What do you think?
Rate this book
The History of the Mongol Conquests by J. J. Saunders
Book by Saunders, John Joseph
Paperback
First published February 22, 2001
5 people are currently reading
315 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
December 17, 2017
hoards of information
The eruption of nomadic warriors across Asia into Europe and the Middle East in the 1200s was only the greatest of many previous waves. Under Genghis Khan (Chingis, Jengiz, etc) and his immediate successors, the Mongols reached Germany and Croatia, Korea, Japan, Java, Burma, and Egypt. They built the greatest contiguous empire the world has ever known. It all collapsed within a century. The Mongols had some military geniuses as leaders in the beginning and were known for religious tolerance once things settled down, but for administration, they had to rely on others---Chinese, Persians, Turks, and even Europeans. The problems of succession did them in, as they have done so many other empires in history.
In this very informative work, Saunders acknowledges that he is trying the impossible. How to summarize and explain the vast panorama of events occuring over half the globe during 150 years or more ? He starts with Turkish precursors to the Mongols, then takes readers through the standard history of the Great Khans, Genghis, Ogedei, Mongke, and Kubilai. The Mongol Empire having broken up into four sections, we then get a history of each of the four, as far as is known---the separate khanates of Persia, Central Asia, Russia, and China. The older, more sophisticated societies of Persia and China soon shook off the Mongol yoke, absorbing their conquerors, while in Central Asia, the regime gave rise to Tamerlane, another bloody conqueror who left towers of heads in his wake. His death brought his sudden empire to a speedy end. Only in Russia, where disunity and confusion reigned, did the Mongol rule last 250 years.
While memorizing the various rulers, viziers, generals, and rebellious relatives (not to mention names of now-vanished cities) may prove a tough nut for any reader, Saunders' discussion of the ups and downs of three major religions---Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam in the context of the conquests---is extremely interesting and informative. Christianity had a major role in the Mongol realms, but without easy access to a source of finance or priests, and because Nestorian fought with Roman Catholic, Islam won over the rulers and people in time. The earliest Mongol defeats came from Islamic armies as well. Buddhism remained strong in China and of course, in the Mongolian heartland itself.
Not being an expert on Mongolian history, I can't say if this book is now outdated; if new information or analytic trends have replaced it. It seems to me, though, that it offers a solid introduction to the history of that people who burst out of inner Asia and changed the course of history. You certainly cannot understand the history of Russia and Europe, never mind Iran and the Middle East, without its subject matter.
The eruption of nomadic warriors across Asia into Europe and the Middle East in the 1200s was only the greatest of many previous waves. Under Genghis Khan (Chingis, Jengiz, etc) and his immediate successors, the Mongols reached Germany and Croatia, Korea, Japan, Java, Burma, and Egypt. They built the greatest contiguous empire the world has ever known. It all collapsed within a century. The Mongols had some military geniuses as leaders in the beginning and were known for religious tolerance once things settled down, but for administration, they had to rely on others---Chinese, Persians, Turks, and even Europeans. The problems of succession did them in, as they have done so many other empires in history.
In this very informative work, Saunders acknowledges that he is trying the impossible. How to summarize and explain the vast panorama of events occuring over half the globe during 150 years or more ? He starts with Turkish precursors to the Mongols, then takes readers through the standard history of the Great Khans, Genghis, Ogedei, Mongke, and Kubilai. The Mongol Empire having broken up into four sections, we then get a history of each of the four, as far as is known---the separate khanates of Persia, Central Asia, Russia, and China. The older, more sophisticated societies of Persia and China soon shook off the Mongol yoke, absorbing their conquerors, while in Central Asia, the regime gave rise to Tamerlane, another bloody conqueror who left towers of heads in his wake. His death brought his sudden empire to a speedy end. Only in Russia, where disunity and confusion reigned, did the Mongol rule last 250 years.
While memorizing the various rulers, viziers, generals, and rebellious relatives (not to mention names of now-vanished cities) may prove a tough nut for any reader, Saunders' discussion of the ups and downs of three major religions---Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam in the context of the conquests---is extremely interesting and informative. Christianity had a major role in the Mongol realms, but without easy access to a source of finance or priests, and because Nestorian fought with Roman Catholic, Islam won over the rulers and people in time. The earliest Mongol defeats came from Islamic armies as well. Buddhism remained strong in China and of course, in the Mongolian heartland itself.
Not being an expert on Mongolian history, I can't say if this book is now outdated; if new information or analytic trends have replaced it. It seems to me, though, that it offers a solid introduction to the history of that people who burst out of inner Asia and changed the course of history. You certainly cannot understand the history of Russia and Europe, never mind Iran and the Middle East, without its subject matter.
April 23, 2025
3.5 stars, a compelling overview of the breadth of the mongol empire. My main issue was how Saunders considered the Mongols “uncivilized barbarians” and how often that bias conflicts with his arguments and interests. How do you reconcile that inferiority with a people that came to rule the largest contiguous empire 500 years before the British? The book is at its best when explaining the historical timeline, conjectures on why things occurred are a little shallow. Still, it’s an entertaining read and the author’s excitement and passion really helps push it along.
July 20, 2020
در سال 747 بود که امپراطور هسوان تسونگ، سردار کره ای خود، کائوهسین چیه را گسیل داشت تا بار دیگر قدرت چین را در مسیر جاده ابریشم مستقر سازد و پیشتازی اعراب را متوقف کند. در نبرد شدید این دو امپریالیسم رقیب-یعنی دو قدرت چینی و تازی در تالاس واقع در فلات مرتفع پامیر تازیان نیروهای چینی را در هم شکستند و چینیان ترکستان غربی را برای همیشه رها کردند.
" خیلی جالب بود دونستن اینکه چین تانگ و اعراب باهم جنگیدند"
قدرت اسلام چه انگیزه ایی داد به اعراب که چه کشورهای متمدنی رو به زانو درآوردند
فهمیدم رود جیحون به مدت سیصد سال به خاطر منحرف شدنش به دریای خزر میریخت..
جالب بود برام اینکه فاتح مغول همه باور های اسلام رو پسندید الا "حج" چون براش مسخره بود چون به این باور داشت که همه جهان خانه خداست نه فقط یک عمارت.
ی دلیل دیگه از اسلام بیزار بود این بود که طریقه ذبح حیوانات در اسلام...به نظر مغول ها کشتن حیوان ها اونطوری..عمل وقیحی بود
کتاب در مورد تاریخ اردوی زرین خیلی خوب نوشته و برای نویسنده سواله که چرا اردوی زرین مسیحیت رو انتخاب نکرد در حالی که تنها حکومت مغول بود که با کشور های زیاد مسیحی همسایه بود..
" خیلی جالب بود دونستن اینکه چین تانگ و اعراب باهم جنگیدند"
قدرت اسلام چه انگیزه ایی داد به اعراب که چه کشورهای متمدنی رو به زانو درآوردند
فهمیدم رود جیحون به مدت سیصد سال به خاطر منحرف شدنش به دریای خزر میریخت..
جالب بود برام اینکه فاتح مغول همه باور های اسلام رو پسندید الا "حج" چون براش مسخره بود چون به این باور داشت که همه جهان خانه خداست نه فقط یک عمارت.
ی دلیل دیگه از اسلام بیزار بود این بود که طریقه ذبح حیوانات در اسلام...به نظر مغول ها کشتن حیوان ها اونطوری..عمل وقیحی بود
کتاب در مورد تاریخ اردوی زرین خیلی خوب نوشته و برای نویسنده سواله که چرا اردوی زرین مسیحیت رو انتخاب نکرد در حالی که تنها حکومت مغول بود که با کشور های زیاد مسیحی همسایه بود..
July 12, 2024
I definitely thought this book came out in 2001 - until I got a copy from work that was published in 1971. So yes, this book is a bit dated, a bit old. On the very first page, Saunders writes: "Few documented studies... exist of the amazing career of Chingis (or, as he is better known Genghis) Khan; no scholarly life of his famous grandson Kubilai Khan, immortalized by Marco Polo and Coleridge, exists in any Western language, and even the best general histories of the medieval world deal very curiously with these tremendous events." Obviously things have changed a bit since 1971, and we have received a number of excellent works covering various topics of the Mongol Empire. But although the book is old, it doesn't mean that the information it contains is wrong or lacking, and I found that I learned quite a bit.
I often find older history books to be dry and tedious to get though. I didn't feel that way with this book. Saunders' writing flows and it flows quickly. Almost too quickly. This book really is A Brief History of the Mongol Conquests. There's very little depth or detail to any of the campaigns or battles. Indeed, Khubilai takes over southern China in less than a page. But it's all very readable, even if I think Saunders' writing is plagued by too many commas: "That duty he was, however, unable to discharge, and Transoxiana, during his reign, fell to the Kara-Kitay, a pagan people, and for the first time a Muslim land was lost to the infidel." It's lots of that, basically.
One of the things I thought was so interesting about this book was the focus outside of the Mongol Empire from Genghis to Khubilai. Saunders gives a good overview of the Turks before the Mongols and spends a great deal of time discussing events of the Il-Khanate, Golden Horde and Chagatai Khanate. A lot of this was new to me and introduced lots of interesting events and people. But it does move very fast and it's a lot of names and places to take in in a short number of pages. The whole book is only 199 pages before the notes.
I think the only thing I can fault the book on is the lack of detail. Don't get me wrong, it does give a very good overview of all the Mongol campaigns and goes well beyond the scope I assumed it would, which was a very welcome find. But if you're looking for more than a glance at anything, you almost need to look elsewhere. I applaud the book for its readability and breadth of time it covers, but I felt it was lacking as a "history" of these campaigns.
I often find older history books to be dry and tedious to get though. I didn't feel that way with this book. Saunders' writing flows and it flows quickly. Almost too quickly. This book really is A Brief History of the Mongol Conquests. There's very little depth or detail to any of the campaigns or battles. Indeed, Khubilai takes over southern China in less than a page. But it's all very readable, even if I think Saunders' writing is plagued by too many commas: "That duty he was, however, unable to discharge, and Transoxiana, during his reign, fell to the Kara-Kitay, a pagan people, and for the first time a Muslim land was lost to the infidel." It's lots of that, basically.
One of the things I thought was so interesting about this book was the focus outside of the Mongol Empire from Genghis to Khubilai. Saunders gives a good overview of the Turks before the Mongols and spends a great deal of time discussing events of the Il-Khanate, Golden Horde and Chagatai Khanate. A lot of this was new to me and introduced lots of interesting events and people. But it does move very fast and it's a lot of names and places to take in in a short number of pages. The whole book is only 199 pages before the notes.
I think the only thing I can fault the book on is the lack of detail. Don't get me wrong, it does give a very good overview of all the Mongol campaigns and goes well beyond the scope I assumed it would, which was a very welcome find. But if you're looking for more than a glance at anything, you almost need to look elsewhere. I applaud the book for its readability and breadth of time it covers, but I felt it was lacking as a "history" of these campaigns.
December 25, 2014
"The History of the Mongol Conquests" by J.J. Saunders is pretty good. He has a fine writing style that makes history seem less tedious. The book is shorter than I expected. It has plenty of footnotes but they seem different, as if he is speaking directly to the reader. They are worth reading too.
The Mongols were a weapon of mass destruction. He says something similar to that over and over again just to remind the reader that the Mongols initially destroyed great civilizations, and then he writes about the value the Mongols brought to civilization. He also writes about the reasons that the Mongols never conquered Europe. (They were spread thin and frankly, by that time they were split into four factions and warring amongst themselves so they could never unify sufficiently to conqueror Europe.)
I was a little disappointed that he didn't cover the Black Death and how it followed the Mongol invasion routes. This book is dated so perhaps that theory was not yet prevalent at the time of his writing. Still... I only saw one line about how it caused chaos for a time. Didn't he notice the gap in the histories where the chroniclers seemed to pause?
Well... it was a good book nevertheless and I'll be using it as a quick reference.
The Mongols were a weapon of mass destruction. He says something similar to that over and over again just to remind the reader that the Mongols initially destroyed great civilizations, and then he writes about the value the Mongols brought to civilization. He also writes about the reasons that the Mongols never conquered Europe. (They were spread thin and frankly, by that time they were split into four factions and warring amongst themselves so they could never unify sufficiently to conqueror Europe.)
I was a little disappointed that he didn't cover the Black Death and how it followed the Mongol invasion routes. This book is dated so perhaps that theory was not yet prevalent at the time of his writing. Still... I only saw one line about how it caused chaos for a time. Didn't he notice the gap in the histories where the chroniclers seemed to pause?
Well... it was a good book nevertheless and I'll be using it as a quick reference.
June 6, 2015
From Alexander the Great to Napoleon to Hitler, most history lovers know these historical figures' stories. Genghis Khan, arguably, was more powerful. His territory spanned further than any other leader in world history...all on horseback.
The Islamic tradition in the Middle East almost was whipped out in Baghdad, what would the world be like today?
This book provides a valuable lesson: one can conquer on horseback, but one cannot govern on horseback.
The Islamic tradition in the Middle East almost was whipped out in Baghdad, what would the world be like today?
This book provides a valuable lesson: one can conquer on horseback, but one cannot govern on horseback.
March 15, 2023
After many, many years, this remains a classic. Saunders is really THE authority in the field.
As a primary source and a companion to this, one should also read "The Secret History of the Mongol Dynasty." Then you'll be all set on your Mongol history.
As a primary source and a companion to this, one should also read "The Secret History of the Mongol Dynasty." Then you'll be all set on your Mongol history.
November 21, 2020
Exhilarating read
August 17, 2025
A bit dry and a little confusing at points (rapidly switching between time periods and geography with little warning), but overall a fascinating examination of the Mongol period.
March 20, 2019
This was probably the most enjoyable academic history book I’ve read. It manages to provide vivid historical accounts such as that of the making of Genghis Khan and his upbringing or the Mongol circuit of the Caspian Sea, which are told in a way that provides breathtaking context and even suspense while maintaining academic tone and integrity. It is remarkable that this book covers as much detail as it does while still providing the context needed to get a sense of the magnanimity of these conquests on history. Highly recommend!
December 21, 2021
This account of the Khans is loaded with details of the history and culture of the time. Did you know, for instance, that the Khans destroyed cities because they did not like them and felt unsafe when they were in them? There is plenty of bad behavior in this book. But the Mongols do get points for becoming experts in living, developing horse riding skills, and thwarting enemies in the tundra. The account is very readable.
June 26, 2013
Written in an academic style, but nonetheless very interesting and complete.
October 11, 2014
Very detailed and well-written.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews