Genghis Khan: His Conquests, His Empire, His Legacy

Good condition. Good read. Thanks.

Until the early 13th century Mongolia was a country ruled by many tribes.There was a great deal of friction but a young man named Temujin who later became Genghis Khan came to power and completely reorganised the country into a highly efficient fighting power.Initially he led the country into victories over the neighbouring Jin and Song Chinese empires before moving west to conquer the Khwarezmian region towards the Caspian and Aral seas.He left much of the fighting to his sons Chagatai,Jochi,Ogodei and Tolui and his favoured generals Muqali and Sumedei.The mongols later conquered further regions in the Middle East and Central Europe as far as Hungary although later victories followed Genghis Khans death in 1227.This book provides an interesting and detailed account of the many battles and victories that were fought by the Mongols. It describes how he organised the Mongol army into one the most deadly and efficient armies of all time,how he carefully planned his campaigns to cause minimal losses to his and yet how he virtually eliminated all forms of life in the captured regions.It describes who he trained and used his men and horses,the tactics used to suit different terrains and the use of captured slaves at the van of his armies to take the brunt of the opposing forces.The book does tend to read like a catalogue of bloody battles but that is a reflection of the.reality.Millions were killed by the Mongols as they conquered much of the known lands in the northern hemisphere but the use of such brutal force was the norm.Many characters are mentioned but the inclusion of a list of the main ones and who they were at the front of the book helps. Unfortunately the maps are rather limited. More detail could have been included and the lack of a map covering the campaigns between Khwarezmian and Central Europe would have helped. However, I would recommend this book to anyone who has limited knowledge of Genghis Khan and who wishes to obtain a greater understanding of how the Mongols had such an enormous effect on the world at the time.

Dá pra perceber que o autor fez uma baita pesquisa e tem MUITA informação no livro, mas o texto não flui, é ruim de ler. Aparentemente um ghost-writer escreveu/editou o primeiro capítulo (Invasão de Bagdá) porque esse sim é bom de ler. O resto do livro é quase inteiro ruim de ler. Isso sem falar que faltam MAPAS. É inacreditável que alguém se dê ao trabalho de publicar um livro desses sem mapas. Tem tres ou quatro mapas bem precarios no começo e só. Tive que ir no Google, procurar mapas da época do Ghengis e imprimir para poder acompanhar a história. Sem mapas você fica completamente perdido, são muitos nomes e regiões. Vale ler mas estou à procura de livros melhores sobre o Ghengis e o Império Mongol.

I have been reading about the Mongols via books and academic articles for two decades and primarily in English, Chinese, and Korean. Frank McLynn's book is hands down the best book for newbies of Mongol history. What separates McLynn's book from other books is he included an index of the who is who of the Mongol Empire at the beginning of the book. I can't explain how rare a phenomenon that is. When I was first learning about the Sengoku Jidai, I had to take notes because none of the books I read had a fancy index. Not only did McLynn include an index, but significant figures earned an expanded biography within the book when he introduced the person. The expanded biography was more well written and better research than the information you find on Wikipedia and other none peer-review sources. Most books regarding the Mongols empire over-focus on Chinggis, but this book does not have that problem. All major figures get their due. The next point that impressed me about this book was McLynn has a substantial bibliography. It is very diverse, and the only complaint I have is not enough Chinese sources specifically Jin's firsthand account of the Mongol invasion. Therefore, the section that lacks the most information, in my opinion, was where the Mongols fought Jin. For example, the Jin military buildup and reorganization at the time of Chinggis's death was not mentioned. There was no shout out to Jin commanders like Won-Gian Hada, the mastermind behind the Mongol defeat at Dachangyuan, Weizhou, and Daohuigu. Also, those three battles could have been explained better. Despite not having access to those primary sources, McLynn did a fantastic job narrating the Jin campaign. The Jin campaign is the worst research and least understood campaign in Mongol historiography, especially in the West. McLynn had the correct troop movement, placements, and commanders for the later Jin campaign. To make up for not utilizing Jin sources, McLynn used Yuan sources. The best example of this is the accurate portrayal of Tolui, Chinggis's youngest son. Academic research into Tolui is problematic, and it's not historians' fault either. It's due to the documentation of that period. The Mongol government banned Tolui's name after his death. People weren't allowed to say, write, or read his name. I believe they even spread an ominous story about bad ghostly things happening for saying his name. The banning caused the Mongols to change the word for mirror from the ancient Tolui to the modern Toli. Due to the banning, Tolui's name is never mentioned in any ancient documentation. He is alluded to or referred to by one of his many titles. Due to the above, most of Tolui's accomplishments get transferred by accident to Ogodei and Chinggis due to misinterpretation. It takes a thorough researcher to research Tolui properly. I was impressed with McLynn for doing the necessary research instead of being lazy and following the same old, outdated narrative that is currently prescribed to Tolui in the west. If you're new to the Mongols and know nothing about them besides "Genghis," this book is a great starting point for learning about the Mongols. The research is impeccable, as the examples above show, and the interpretation is reasonably modern. The books focus on three time periods: unification of the nomadic tribe under Chinggis, conquest, and consolidation of the empire under Ogodei. The first two chapters are tedious and the most challenging sections to read in the entire book. Feel free to skip Chapter 1 if it becomes too much. If this book is too broad a subject, then maybe a biography would be a better choice. Paul Ratchnevsky's biography of Chinggis, Morris Rossabi's biography on Khublai, and Michal Biran's biography on Qaidu are reliable places to start. McLynn's book will give a strong foundation on the Mongols. Sadly, there are a lot of hobbyists with no skills in researching publishing works on the Mongols. This book will help you spot them, avoid them, and save your money. Happy readings :D.

The author begins Chapter 13 with these words,” The history of Genghis Khan and the Mongols can sometimes seem no more than an endless recital of massacres with pyramids of skulls. Yet Genghis and the Mongols were more than that.” True, it leaves out the pillaging, rape, slavery and general destruction over thousands of miles. If you are up for seemingly endless brutality this provides it all. Highly detailed within the limits of the source material. The author is careful to weigh the various competing narratives and clearly recognizes the sources limitations. There is also enormous detail regarding the civilizations and geography that are the canvas for this massive landscape. But, so much killing.

This book has helped me a lot while writing a final year essay. Geghis Khan's early life was detailed- that's one thing that I find lacking in many different biographies. The chapters were well organized and went chronologically and it often felt like reading a roman. Thanks to this book I managed to finish my work on time because I never had trouble staying focused while reading. I would definitely recommend to anyone new to history of Mongol empire since the author describes every little detail well in this book

What a fantastic read Genghis Khan is on. Out of the world of the greatest generals of all time the book goes into detail about how his armies slaughtered maimed destroyed everything in its path and no one could stop it is a good thing that he never invaded Europe or they'd all be speaking Mongolian right now