A Short History of The Mongols

by George Lane

The Mongol Empire was the mightiest land empire the world has ever seen. At its height, it was twice the size of its Roman equivalent. For a remarkable century and a half, it commanded a population of 100 million people, while the rule of Chinggis (Genghis) Khan marched undefeated from the Pacific Ocean to the Caspian Sea. In this highly readable latest addition to I.B.Tauris’s popular Short History series, George Lane argues that the Mongols were not only subjugators who swept all before them, but one of the great organizing forces of world history. His book traces the rise of the Great Khan in 1206 to the dissolution of the empire in 1368 by the Ming Dynasty. Lane discusses the unification of the Turko-Mongol tribes under Chinggis’ leadership; the establishment of a vigorous imperium whose Pax Mongolica held mastery over the Central Asian steppes; imaginative policies of religious pluralism; and the rich legacy of the Toluid Empire of Yuan China and Ilkhanate Iran. Offering a bold and sympathetic understanding of Mongol history, Lane shows that commercial expansion, cultural assimilation, and dynamic political growth were as crucial to Mongol success as the desire for conquest.

Genres: History

256 pages, Hardcover

Published March 30, 2018

Reviews

[Tzu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short indeed! But packed with lots of information.
At first the order in which the book was organized confused me at times, as we jumped back and forth in time, but looking back at it with so many different Khanates, it's safe to say this was the best option. Everything was well covered and the amount of research backing this book is astounding.

[Bryn Hammond · Rating 5 out of 5]

An ideal introduction or update, which can be for beginners but guides people around the exciting and fast advances in knowledge and perception of the Mongols, as of 2018. George Lane is a wonderful educator.

[Jon Glazer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm glad I found this book, and I look forward to reading many more in the series. For someone with a casual (rather than scholarly) interest in the subject I thought the book had just the right level of information. It certainly gave me a solid introduction into the subject without appearing to gloss over anything.

The book was well written but it did seem like the author occasionally went easy on some of his favorite historical figures. For example, one conqueror was praised for setting a strict time limit on the sacking of a city. Ultimately this type of overt subjectivity made me question some of the author's other assessments.