Gengis Kan -El Conquistador de Asia

by Michael Prawdin

Aunque no sea una biografía novelada del más grande conquistador de la Historia, sino un relato fidedigno basado en las fuentes asequibles, que el autor conoce profundamente, este libro posee el ímpetu y la fuerza evocadora de las mejores narraciones surgidas de la imaginación.La figura de Gengis-Kan, como general, caudillo de un pueblo guerrero y fundador de un grandioso imperio, es el tema principal de esta obra, pero relata con la misma vivacidad la evolución y decadencia de su del vasto dominio que se extendía desde el Mediterráneo hasta el Océano Pacífico, desde la Taiga siberiana hasta el Himalaya.El autor describe la invasión de Europa por los hijos de Gengis-Kan, la "paz tartárica" que establecieron sus nietos y la rebelión del inmenso territorio dominado por la voluntad del temible guerrero y la tenacidad de sus jinetes mogoles.Enriquecen el libro interesantes ilustraciones procedentes de documentos antiguos, un cuadro genealógico y una copiosa bibliografía relativa a aquel turbulento período que decidió el curso político de Rusia, creando su doble faz europeo-asiática.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Historical, Asia, Medieval History

430 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1938

About the author

Michael Prawdin was the pseudonym of Michael Charol, a Russian-German historical writer.

Reviews

[Jonfaith · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Sisyphean synopsis of the Steppe, Michael Prawdin burned the midnight oil in piecing together a narrative history of the successive Empires which burst from Asia's center and wrecked havoc on most of the occupied world. What hubris predicated this screed? A pronouncement from the Kingdom of Heaven led this intrepid narrative, across the rolling terrain.

So, Jenghiz Khan, the first badass Khakan, boss of all bosses, decided to test fortune by bashing the Chinese in the face. The Chinese wary of the sublime albeit lethal cavalry, retreat to fortified positions. Jenghiz aka Genghis uses wits and some unfortunate cats and swallows, which coating with oil turns the buggers into incendiary devices.

Weirder still is the initial dispatches making their way to Europe via the Silk Road. People thought the Christian armies of the mythic Prester John of India were coming west to fight the Muslims occupying the so-called Holy Lands. Not exactly. Kiev was erased for its impudence.

This continues, involves disputes of succession, finding JK's famed grandson Kublai the Emperor of China as well as Khakan. Eventually across most of their ranks animism gives way to Islam and the Asian world is changed indelibly. This is not Braudel. There is no annotation here. It is a gripping enterprise.

[Bryn Hammond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why do I like this one? It's an older book - the German dates from 1935, as far as I can determine; I've seen it scorned as a less than serious contender in Mongol histories. I didn't expect much when I read it.

It has a concept of nomad history as a whole. It runs from Jenghiz Khan to Tamerlane and afterwards, more briefly, to decline in modern times. Read this through and you gain a sense (or Prawdin's ideas) of the movement of that history over time. What are these nomads about? Prawdin does have ideas on that, which makes him worth a read. He sees Jenghiz as the nomads' champion. His account of Tamerlane is the only one that has interested me in that guy. It makes sense of the campaigns of Jenghiz and offers strategic insights too.

The nomads won a battle but lost the war - as seen over the centuries, as Prawdin sees.

It has the asset of being a lively, story-like read. This history of course is as exciting as a novel, and there's no earthly reason why an historian can't evoke that excitement: he needn't lose his name for serious intent. In this attitude - as also for his vision over centuries of nomad history - he reminds me of Rene Grousset, another who wrote in the 1930s. Did they have a sense for big history back then, for cohesive history, and nothing against engagement in the events they have to tell of? I like their style.

[Ted · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vivid history which provides some insight into the German imperial strategy during WWII.

[Will · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned much from this book, which makes real the lives of Genghis Khan, Kublai Khan, Marco Polo, and Tamerlane. I now have a general sense of how these mythical figures changed the course of human history across the entire expanse of Asia and Europe. But the book goes on at great length about particular battles and relatively minor tribal leaders. My interest in these details flagged and I found myself wanting more attention paid to the higher level narrative and the lasting implications of the Mongol empire, which thrived from roughly 1200-1400, upon the subsequent political and social configurations of the vast territories they occupied. My enjoyment of the book was also diminished by the translation (from the original German), which is antiquated and often clumsy. Overall, it was worth reading, but not especially a pleasure.

[Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great, great book, the author brings a depth of knowledge and an ability to make the subject really come alive. Too often history books are either dry and factual, or well written but not deep enough. This is one of those very rare books that has everything, an incredible story, a huge range of characters and the ability to explain what happened in clear language. I have read several other more recently written books on the Mongols, but this is the best. It is also one of the greatest stories in History and should be taught in every school. It is strange to consider that two of the largest land mass empires came from such unlikely countries, the Mongols from the high Steppe of Asia and the British Empire from a small island off the coast of Europe.
Anyway if you only read 20 history books in your life, this should be one of them.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Writing a belated review as I remember this as one of my favourite works of history even though I read it probably 15 years ago. It genuinely reads a thriller. I remember being glued to it. I haven't the expertise to say how accurate it was, but it was terrifically written and I may read it again.

[Ted · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michael Prawdin offers an interesting and well written history of the Mongols that begins in the middle of the 12th century and ends in the middle of the 20th century. The first third of the book deals with Genghis Khan: his rise to power; strategies and tactics; battle campaigns; accomplishments and his legacy. This is followed by a section describing the wars and achievements of his sons and grandsons in Central Asia, Persia, Russia, Eastern Europe and in particular, China, where Kublai Khan founded the Yuen Dynasty and ruled for thirty-four years. In the next four chapters, Prawdin covers the decline of the original Khan empire in Khwarezmia, Russia and China and examines the reasons for the decline. Part Four of the book brings the emergence of Tamerlane with details and discussion of his conquest of Khwarezmia and his campaigns in Western Persia, Turkey, Mesopotamia, Syria, Afghanistan and the Indus Valley. In the concluding chapters, Prawdin traces the 300 year history of Mongolia’s path to becoming a sovereign nation state - a goal it achieved early in the 20th century. As supplementary information, the book includes; 8 maps, a genealogical tree of the Ghenghizides; a chronological table of events; a list of the principal persons mentioned in the text; and an extensive bibliography.

The book is well researched and draws on Mongolian, Chinese, Arabic and Armenian sources dating from the 13th to the 19th century as well as materials published by Russian and European writers of the 19th and early 20th century. The writing style is non academic and reads more like an adventure story than dry history. For the most part, the author is objective and neutral in describing the activities of the Mongols - giving neither praise nor criticism.

I found this an engaging read. It was interesting to learn about the Mongols, the enormous empire they created and the influential part they played in the histories of China, Russia, Persia and central Asia. They had their moment in the spotlight and (for better or for worse) made a pretty big impact. 4 stars

[Morgane Zephyr · Rating 3 out of 5]

The translation of this book in my native language was plain awful, so I must admit it's a huge factor of my overall impression.
Still, this book in its content is pretty fine. It's not a fantasy, and there aren't many fictional elements (for example Genghis's sayings or personal beliefs that are hard-to-impossible to reconstruct. An effort was made to combine a classical storytelling narrative with hard facts, and that effort has to be appreciated nevertheless its actual achievement.
This book is just fine in being a decent introduction to Genghis's life, or as a supplement to other sources about him.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book abandoned in an old box near an old wall. I pinched it before it got rained upon and once i started reading I couldnt put it down. Long live Hulagu! All hail Great Grand Papa Genghis!

[Jovan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is fabulous book. Any history fun would love it.

[Mikey B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating, if somewhat fictionalized and romanticized account of Jenghiz and the Mongol riders. It is interesting to read of perhaps the ‘last struggle’ of nomads successfully combating a sedentary agrarian-urban population.

The story loses its lustre after the demise of Jenghiz and then Kublai.