quiet even when I turn on sound to 100% its like whispering.
I am German, my american Family is Seminole. Proud never to Bend bevore the US. Love you
live long!
And prosper 🖖