What do you think?
Rate this book
The Mongol Empire: Genghis Khan, His Heirs and the Founding of Modern China
Genghis Khan is one of history's immortals: a leader of genius, driven by an inspiring vision for peaceful world rule. Believing he was divinely protected, Genghis united warring clans to create a nation and then an empire that ran across much of Asia.
Under his grandson, Kublai Khan, the vision evolved into a more complex religious ideology, justifying further expansion. Kublai doubled the empire's size until, in the late 13th century, he and the rest of Genghis's 'Golden Family' controlled one fifth of the inhabited world. Along the way, he conquered all China, gave the nation the borders it has today, and then, finally, discovered the limits to growth.
Genghis's dream of world rule turned out to be a fantasy. And yet, in terms of the sheer scale of the conquests, never has a vision and the character of one man had such an effect on the world.
Charting the evolution of this vision, John Man provides a unique account of the Mongol Empire, from young Genghis to old Kublai, from a rejected teenager to the world's most powerful emperor.
Under his grandson, Kublai Khan, the vision evolved into a more complex religious ideology, justifying further expansion. Kublai doubled the empire's size until, in the late 13th century, he and the rest of Genghis's 'Golden Family' controlled one fifth of the inhabited world. Along the way, he conquered all China, gave the nation the borders it has today, and then, finally, discovered the limits to growth.
Genghis's dream of world rule turned out to be a fantasy. And yet, in terms of the sheer scale of the conquests, never has a vision and the character of one man had such an effect on the world.
Charting the evolution of this vision, John Man provides a unique account of the Mongol Empire, from young Genghis to old Kublai, from a rejected teenager to the world's most powerful emperor.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published June 19, 2014
257 people are currently reading
2043 people want to read
About the author
John Man
72 books261 followersJohn Anthony Garnet Man is a British historian and travel writer. His special interests are China, Mongolia and the history of written communication. He takes particular pleasure in combining historical narrative with personal experience.
He studied German and French at Keble College, Oxford, before doing two postgraduate courses, a diploma in the History and Philosophy of Science at Oxford and Mongolian at the School of Oriental and African Studies, completing the latter in 1968. After working in journalism with Reuters and in publishing with Time-Life Books, he turned to writing, with occasional forays into film, TV and radio.
In the 1990s, he began a trilogy on the three major revolutions in writing: writing itself, the alphabet and printing with movable type. This has so far resulted in two books, Alpha Beta and The Gutenberg Revolution, both republished in 2009. The third, on the origin of writing, is on hold, because it depends on access to Iraq.
He returned to the subject of Mongolia with Gobi: Tracking the Desert, the first book on the region since the 1920s. Work in Mongolia led to Genghis Khan: Life, Death and Resurrection, which has so far appeared in 18 languages. Attila the Hun and Kublai Khan: The Mongol King Who Remade China completed a trilogy on Asian leaders. A revised edition of his book on Genghis Khan, with the results of an expedition up the mountain on which he is supposed to be buried, was upcoming in autumn 2010.
The Terracotta Army coincided with the British Museum exhibition (September 2007- April 2008). This was followed by The Great Wall. The Leadership Secrets of Genghis Khan combines history and leadership theory. Xanadu: Marco Polo and the Discovery of the East was published in autumn 2009, and Samurai: The Last Warrior, the story of Saigō Takamori's doomed 1877 rebellion against the Japanese emperor, was published in February 2011.
In 2007 John Man was awarded Mongolia's Friendship Medal for his contributions to UK-Mongolian relations.
He studied German and French at Keble College, Oxford, before doing two postgraduate courses, a diploma in the History and Philosophy of Science at Oxford and Mongolian at the School of Oriental and African Studies, completing the latter in 1968. After working in journalism with Reuters and in publishing with Time-Life Books, he turned to writing, with occasional forays into film, TV and radio.
In the 1990s, he began a trilogy on the three major revolutions in writing: writing itself, the alphabet and printing with movable type. This has so far resulted in two books, Alpha Beta and The Gutenberg Revolution, both republished in 2009. The third, on the origin of writing, is on hold, because it depends on access to Iraq.
He returned to the subject of Mongolia with Gobi: Tracking the Desert, the first book on the region since the 1920s. Work in Mongolia led to Genghis Khan: Life, Death and Resurrection, which has so far appeared in 18 languages. Attila the Hun and Kublai Khan: The Mongol King Who Remade China completed a trilogy on Asian leaders. A revised edition of his book on Genghis Khan, with the results of an expedition up the mountain on which he is supposed to be buried, was upcoming in autumn 2010.
The Terracotta Army coincided with the British Museum exhibition (September 2007- April 2008). This was followed by The Great Wall. The Leadership Secrets of Genghis Khan combines history and leadership theory. Xanadu: Marco Polo and the Discovery of the East was published in autumn 2009, and Samurai: The Last Warrior, the story of Saigō Takamori's doomed 1877 rebellion against the Japanese emperor, was published in February 2011.
In 2007 John Man was awarded Mongolia's Friendship Medal for his contributions to UK-Mongolian relations.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews
November 18, 2023
“History is not always just one damn thing after another; sometimes it is a story that makes sense. This one, the story of the Mongol empire, has a narrative arc unified by an ambition that now seems quite mad. Genghis created the belief – perhaps in himself, certainly in his followers – that Heaven had given the world to the Mongols and that their task was to do everything possible to turn divine will into reality. The story of how this ambition ran its course spans almost two centuries, much ground and astonishing changes – from 1180 to the late fourteenth century; from nothing much to the world’s largest land empire; from an insignificant young warrior to the world’s most powerful ruler; from a dream of world conquest to the discovery that the dream was mere fantasy…”
- John Man, The Mongol Empire: Genghis Khan, His Heirs, and the Founding of Modern China
The Mongol Empire was the largest contiguous land empire in history. At its height, it radiated outward from modern-day Mongolia, covering all of China and parts of Russia, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Romania, and the Ukraine, among other places. In their day, the Mongols were beheld in terror and awe, and the accomplishments of the Horde has become legendary.
Something so big, so powerful, so capable of bending the will of millions of people, feels like it should be permanent. But the only thing more surprising than the speed with which Genghis Khan’s empire grew, was the velocity with which it disappeared among his squabbling descendants.
The Ottoman Empire lasted six-hundred years, the Roman Empire a thousand. The Mongols, though, came and went in under two centuries. This meteoric existence – burning hot and fast, before flaming out – means that in The Mongol Empire, John Man is able to tidily cover his subject’s rise and fall in only 350 pages, with time left over to regale us with some of his travel stories.
***
Given the paucity of sources – sometimes huge chunks of history are derived from a single document, written long after the event – Man does not attempt a traditional narrative. Instead, he approaches the story of the Mongols in a variety of different ways.
When the evidence makes it possible, he will present a rousing scene with the requisite dramatic details to make it come alive. Just as often, though, Man will give us what is known, and then build out around that. For instance, when following young Genghis in his early years, Man uses a combination of specific facts, general knowledge about Mongol culture and tradition, and his own knowledge of the topography to speculate as to what might have happened at a particular moment. His suppositions, I might add, always come with a warning, often asking us to imagine what might have happened, in lieu of any literate witnesses.
The Mongol Empire is filled with interesting sidelights. Man often pauses to weigh the documentary record, or lack thereof, or to insert himself into the tale, relating some of his own experiences traipsing about Mongolia. There are fascinating bits about the weaponry used by the Mongols, from recurve bows to counterweight trebuchets. Also covered is the Mongolian embrace of Buddhism, the use of paper currency, and the creation of a unified script by the Tibetan priest Phags-pa.
***
While The Mongol Empire covers the whole span of the empire’s existence, Man’s story really coalesces around two men. The first, obviously, is Genghis Khan himself, one of the world’s “great” – however you define that term – conquerors. The other is Kublai, grandson of Genghis and founder of the Yuan Dynasty, which ruled over China.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, given that Man has devoted significant portions of his life to studying the Mongols, he is a mega-fan of Genghis. Despite the scanty hard evidence of the man and his personality, Man is more than willing to heap praises on his leadership. Indeed, in a section of the book I can only describe as “eye-rolling,” Man rates Genghis based on the competencies devised by leadership theorist Daniel Goleman. It’s so dumb – drawing scientific conclusions from scraps of testimony – that it’s almost charming.
To be sure, Man is not the only writer to propose a kinder, gentler, more farseeing Genghis than the stereotyped barbarian of the past, and some of his conclusions have better support. For instance, he is on firmer ground when describing Genghis’s tolerance of different religions, a trait that has not always existed in singularly-powerful men.
That said, Genghis’s forces killed a lot of people. Though Man argues that his annihilatory practices were not genocidal – given that he had no racial animus – this was probably of little comfort to those killed during his reign. And even Man cannot excuse the brutality of the Mongol invasion of the Muslim world. The massacre following the Siege of Gurganj in 1221, for example, is often ranked among the bloodiest ever. It’s unlikely that the reported death tolls are accurate – some go as high as 1.2 million – but the unimaginable figures speak strongly as to how it was perceived.
***
One of the things that drew me to The Mongol Empire was its promise to connect the Mongols to the history of China. Man does not disappoint in this respect, devoting relatively significant space to discussing the complex relationship between Mongolia and China, and the shifting views in China as to whether Genghis should be derided as their subjugator, or celebrated as their creator.
***
For the most part, I really enjoyed The Mongol Empire. It’s a heavy topic delivered with a light touch, passion, and wit. Leaving aside the silly attempts to impose a modern leadership paradigm on Genghis, The Mongol Empire mostly flows smoothly.
Ultimately, though, it loses a bit of propulsion. The years after Kublai are rushed, apparently so that Man can detour into a long chapter devoted to his own search for Genghis’s gravesite. I suppose your mileage in this portion of the book depends on how you prioritize Genghis’s final resting place in your own life. Frankly, I’m not that interested, and a lot of Man’s quest consists of his travel stories – and no one wants to hear about another’s vacation – interspersed with his critiques of others attempting the same expedition.
The best part of this travelogue appendage is that Man includes a picture of himself in the field, wearing one hell of a fanny pack.
***
I picked up The Mongol Empire for a simple reason: I wanted to fill in a few more gaps in the near-infinite jigsaw puzzle of history. Using that as a measure of success, this book succeeded. It broadened my understanding not only of China, which is what I initially sought, but also my understanding of the physics of trebuchets. Just as important – at least for me – is that it’s a book by an expert who seems really eager to share.
- John Man, The Mongol Empire: Genghis Khan, His Heirs, and the Founding of Modern China
The Mongol Empire was the largest contiguous land empire in history. At its height, it radiated outward from modern-day Mongolia, covering all of China and parts of Russia, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Romania, and the Ukraine, among other places. In their day, the Mongols were beheld in terror and awe, and the accomplishments of the Horde has become legendary.
Something so big, so powerful, so capable of bending the will of millions of people, feels like it should be permanent. But the only thing more surprising than the speed with which Genghis Khan’s empire grew, was the velocity with which it disappeared among his squabbling descendants.
The Ottoman Empire lasted six-hundred years, the Roman Empire a thousand. The Mongols, though, came and went in under two centuries. This meteoric existence – burning hot and fast, before flaming out – means that in The Mongol Empire, John Man is able to tidily cover his subject’s rise and fall in only 350 pages, with time left over to regale us with some of his travel stories.
***
Given the paucity of sources – sometimes huge chunks of history are derived from a single document, written long after the event – Man does not attempt a traditional narrative. Instead, he approaches the story of the Mongols in a variety of different ways.
When the evidence makes it possible, he will present a rousing scene with the requisite dramatic details to make it come alive. Just as often, though, Man will give us what is known, and then build out around that. For instance, when following young Genghis in his early years, Man uses a combination of specific facts, general knowledge about Mongol culture and tradition, and his own knowledge of the topography to speculate as to what might have happened at a particular moment. His suppositions, I might add, always come with a warning, often asking us to imagine what might have happened, in lieu of any literate witnesses.
The Mongol Empire is filled with interesting sidelights. Man often pauses to weigh the documentary record, or lack thereof, or to insert himself into the tale, relating some of his own experiences traipsing about Mongolia. There are fascinating bits about the weaponry used by the Mongols, from recurve bows to counterweight trebuchets. Also covered is the Mongolian embrace of Buddhism, the use of paper currency, and the creation of a unified script by the Tibetan priest Phags-pa.
***
While The Mongol Empire covers the whole span of the empire’s existence, Man’s story really coalesces around two men. The first, obviously, is Genghis Khan himself, one of the world’s “great” – however you define that term – conquerors. The other is Kublai, grandson of Genghis and founder of the Yuan Dynasty, which ruled over China.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, given that Man has devoted significant portions of his life to studying the Mongols, he is a mega-fan of Genghis. Despite the scanty hard evidence of the man and his personality, Man is more than willing to heap praises on his leadership. Indeed, in a section of the book I can only describe as “eye-rolling,” Man rates Genghis based on the competencies devised by leadership theorist Daniel Goleman. It’s so dumb – drawing scientific conclusions from scraps of testimony – that it’s almost charming.
To be sure, Man is not the only writer to propose a kinder, gentler, more farseeing Genghis than the stereotyped barbarian of the past, and some of his conclusions have better support. For instance, he is on firmer ground when describing Genghis’s tolerance of different religions, a trait that has not always existed in singularly-powerful men.
That said, Genghis’s forces killed a lot of people. Though Man argues that his annihilatory practices were not genocidal – given that he had no racial animus – this was probably of little comfort to those killed during his reign. And even Man cannot excuse the brutality of the Mongol invasion of the Muslim world. The massacre following the Siege of Gurganj in 1221, for example, is often ranked among the bloodiest ever. It’s unlikely that the reported death tolls are accurate – some go as high as 1.2 million – but the unimaginable figures speak strongly as to how it was perceived.
***
One of the things that drew me to The Mongol Empire was its promise to connect the Mongols to the history of China. Man does not disappoint in this respect, devoting relatively significant space to discussing the complex relationship between Mongolia and China, and the shifting views in China as to whether Genghis should be derided as their subjugator, or celebrated as their creator.
***
For the most part, I really enjoyed The Mongol Empire. It’s a heavy topic delivered with a light touch, passion, and wit. Leaving aside the silly attempts to impose a modern leadership paradigm on Genghis, The Mongol Empire mostly flows smoothly.
Ultimately, though, it loses a bit of propulsion. The years after Kublai are rushed, apparently so that Man can detour into a long chapter devoted to his own search for Genghis’s gravesite. I suppose your mileage in this portion of the book depends on how you prioritize Genghis’s final resting place in your own life. Frankly, I’m not that interested, and a lot of Man’s quest consists of his travel stories – and no one wants to hear about another’s vacation – interspersed with his critiques of others attempting the same expedition.
The best part of this travelogue appendage is that Man includes a picture of himself in the field, wearing one hell of a fanny pack.
***
I picked up The Mongol Empire for a simple reason: I wanted to fill in a few more gaps in the near-infinite jigsaw puzzle of history. Using that as a measure of success, this book succeeded. It broadened my understanding not only of China, which is what I initially sought, but also my understanding of the physics of trebuchets. Just as important – at least for me – is that it’s a book by an expert who seems really eager to share.
September 21, 2024
More than just history, this is a story, an incredible story, of a man from humble begging who created at a most meteoric fashion the largest empire known to man.
The more I read of the silk roads (the ancient trading routes) and the mongol rules the more dazzled by those times I become.
The more I read of the silk roads (the ancient trading routes) and the mongol rules the more dazzled by those times I become.
February 11, 2018
The Mongol empire once ruled the largest land-area that any other conqueror ever had under one hand. The wave of flexible and unpredictable warriors whose only weakness lay in insufficient supply of grass, swept in all directions in search for submission. You could survive a Mongol attack only by promptly giving up, any attempt to resist was an evidence of disrespect and punishable by death. What made this conquest unique, was that, it wasn’t directed at any one group or nation in particular, it was directed at absolutely everyone who has not yet accepted Mongol rule, and who had the misfortune of being within their reach.
Eventually, lack of sufficient grasslands stopped the expansion to the west, and the natural borders of climate, continent edges or high mountains, in all the other directions. The empire in all its enormity did not last, but when Kublai Khan, Genghis’ grandson, conquered the rest of China and finally settled as an emperor of Yuan dynasty, the history of Mongolia and China became integrated forever. It was Kublai that united China under his rule, not the other way round and yet, the common knowledge of who did what in the history remains ”unclear”:
A guide (in China) once told me: ’We are very proud of Genghis Khan, because he was the only Chinese to have conquered Europeans.’ No point telling her that Genghis was not Chinese, that China was his prime enemy, that he never got as far as Europe himself…. It would be like denying Mary’s virginity to a Catholic.
It is a fascinating story of a conquest driven by the mandate of Great Heaven that as Mongols believed, has chosen them to rule the world. For me, it is also a magnificent introduction to a part of history that I knew relatively little about, made even more interesting by John Man’s storytelling abilities.
Eventually, lack of sufficient grasslands stopped the expansion to the west, and the natural borders of climate, continent edges or high mountains, in all the other directions. The empire in all its enormity did not last, but when Kublai Khan, Genghis’ grandson, conquered the rest of China and finally settled as an emperor of Yuan dynasty, the history of Mongolia and China became integrated forever. It was Kublai that united China under his rule, not the other way round and yet, the common knowledge of who did what in the history remains ”unclear”:
A guide (in China) once told me: ’We are very proud of Genghis Khan, because he was the only Chinese to have conquered Europeans.’ No point telling her that Genghis was not Chinese, that China was his prime enemy, that he never got as far as Europe himself…. It would be like denying Mary’s virginity to a Catholic.
It is a fascinating story of a conquest driven by the mandate of Great Heaven that as Mongols believed, has chosen them to rule the world. For me, it is also a magnificent introduction to a part of history that I knew relatively little about, made even more interesting by John Man’s storytelling abilities.
December 4, 2017
This is a quite interesting introductory overview of the character, life and rise to power of Genghis Khan, of the creation and subsequent expansion of the Mongol Empire through his meteoric series of conquests, and of the further equally dazzling expansion throughout the reign of his descendants, with special emphasis given to the conquest and unification of China carried out by his remarkable grandson Kublai Khan.
May 18, 2019
Author John Man takes us from the youth of Temujin, and how he became Genghis Khan and built an empire that crossed Asia into Europe, to his descendants - not just Ogedai and Kublai, but all the branches of his family, taking us into the internecine feuds and jostling for power while the empire Genghis has founded doubled in size, and then caused it to fracture and split.
He does a wonderful job of following the often tortuous paths of history with clarity, but also setting them in the context and feel of time and place; the attitudes of the lands and nations who faced the Mongols, well-argued reasons for why they fell or resisted. The canvas is vast, and he introduced me to many aspects of this history of which I was entirely unaware: the facts that the Turks were a earlier wave of settlers from the same part of the world, the Mongol conquest of the entirety of Asian Islam, the fact that European Christian crusaders allied with the Mongols on more than one occasion ( from a belief that they represented the mythical Eastern Christian emperor Prester John to simple practicality of fighting the same opponent ), the failed invasions of Vietnam and Japan, the off-hand remark that modern Pakistan was part of the empire. Each of these and more could fill volumes in their own right, and I hope I can find accounts written as well as this.
Not that this book is simply a brief overview, Man goes into detail that is substantial and in depth, but not overwhelming. Early on I had been perhaps a little disparaging of his narrative style, but that was entirely unfair; while quite different from the style of, say, Tom Holland, one of my personal favourites and a consummate writer of narrative histories. While initially it seems that Man is rushing through events and piling up detail, he circles back and suddenly he is building a narrative picture that has drawn the reader right into the heart of the story. His main achievement, though, is the way he connects the events to modern history, not only the China ( including how the Chinese claim Genghis for their own ) but Russia, the 'Stans, the Middle East and even how it moulded medieval Japan.
I do have to say that one problem with the book is the way he deals - or doesn't deal - with rape. This becomes especially apparent in a later section when he revisits the fact that one of Genghis' sons was viewed ( possibly correctly ) as illegitimate as his mother had been held captive by an enemy tribe for several months, as well as the fact of Y-chromosomes originating in Mongolia being widespread throughout Asia and Europe. He states these matters as simply that, without acknowledging the sexual violence implicit in both. I'm sure the author would say something along the lines of "it was a simple fact of how the world was then", but he doesn't say anything in the text and this omission, whether he feels it irrelevant, or is uncomfortable with the subject, leaves for me a troublesome gap that should at least have been recognised.
He does a wonderful job of following the often tortuous paths of history with clarity, but also setting them in the context and feel of time and place; the attitudes of the lands and nations who faced the Mongols, well-argued reasons for why they fell or resisted. The canvas is vast, and he introduced me to many aspects of this history of which I was entirely unaware: the facts that the Turks were a earlier wave of settlers from the same part of the world, the Mongol conquest of the entirety of Asian Islam, the fact that European Christian crusaders allied with the Mongols on more than one occasion ( from a belief that they represented the mythical Eastern Christian emperor Prester John to simple practicality of fighting the same opponent ), the failed invasions of Vietnam and Japan, the off-hand remark that modern Pakistan was part of the empire. Each of these and more could fill volumes in their own right, and I hope I can find accounts written as well as this.
Not that this book is simply a brief overview, Man goes into detail that is substantial and in depth, but not overwhelming. Early on I had been perhaps a little disparaging of his narrative style, but that was entirely unfair; while quite different from the style of, say, Tom Holland, one of my personal favourites and a consummate writer of narrative histories. While initially it seems that Man is rushing through events and piling up detail, he circles back and suddenly he is building a narrative picture that has drawn the reader right into the heart of the story. His main achievement, though, is the way he connects the events to modern history, not only the China ( including how the Chinese claim Genghis for their own ) but Russia, the 'Stans, the Middle East and even how it moulded medieval Japan.
I do have to say that one problem with the book is the way he deals - or doesn't deal - with rape. This becomes especially apparent in a later section when he revisits the fact that one of Genghis' sons was viewed ( possibly correctly ) as illegitimate as his mother had been held captive by an enemy tribe for several months, as well as the fact of Y-chromosomes originating in Mongolia being widespread throughout Asia and Europe. He states these matters as simply that, without acknowledging the sexual violence implicit in both. I'm sure the author would say something along the lines of "it was a simple fact of how the world was then", but he doesn't say anything in the text and this omission, whether he feels it irrelevant, or is uncomfortable with the subject, leaves for me a troublesome gap that should at least have been recognised.
August 22, 2019
It's telling that the chapter "What the Mongols Did For Us" begins by telling us about a 2003 study somebody did in which it was discovered that a mind-boggling 8% of the Central and East Asian population was descended from a single ancestor who started out in Mongolia about 1000 years ago. John Man explains that it may not actually have been Genghis Khan himself, but that his conquest of most of Asia certainly allowed some enterprising individual, or more likely a small family group, to *consults notes* "scatter his genetic material" across the length of the largest and most populous continent in the world.
Somehow, Man gets through this segment of the chapter without once using the word "rape".
It's not that John Man approves of everything Genghis Khan and his descendents did, precisely. He makes occasional demurring sounds. He definitely notes that the Mongols committed genocide on a scale never seen before or since, dispatching a quite-possible 1.2 million men, women and children on a single day in today's Turkmenistan - an event which was then repeated in other places. Why? Because Genghis was convinced it was his heavenly destiny to rule the entire world.
Adolf Hitler had nothing at all on this guy, I'm telling you. The book infuriated me. According to John Man, Genghis united warring states. Caused an explosion in east-west trade. Exemplified the habits of a highly effective leader. Created the conditions (in the war-torn, depopulated, barren and brutalised moonscape left by his armies) for a new, strong, centralised imperial state. And (get this) contributed very, very slightly to the complex historical conditions under which Christopher Columbus was inspired to discover America! Someone get that man a medal.
But his greatest and most lasting achievement, per Man? Genghis Khan and his descendents created the borders of modern China (I'm sure the Tibetans and Uighurs are thrilled). It's a weird sort of thing to celebrate, and hardens a suspicion I've harboured for a while, that modern historians see history as a glorious march towards ever more centralised nationalist/imperialist government. If you want to know how this works, you really can't do better than read this book, and the weird way in which both Mongolia and China claim Genghis - and his imperial destiny - as their own.
The book was well-written, a narrative of immense scope and drama that I enjoyed hugely (when I wasn't screaming and throwing things). John Man tells a good story - it's his interpretation of the story that irked me. Earlier this year I ate up Megan Bannen's book The Bird and the Blade, a Turandot retelling set all over the Mongol Empire during the reign of Kublai Khan, and it was terrific to get the historical background to that story. Moreover, Man did have some extremely enlightening things to say about how the Mongols used religion to justify their behaviour, such as the unexpected reveal that Kublai converted to Buddhism because it promoted the ideal of one-world rule:
"Phags-pa revealed that Buddhism could give him what he wanted, offering something that did not exist in Chinese religions, or Islam, or Christianity. It was the concept of the 'universal emperor', the chakravartin-raja, who ruled over all and 'turned the wheel of the Law'. Here was an ideology that justified world conquest and world rule."
If you're interested in the Mongols, this book was a gripping and readable introduction to the topic. As inexplicably laudatory biographies of genocidal maniacs go, it was fantastic.
Somehow, Man gets through this segment of the chapter without once using the word "rape".
It's not that John Man approves of everything Genghis Khan and his descendents did, precisely. He makes occasional demurring sounds. He definitely notes that the Mongols committed genocide on a scale never seen before or since, dispatching a quite-possible 1.2 million men, women and children on a single day in today's Turkmenistan - an event which was then repeated in other places. Why? Because Genghis was convinced it was his heavenly destiny to rule the entire world.
Adolf Hitler had nothing at all on this guy, I'm telling you. The book infuriated me. According to John Man, Genghis united warring states. Caused an explosion in east-west trade. Exemplified the habits of a highly effective leader. Created the conditions (in the war-torn, depopulated, barren and brutalised moonscape left by his armies) for a new, strong, centralised imperial state. And (get this) contributed very, very slightly to the complex historical conditions under which Christopher Columbus was inspired to discover America! Someone get that man a medal.
But his greatest and most lasting achievement, per Man? Genghis Khan and his descendents created the borders of modern China (I'm sure the Tibetans and Uighurs are thrilled). It's a weird sort of thing to celebrate, and hardens a suspicion I've harboured for a while, that modern historians see history as a glorious march towards ever more centralised nationalist/imperialist government. If you want to know how this works, you really can't do better than read this book, and the weird way in which both Mongolia and China claim Genghis - and his imperial destiny - as their own.
The book was well-written, a narrative of immense scope and drama that I enjoyed hugely (when I wasn't screaming and throwing things). John Man tells a good story - it's his interpretation of the story that irked me. Earlier this year I ate up Megan Bannen's book The Bird and the Blade, a Turandot retelling set all over the Mongol Empire during the reign of Kublai Khan, and it was terrific to get the historical background to that story. Moreover, Man did have some extremely enlightening things to say about how the Mongols used religion to justify their behaviour, such as the unexpected reveal that Kublai converted to Buddhism because it promoted the ideal of one-world rule:
"Phags-pa revealed that Buddhism could give him what he wanted, offering something that did not exist in Chinese religions, or Islam, or Christianity. It was the concept of the 'universal emperor', the chakravartin-raja, who ruled over all and 'turned the wheel of the Law'. Here was an ideology that justified world conquest and world rule."
If you're interested in the Mongols, this book was a gripping and readable introduction to the topic. As inexplicably laudatory biographies of genocidal maniacs go, it was fantastic.
September 28, 2022
An utterly mesmerizing read. I loved this so much and recommend it to any history fanatic. I'm a huge fan of Mongol history and cultural influence. The real saga of the 'Khans' is among the most epic in the history of our species.
August 25, 2025
A good introduction to how the foundations of the Mongol Empire was forged and good insight into the culture Genghis Khan wished to create. It shows how his vision was not one of rape and pillage, but one of unity and prosperity.
August 17, 2021
On his death, he ruled an empire four times the size of Alexander’s, twice the size of Rome’s, larger than any nation today except Russia. And it was only half complete. By 1300, the Mongols had doubled Genghis’s conquests, adding what is now the rest of China, Korea, Tibet, Pakistan, Iran, most of Turkey, the Caucasus (Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan), most of habitable Russia, Ukraine and half of Poland.
They had probed Western Europe, the borders of Egypt, India, Vietnam, Indonesia and Japan. One sixth of the world’s land area was theirs; and all this in the space of three generations.
The fact that one man, Genghis’s grandson Kublai, was nominal master of this vast estate is one of history’s most astonishing facts.
But family squabbles turned a unity into a patchwork. Then, as generation succeeded generation, each local ruler had ever more tenuous connections with the past. They adapted to their new subjects, spoke their languages, converted to their religions, developed their own agendas, never went to Mongolia, and were soon no more Mongolians than white Americans remained English after 1776.
Their history, though technically the tail end of the Mongol empire, is really a collection of local histories: China, Persia, Central Asia, Russia, all looking back to Genghis to buttress their claims, all with the vaguest of borders, all seeking alliances with each other, yet ready to fight. A detailed history of them all would be like describing three-dimensional chess. Such a huge and varied entity could never hold together.
In China, Kublai had done what the Romans did for northern Europe: roads, canals, trade, efficient taxation, a postal-relay system unrivalled for efficiency until the coming of the telegraph. Paper money underpinned the economy.
Yelu Chucai would have been gratified.
What a brilliant book !!
They had probed Western Europe, the borders of Egypt, India, Vietnam, Indonesia and Japan. One sixth of the world’s land area was theirs; and all this in the space of three generations.
The fact that one man, Genghis’s grandson Kublai, was nominal master of this vast estate is one of history’s most astonishing facts.
But family squabbles turned a unity into a patchwork. Then, as generation succeeded generation, each local ruler had ever more tenuous connections with the past. They adapted to their new subjects, spoke their languages, converted to their religions, developed their own agendas, never went to Mongolia, and were soon no more Mongolians than white Americans remained English after 1776.
Their history, though technically the tail end of the Mongol empire, is really a collection of local histories: China, Persia, Central Asia, Russia, all looking back to Genghis to buttress their claims, all with the vaguest of borders, all seeking alliances with each other, yet ready to fight. A detailed history of them all would be like describing three-dimensional chess. Such a huge and varied entity could never hold together.
In China, Kublai had done what the Romans did for northern Europe: roads, canals, trade, efficient taxation, a postal-relay system unrivalled for efficiency until the coming of the telegraph. Paper money underpinned the economy.
Yelu Chucai would have been gratified.
What a brilliant book !!
January 26, 2015
Good overview of the rise of the Mongol Empire throughout the reign of Ghengis, Ogedei and Kublai Khan. The emphasis of the book is the unification of China, other conquests and the fall of the empire are explained more sparingly.
The book is best when describing events chronologically. But it becomes a bit boring when the author tries to explain the grandeur of some of the historical sites and the lasting legacy of the Mongols by describing journeys he himself made to Mongolia. The book never manages to give a lively description. Some more illustrations would probably have remedied this and added to the narrative.
Lastly, the brutality of the Mongols is described quite clinically. The massacre of entire populations and the destruction of cultures and cities is often excused as a necessary instrument of conquest. The author seems to be quite in awn of the Mongols and “if you resisted, you got what you deserved” is a prevalent theme throughout the book.
The book is best when describing events chronologically. But it becomes a bit boring when the author tries to explain the grandeur of some of the historical sites and the lasting legacy of the Mongols by describing journeys he himself made to Mongolia. The book never manages to give a lively description. Some more illustrations would probably have remedied this and added to the narrative.
Lastly, the brutality of the Mongols is described quite clinically. The massacre of entire populations and the destruction of cultures and cities is often excused as a necessary instrument of conquest. The author seems to be quite in awn of the Mongols and “if you resisted, you got what you deserved” is a prevalent theme throughout the book.
March 11, 2016
This is a more detailed version of John Man's Genghis Khan. I still find the subject of the Mongols in history fascinating despite the peculiar look I got from my English B30 teacher. While it is true that the Mongols did kill a huge amount of people in their conquering, however, they were no more ruthless than any other invading force. One could argue numbers as a case in point, but I look at it from a humanist perspective, whether it's five, five hundred or five thousand these were still lives. I would also say that people should always be interested in history and to try to understand the why and how events happened in our history. For history belongs not to one set of people, but to everyone. Fortunately John Man keeps the reader's interest throughout the entire book and presented more information that was not in his previous book.
November 21, 2016
A great book that shows one of the most amazing empires. Focusing on their golden ages, the author tries to provide the truth from the myth as few reliable sources are available. Written in a easy and understandable way to most non-english speakers, it helps explain the roots of the hordes that showed up at Europe's door. If anything is missing is more details and stories of each campaign. The last decades of Mongol power could have been more described as well. Still, to understand today's China, we have to also remember their first lords, the Mongols. Recommend!
December 29, 2015
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. John Man takes us right to the start of it all, within 350 pages he manages to link the birth of Ghengis Khan to modern day China.
If you are looking for a detailed in depth history book on the Mongol empire, this may not be for you. John focusses on the Yuan and China aspect of the empire. Very little is talked about in regards to Ghengis' own sons and grandsons and much emphasis on Kublai.
If you are looking for a detailed in depth history book on the Mongol empire, this may not be for you. John focusses on the Yuan and China aspect of the empire. Very little is talked about in regards to Ghengis' own sons and grandsons and much emphasis on Kublai.
January 19, 2019
They rode hard, fought hard, planned hard, and partied hard. I had no idea that it was Kublai who advanced things for the Mongols. Genghis got the ball rolling but it was his grandson who made the word Mongol something special.
November 4, 2017
Our history has created our present. Be it the era of Alexander or the Republic of Rome so many centuries ago, or things as recent as the World Wars, after each such period, the human race takes a decisive turn to form a new reality. Equally important to the formation of our present worlds were the 11th and 12th centuries, which some may argue were of much more significance than any other period in history. It was the period of Genghis Khan and his heirs and the formation of the Yuan dynasty.
John Man's book The Mongol Empire is one of the most succinct and tightly-worded narratives you could find on this empire. It begins with a young Genghis Khan, and goes all the way to the exploits of his grandson, Kublai Khan - three generations that are not only the key behind present-day China but also shaped the histories of many more nations. An empire that believed it was meant to rule the world; an Asian army that entered deep into Europe; a kingdom which displayed tolerance for many religions - the stories of the Mongol Empire could run into thousands of pages, but for a brief snapshot you need to get hold of John Man's well-researched book. The violence that these armies shed, the ideologies they followed, the inter-personal enmities, the many victories and the few defeats, John Man takes you into a Mongol and China of yesteryears that is worth diving deep into... for wherever you are in this world, chances are high that Genghis Khan or his heirs have had a role to play in your history!
John Man's book The Mongol Empire is one of the most succinct and tightly-worded narratives you could find on this empire. It begins with a young Genghis Khan, and goes all the way to the exploits of his grandson, Kublai Khan - three generations that are not only the key behind present-day China but also shaped the histories of many more nations. An empire that believed it was meant to rule the world; an Asian army that entered deep into Europe; a kingdom which displayed tolerance for many religions - the stories of the Mongol Empire could run into thousands of pages, but for a brief snapshot you need to get hold of John Man's well-researched book. The violence that these armies shed, the ideologies they followed, the inter-personal enmities, the many victories and the few defeats, John Man takes you into a Mongol and China of yesteryears that is worth diving deep into... for wherever you are in this world, chances are high that Genghis Khan or his heirs have had a role to play in your history!
February 24, 2021
I have some problems with the author's narrative style but in total it is a good history book about the golden ages of the Mongol Empire . However , the author's lack of emphasis on the horrible crimes committed by Mongols was problematic for me . Without any doubt Genghis was a magnificent leader and a great conqueror , maybe the greatest of all time . But he was the most brutal one too . The Genghis glory resulted in widespread destruction and mass murder and it is not normal even by middle age's standards . In the early 13th century my country , Iran , was a scene of one of the most horrific genocides of all time during the Mongols invasion . Genghis and his grandson Hulagu killed up to three-fourths of Iran's population . But in John Man's view it's not a big deal . Because Genghis used terror for strategic purposes; not genocide . So what ? Does it make him a better man than Hitler ? I mean he killed 11 per cent of the world's population for Christ sake ! And it is alright because his purpose was " to win as quickly and as cheaply as possible. " ? A historian can't simply ignore Genghis' crimes and in the end sell him to his readers as the greatest man ever lived . What was Genghis cultural impact on history ? Did he build any roads or any buildings ? No . Because he was not a builder . He was a destroyer . He was the Emperor of the ashes and the corpses .
January 7, 2020
In this book, John Man tells the story of the Mongol Empire. It is a fascinating story about Gengis Khan, his empire, and what his descendants did with it. One of the most interesting aspects of the Mongol Empire was their internationalism - their acceptance and blending of people from all nations and beliefs, as long as they submitted to Mongol rule. This impacted the Mongol Empire in many ways both positive and negative.
There are a lot of details to get confused in, yet Man does a phenomenal job telling the story. I really liked his writing style, which made the history feel like a story. Man knows how to captivate his audience, when to skip over details, and when digressions are helpful or interesting.
Before I read this book, I knew very little about the Mongols, yet I found them fascinating. I wanted to learn more about them so when I came across this book at a bookstore I decided to buy it. I learned a lot about the Mongols. I also have forgotten much but it was well worth the read. I feel like I know much more about them and the golden years of their history. Now when I hear about Mongolia or about Chiness-Mongol relations, I will have a much better idea of what they are talking about.
There are a lot of details to get confused in, yet Man does a phenomenal job telling the story. I really liked his writing style, which made the history feel like a story. Man knows how to captivate his audience, when to skip over details, and when digressions are helpful or interesting.
Before I read this book, I knew very little about the Mongols, yet I found them fascinating. I wanted to learn more about them so when I came across this book at a bookstore I decided to buy it. I learned a lot about the Mongols. I also have forgotten much but it was well worth the read. I feel like I know much more about them and the golden years of their history. Now when I hear about Mongolia or about Chiness-Mongol relations, I will have a much better idea of what they are talking about.
March 12, 2024
Enjoyed reading about the Mongol empire and found this book to have the right amount of detail for an overview. It covered the life of Genghis Khan and Kublai Khan in great detail. While reading I was surprised by their extensive use of siege weaponry and also wasn't aware of how much fighting went on with China. Loved reading about Kublai's founding of the chinese Yuan dynasty, the different bloodless murder methods of nobles, the logistical constraints of having so many horses and your army's family on the campaign. I found learning about Kublai Khan will be a great springboard into starting to explore some Chinese history.
October 22, 2025
A very engaging and thought provoking read, many of the accounts of Genghis in particular, in life and death sound as far fetched as any stories written in Abrahamic holy texts. The lack of evidence for his burial site and the questionable authenticity of many shrines seem to serve modern day tourism in Mongolia and China, while reinforcing the idea of Genghis as a deity. The book does a good job of romanticising the story of the Mongols and their conquests but also acknowledging the mass human suffering at their hands. Is it really something to romanticise though?
February 9, 2024
I found this in the recycling shop :) it’s actually very well written for a history book that covers so much information. Learned a lot about the Mongol Empire & Genghis Khan (since I didn’t know anything before).
Some fun facts to remember: Dalai (from dalai lama) is Mongolian for sea; relationship China-Mongolia, history of Genghis Khan & his grandson Kublai (founder of the Yuan dynasty), the origin of the Black Death in the Mongolian marmots, origin of the word ‘mogul’, Xanadu..
Some fun facts to remember: Dalai (from dalai lama) is Mongolian for sea; relationship China-Mongolia, history of Genghis Khan & his grandson Kublai (founder of the Yuan dynasty), the origin of the Black Death in the Mongolian marmots, origin of the word ‘mogul’, Xanadu..
April 22, 2024
A good introduction to the Mongols, at least as judged by this reader's limited knowledge. Nice balance of structure, facts, and memorable stories.
The only thing I didn't like were the author's personal accounts; it's somewhat interesting hearing about the relevant historical sites in the modern day, but I didn't need the stories of how he got to them.
The only thing I didn't like were the author's personal accounts; it's somewhat interesting hearing about the relevant historical sites in the modern day, but I didn't need the stories of how he got to them.
July 12, 2024
The Mongol empire is my favourite part of history; I even like it more than the First World War, which I'm pretty passionate about. I wanted to go to school in China to study it, but that didn't pan out. It's what I wanted to do my master's on, but that wasn't a possibility at my university. There's still part of me that hopes one day I can study it. I find it endlessly fascinating.
It's been a long time since I've read anything about the Mongol empire or by John Man, so I was excited to get into this. You need to know that when you pick up one of his books, you're not getting a straight-up history. It's part history part travelogue. History always outweighs the travel, but it may be off-putting to some readers. I'd suggest keeping an open mind though, and don't let it discourage you from giving it a go. As far as the writing goes, there's nothing challenging about a John Man book, but I don't mean that in a negative way. I think he's an excellent writer and knows how to tell a story. I'd much rather read something like this than a serious academic text full of long, confusing paragraphs that say nothing at all. I love it. He just sucked me in and I couldn't put the book down.
The book basically covers the entirety of the Mongol empire. It's not quite 400 pages, so perhaps it's not the most detailed account to ever exist, but I think the reader comes away with a very good understanding and will be familiar with all the main people, events, campaigns and battles. One of my favourite parts, as was in his Genghis Khan, was topic of the secret graves. Nobody knows where any of them are buried, although there have been serious attempts to find out. Their graves were supposed to be secret - after they were covered, horses trampled over the ground and trees left to grow over the site. The khans are supposedly buried on Khentii Khan, the Mongols' sacred Burkhan Khaldun. But who knows? I wonder if they ever will find the graves in my lifetime, or if they'll just let them be. There's certainly a lot of conflicting opinions about the existence of the graves, their location, and whether or not they should be looked for at all.
I thought maybe the "and the Making of Modern China" part was a bit lacking. Did the Mongols or Khubilai have that great of an influence? Current borders, capital city, some province divisions, but I don't think Man really outlined much more than that. He ends the book talking about the perception of Genghis Khan in China, and the relationship between China and Mongolia today (Mongolia was under Chinese control for some 200 years before quickly falling into the Soviet sphere of influence), but those are natural things to address and I don't necessarily think they reveal anything else about that part of the book's subtitle. I think that's my only issue, if I can call it that. I loved the book from start to finish, but maybe the title's a little off.
From a military standpoint, the Mongol Empire is unbelievably impressive. They made it almost to Germany's current borders. If you visit Krakow (I'm not a well traveled individual, so this is my only personal example), the trumpet you hear from St. Mary's Basilica is based on the story of the trumpeter that was killed by a Mongol arrow as he tried to warn the city before their attack. Or you can see St. Andrew's Church, almost 1000 years old, one of the only buildings left standing after the invasion. Mongolia's a long way from Poland, especially on a horse.
August 14, 2024
This is a book written by a white guy with some political venom and poison against modern day China to the unaware reader. His hatred and jealousy against the rise of the Dragon that threatens the very foundation of his western identity based on superiority and entitlement is clear through his writings. His insecurity is exposed. Otherwise the actual facts presented in this book are useful for a reader who is able to think for himself and pick out. As usual a Western white guy's understanding of Asian history is usually very naive, single minded, and unable to appreciate fully cultures that are more complicated and richer than anything he has experienced. This is a book judging a distant land through Western values.
It is not easy to find reading material for curious public on Mongolia, especially in the western bookshops. A quick search in the largest bookstalls in London reveals only a few western authors. What I fail to understand is why do we continuously encourage books written by our western authors in our bookshops on subjects that they know little about. It is much better to translate already published work by local authors who are more sensitive to their own people's culture and history. But here in the West we do not encourage this. It is as if we have an agenda, or even an unspoken sense of superiority that we know better about other countries history than themselves. And hence we need a white guy to write about histories of distant lands. This book is no different.
Following from the above, John Man's writing often betrays his own sense of Western prejudice. For example on a few occasions he writes that "Like many Dictators".....the mongols " relied on foreign conquest to pre-empt dissent at home, bring in a flow of booty and provide employment for the elite" [p188 Chapter 14]. And again earlier on p138 "Like many a dictator, Ogedei saw the benefits of foreign adventures. They give a sense of purpose, they unify, they guarantee income for the nation, leaders and ordinary soldiers". This is typical of the simplicity of a white guy's view of the world, the "good" vs "evil", the "dictator" vs democracy. And here no doubt it is written with negative connotations. What I find ironic is that he failed to address the mass sufferings that our own Europeans caused through the age of conquest and imperialism. Were we also "dictators"? And if not then "foreign adventures" are not limited to "dictators" but even worse for our European democracies that caused much more suffering to the world population at large through the plunder of gold and silver, the obliteration of the local language and religion and imposing on them that of our own, and breaking apart of African families through the slave trade.
The book is also dotted with the authors personal opinions on the matter. I find this a betrayal of the authors arrogance on the subject. e.g. p185 "I believe that Kublai wanted a symbol of his commitment to both cultures". Being a narrative text based on historical sources, the authors opinion has no place in such a book. It is disrespectful towards history's primary sources to add one's own opinion as if the authors opinion weighs just as much. For example if we were to write about Hitler's extermination of the Jews in a book, you as an author do not add at the end of your writing "...but in my opinion I don't think Hitler hated the Jews" to express your own opinion.
The anti-chinese stance of the author is clear. p208 he started the chapter with "Unhappily for those who wish it were not so, Tibet is part of China...". Finally he ended the same chapter with: "In Chinese eyes, Genghis and Kublai and all their conquests were actually Chinese. And so therefore is Tibet". There is no need to insert such venomous personal political opinion in what should be a political neutral book. It can be read as: "I am sadly forced to admit that Tibet is part of China but I am going to discredit the Chinese that they did not conqueror Tibet themselves". If we follow the logic of the author he can equally say that the pyramid of Egypt was built by the ancient Egyptians 5000 years ago, but sadly not by the same Muslim Egyptians that are living in the same land today. So that the modern day Egyptians can not claim credit and ownership of the pyramids. Such logic is bizarre and only reflects the fear of the coming changing world order, the fear that what has constituted our identity based on that sense of superiority and unspoken entitlement is being eroded. A denial in the forces of history that another civilisation has RE-risen to take her rightful place. p258 when mentioning the executions under the Mongols rule the author had another jab at China by comparing the execution rate under the Mongols vs that of modern day, as if to justify and find excuse for those ancient executions.
The last three or four chapters are passable. It contains nothing other than a chapter devoting to the author's journey into Mongolia and self importance in his knowledge of the matter. The final two chapters are there to promote an independent Mongolia at the expense of discrediting China. It is misleading when the author wrote on p 305 "...when all Mongolia was under Chinese rule" as if to say that Mongolia was never part of China. This is equivalent of saying the state of Texas is currently under the rule of America, or Scotland is under the rule of the UK.
More recently, as stated by the American journalist Tucker Carlson, the crime of Western media is through omission. This book is no less. The author made no attempt to explain when the region of Mongolia became separate from the rest of the Chinese mainland. All swept in one passing sentence on p 356 "It broke away in 1911 when China was weak". The author is suggesting that the people were unhappy and "broke away" from the rest of the nation. This is false as it was forced by Russia onto the chinese government to annex the territory against the wishes of the chinese nation, her people as one.
The maps in the book need improving. Many places mentioned in the book are not on the maps included. Often one is left to his imagination when reading the book where all the places the author mentioned were.
Finally, if the reader is able to think for himself, this is an accessible book where one can pick out the factual details as a foundation to find out more about the mongols by googling for better factual and detailed sources on the internet. The book is not the authoritative one stop text on the Mongols. far from it.
It is not easy to find reading material for curious public on Mongolia, especially in the western bookshops. A quick search in the largest bookstalls in London reveals only a few western authors. What I fail to understand is why do we continuously encourage books written by our western authors in our bookshops on subjects that they know little about. It is much better to translate already published work by local authors who are more sensitive to their own people's culture and history. But here in the West we do not encourage this. It is as if we have an agenda, or even an unspoken sense of superiority that we know better about other countries history than themselves. And hence we need a white guy to write about histories of distant lands. This book is no different.
Following from the above, John Man's writing often betrays his own sense of Western prejudice. For example on a few occasions he writes that "Like many Dictators".....the mongols " relied on foreign conquest to pre-empt dissent at home, bring in a flow of booty and provide employment for the elite" [p188 Chapter 14]. And again earlier on p138 "Like many a dictator, Ogedei saw the benefits of foreign adventures. They give a sense of purpose, they unify, they guarantee income for the nation, leaders and ordinary soldiers". This is typical of the simplicity of a white guy's view of the world, the "good" vs "evil", the "dictator" vs democracy. And here no doubt it is written with negative connotations. What I find ironic is that he failed to address the mass sufferings that our own Europeans caused through the age of conquest and imperialism. Were we also "dictators"? And if not then "foreign adventures" are not limited to "dictators" but even worse for our European democracies that caused much more suffering to the world population at large through the plunder of gold and silver, the obliteration of the local language and religion and imposing on them that of our own, and breaking apart of African families through the slave trade.
The book is also dotted with the authors personal opinions on the matter. I find this a betrayal of the authors arrogance on the subject. e.g. p185 "I believe that Kublai wanted a symbol of his commitment to both cultures". Being a narrative text based on historical sources, the authors opinion has no place in such a book. It is disrespectful towards history's primary sources to add one's own opinion as if the authors opinion weighs just as much. For example if we were to write about Hitler's extermination of the Jews in a book, you as an author do not add at the end of your writing "...but in my opinion I don't think Hitler hated the Jews" to express your own opinion.
The anti-chinese stance of the author is clear. p208 he started the chapter with "Unhappily for those who wish it were not so, Tibet is part of China...". Finally he ended the same chapter with: "In Chinese eyes, Genghis and Kublai and all their conquests were actually Chinese. And so therefore is Tibet". There is no need to insert such venomous personal political opinion in what should be a political neutral book. It can be read as: "I am sadly forced to admit that Tibet is part of China but I am going to discredit the Chinese that they did not conqueror Tibet themselves". If we follow the logic of the author he can equally say that the pyramid of Egypt was built by the ancient Egyptians 5000 years ago, but sadly not by the same Muslim Egyptians that are living in the same land today. So that the modern day Egyptians can not claim credit and ownership of the pyramids. Such logic is bizarre and only reflects the fear of the coming changing world order, the fear that what has constituted our identity based on that sense of superiority and unspoken entitlement is being eroded. A denial in the forces of history that another civilisation has RE-risen to take her rightful place. p258 when mentioning the executions under the Mongols rule the author had another jab at China by comparing the execution rate under the Mongols vs that of modern day, as if to justify and find excuse for those ancient executions.
The last three or four chapters are passable. It contains nothing other than a chapter devoting to the author's journey into Mongolia and self importance in his knowledge of the matter. The final two chapters are there to promote an independent Mongolia at the expense of discrediting China. It is misleading when the author wrote on p 305 "...when all Mongolia was under Chinese rule" as if to say that Mongolia was never part of China. This is equivalent of saying the state of Texas is currently under the rule of America, or Scotland is under the rule of the UK.
More recently, as stated by the American journalist Tucker Carlson, the crime of Western media is through omission. This book is no less. The author made no attempt to explain when the region of Mongolia became separate from the rest of the Chinese mainland. All swept in one passing sentence on p 356 "It broke away in 1911 when China was weak". The author is suggesting that the people were unhappy and "broke away" from the rest of the nation. This is false as it was forced by Russia onto the chinese government to annex the territory against the wishes of the chinese nation, her people as one.
The maps in the book need improving. Many places mentioned in the book are not on the maps included. Often one is left to his imagination when reading the book where all the places the author mentioned were.
Finally, if the reader is able to think for himself, this is an accessible book where one can pick out the factual details as a foundation to find out more about the mongols by googling for better factual and detailed sources on the internet. The book is not the authoritative one stop text on the Mongols. far from it.
October 15, 2014
John Man Author of the book “The Mongol Empire” is known expert when it comes to subject of Chinese and Mongolian History. He took his passion to next stage by pursuing post graduate diploma on Mongolian History. John Man has received Mongolia’s friendship Medal for his contribution to UK Mongolian relations. The seventy three old Author had done notable work on Genghis Khan and his Grandson Kublai Khan in past. He has written lots of standalone books, but never did attempt to merge all of Mongol History under one book. This book attempts to do so.
The knowledge and Experience of Author can’t be questioned and challenging authenticity of facts goes beyond the scope of Review. What comes under the scope of the review would be to figure out to whom the contents of the book could Appeal and whether book have any target audience.
My first observation suggests buying the book only after taking a self assessment on Mongolian history – how much you know and how much you don’t know. If you are completely new to the name of Genghis Khan or feel complete novice to the idea, then drop the idea of reading this book, unless you find no other book to start with.
Please read the complete review atCritichawk
The knowledge and Experience of Author can’t be questioned and challenging authenticity of facts goes beyond the scope of Review. What comes under the scope of the review would be to figure out to whom the contents of the book could Appeal and whether book have any target audience.
My first observation suggests buying the book only after taking a self assessment on Mongolian history – how much you know and how much you don’t know. If you are completely new to the name of Genghis Khan or feel complete novice to the idea, then drop the idea of reading this book, unless you find no other book to start with.
Please read the complete review atCritichawk
August 28, 2019
Great book for a general insight about Mongolian empire, Yuan Dynasty, and some understanding of the relations between Mongolia and China.
January 15, 2025
kublai goated
September 19, 2021
The Mongol Empire, by John Mann, charts the spectacular explosion of the Mongols from dis unified tribes on the plains of Mongolia, to becoming the most powerful people on earth in the space of 20 years. Within 70 years of Genghis Khan uniting his people, the Mongols became the masters of the largest empire which the world had ever seen, controlling virtually all of Asia from Korea to almost the shores of the Mediterranean and to the very walls of Moscow itself. Yet as quickly as the Empire rose, it fell just as fast, it lasted a mere 100 years in China, barely 70 years in Persia, and some 200 hundred years in Russia. Yet even for it’s briefness, it still captured the imaginations for centuries afterwards and had a profound impact on some of the places and people that it touched, most notably, the Islamic people of central Asia, where the Mongol armies left a trail of devastation and slaughter the likes of which the world had not seen before and indeed has not seen since on such a proportional scale.
The book is broken into four parts, looking at Genghis from birth until death, then the interim period under Genghis third son and successor, Ogedei. We then look at the Mongol Empire under Mongke and then his brother Kublai where the Empire was at it’s largest extent, but also was when it became fragmented under the various different family members. The final part deals with the collapse of the Mongols in the various lands they had conquered and looks at various other points such as where Genghis is buried and the impact the Mongols had on the lands they ruled.
The author’s passion for the subject shines through and he writes with the general reader in mind, making this an accessible work for those who have no real background in the subject. At under 400 pages this is on the short side, which keeps the narrative focused, however I would have liked more on the collapse of the empire and what happened afterwards in Mongolia and also a little less focus on Kublai and China, and a little more on some of the other parts. This may be because the lack of written sources, especially from the Mongol perspective, with their lack of written records (due to not having a written script under Genghis had one made), but more could have been perhaps done. All in all though, this is a good look at the Mongols and their rise and fall.
The book is broken into four parts, looking at Genghis from birth until death, then the interim period under Genghis third son and successor, Ogedei. We then look at the Mongol Empire under Mongke and then his brother Kublai where the Empire was at it’s largest extent, but also was when it became fragmented under the various different family members. The final part deals with the collapse of the Mongols in the various lands they had conquered and looks at various other points such as where Genghis is buried and the impact the Mongols had on the lands they ruled.
The author’s passion for the subject shines through and he writes with the general reader in mind, making this an accessible work for those who have no real background in the subject. At under 400 pages this is on the short side, which keeps the narrative focused, however I would have liked more on the collapse of the empire and what happened afterwards in Mongolia and also a little less focus on Kublai and China, and a little more on some of the other parts. This may be because the lack of written sources, especially from the Mongol perspective, with their lack of written records (due to not having a written script under Genghis had one made), but more could have been perhaps done. All in all though, this is a good look at the Mongols and their rise and fall.
May 22, 2017
This is a good introductory book into the history of the Mongol Empire, with Man taking us through the life of Genghis Khan, his sons and essentially stopping at the last great Khan, Kublai. It is clearly aimed at the popular end of the history market, and as such it's a nice read, without getting bogged down at any specific period of history, but hitting the main points.
(Personally I'd like to give it at least 3.5/5, but, hey, we only have five options to pick from)
However as a writing style I personally found it a little too fragmented. I don't mind getting side-tracked by interesting facts and issues, but it happens a lot - there are a great many foot notes, and whole pages where we go off and explore something off the main 'story'. Also as well there is a great deal of Man's own personal experiences looking at the old archaeological sites of Mongol habitation. Which is broadly okay, but occasionally jars. It feels like it's partially a travelogue, one that might have mirrored the main historical story, but it doesn't quite gel together as one.
The more recent legacy of the Mongols is discussed and is quite interesting. In fact I would be interested in seeing reviews from readers coming from a Chinese perspective, given the fact that, according to Man, they have enthusiastically co-opted Genghis as Chinese.
A minor, minor quibble - Man seems to hint that the Egyptian and Sumerian civilisation built pyramids (or ziggurats) because they somehow represented mountains. I don't believe this to be the case. It is my understanding that Pyramids were a solar representation, i.e. a ray from the sun and the Sumerians, having no hills in the marshlands of Mesopotamia, had no reason to suppose that hills or mountains were particularly divine - they were the result of an 'arms race' in which temples, the dwelling place of the cities gods, became ever more massive.
(Personally I'd like to give it at least 3.5/5, but, hey, we only have five options to pick from)
However as a writing style I personally found it a little too fragmented. I don't mind getting side-tracked by interesting facts and issues, but it happens a lot - there are a great many foot notes, and whole pages where we go off and explore something off the main 'story'. Also as well there is a great deal of Man's own personal experiences looking at the old archaeological sites of Mongol habitation. Which is broadly okay, but occasionally jars. It feels like it's partially a travelogue, one that might have mirrored the main historical story, but it doesn't quite gel together as one.
The more recent legacy of the Mongols is discussed and is quite interesting. In fact I would be interested in seeing reviews from readers coming from a Chinese perspective, given the fact that, according to Man, they have enthusiastically co-opted Genghis as Chinese.
A minor, minor quibble - Man seems to hint that the Egyptian and Sumerian civilisation built pyramids (or ziggurats) because they somehow represented mountains. I don't believe this to be the case. It is my understanding that Pyramids were a solar representation, i.e. a ray from the sun and the Sumerians, having no hills in the marshlands of Mesopotamia, had no reason to suppose that hills or mountains were particularly divine - they were the result of an 'arms race' in which temples, the dwelling place of the cities gods, became ever more massive.
September 21, 2023
John Man goes through the Mongol history from Chinggis to Kublai, and the aftermath of those in later times.
The book is great, gives many facets of Mongolian history from several perspectives within and outside the empire. The author visited his location of research - which is more than what I can say of Orientalist Indian-origin historians when it comes to their own books. It's a good starting point for Mongolian history, written in a lucid manner invoking imagination.
Still, the Orientalist label is easy to put on this book as well. It has several errors, such as preferring written history to oral, underplaying the Tengri religion in the lives of the Mongol people, missing the greatness of Khaidu Kaahn, etc.
While the book may be a product of the generation a decade ago; where the intersectional movement was still in its nascent stage, such academic biases, however subtle, need to be called out.
It is sad to see Mongolian history become a victim of Orientalist historians of the west on one hand: who distort and underplay inconvenient or alien-to-them aspects of other culture;
and Marxist historians of the East: who tend to re-imagine Mongols and Manchus as "one and the same people" trying to steal their glory [much like how in Bharat they reimagined Mughals and British as part of "Indic civilization" lmao].
It would be a lot nicer to see indigenous Mongolian voices write and publish their own perspectives on the world stage.
Still, the book is a good read, and the work put in by John Man by visiting his locations multiple times and investigating should not go uncredited; even if the real credit goes to the Mongolians who have kept their culture alive all these centuries.
PS: Based Mongolian govt for booting out Maury Kravits.
The book is great, gives many facets of Mongolian history from several perspectives within and outside the empire. The author visited his location of research - which is more than what I can say of Orientalist Indian-origin historians when it comes to their own books. It's a good starting point for Mongolian history, written in a lucid manner invoking imagination.
Still, the Orientalist label is easy to put on this book as well. It has several errors, such as preferring written history to oral, underplaying the Tengri religion in the lives of the Mongol people, missing the greatness of Khaidu Kaahn, etc.
While the book may be a product of the generation a decade ago; where the intersectional movement was still in its nascent stage, such academic biases, however subtle, need to be called out.
It is sad to see Mongolian history become a victim of Orientalist historians of the west on one hand: who distort and underplay inconvenient or alien-to-them aspects of other culture;
and Marxist historians of the East: who tend to re-imagine Mongols and Manchus as "one and the same people" trying to steal their glory [much like how in Bharat they reimagined Mughals and British as part of "Indic civilization" lmao].
It would be a lot nicer to see indigenous Mongolian voices write and publish their own perspectives on the world stage.
Still, the book is a good read, and the work put in by John Man by visiting his locations multiple times and investigating should not go uncredited; even if the real credit goes to the Mongolians who have kept their culture alive all these centuries.
PS: Based Mongolian govt for booting out Maury Kravits.
January 19, 2021
I've always wanted to read about the incredible Mongol Empire and know more about the legendary Genghis Khan and thankfully found out this book. The book did justice in enlightening me about the history of this legendary empire that transformed the world's understanding of the Asian subcontinent.
The book begins with the origins of Genghis Khan and takes a deep dive in its origin but then speeds up when the man becomes who he was and in the same speed his son's Ogedei's history closes pretty quickly. The main emphasis of the book was then the grandchild of Genghis Khan which was Kublai Khan who took the empire to its greatest period. The writer puts a lot of time educating the reader about Kublai as many people had little idea about him or maybe it was just me, nevertheless, it helped because this was just something unknown to me.
After the story of Kublai ends, unfortunately, the writer drags the story in search of his grave which takes a long time and took away my interest and from there on the books feels stretched too much which didn't add much to the knowledge I already had.
The writer also doesn't clearly explain the kind of violence the Mongol Empire was involved in and at one point it even compares it to other periods of history to make it look normal which didn't work out for me. This is one section where the writer could've written better.
But if I've to conclude, the book was detailed, informational and intriguing except for the last few chapters. The book should be read by someone interested in the Mongol Empire, the history of Mongolia, etc.
The book begins with the origins of Genghis Khan and takes a deep dive in its origin but then speeds up when the man becomes who he was and in the same speed his son's Ogedei's history closes pretty quickly. The main emphasis of the book was then the grandchild of Genghis Khan which was Kublai Khan who took the empire to its greatest period. The writer puts a lot of time educating the reader about Kublai as many people had little idea about him or maybe it was just me, nevertheless, it helped because this was just something unknown to me.
After the story of Kublai ends, unfortunately, the writer drags the story in search of his grave which takes a long time and took away my interest and from there on the books feels stretched too much which didn't add much to the knowledge I already had.
The writer also doesn't clearly explain the kind of violence the Mongol Empire was involved in and at one point it even compares it to other periods of history to make it look normal which didn't work out for me. This is one section where the writer could've written better.
But if I've to conclude, the book was detailed, informational and intriguing except for the last few chapters. The book should be read by someone interested in the Mongol Empire, the history of Mongolia, etc.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews