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The Mongol Conquests: The Military Operations of Genghis Khan and Sübe'etei
“A scholarly, detailed history of how the Mongols created the greatest landlocked empire in history” (Midwest Book Review).The Mongols created the greatest landlocked empire known to history. It was an empire created and sustained by means of conquest. Initially an insignificant tribal leader, Genghis Khan gradually increased his power, overcoming one rival after another. After he had subjugated all tribes of Inner Asia, he struck southward into China and later attacked distant Khwarizm in the Near East. Sübe’etei continued to make significant conquests after Genghis Khan died, conquering central China and leading a large force into the heart of Europe. Between them, Genghis Khan and Sube’etei directed more than 40 campaigns, fought more than 60 battles, and conquered all lands from Korea in the east to Hungary and Poland in the west.This book offers a detailed narrative of the military operations of these two leaders, based on early Mongolian, Chinese, Near Eastern, and European sources. Making full use of Chinese sourced not translated properly into any European language, the account offer details never before given in English works. Detailed maps showing the operations support the text. Many conventional wisdom views of the Mongols, such as their use of terror as a deliberate strategy, or their excellence at siege warfare, are shown to be incorrect. This is a major contribution to our knowledge of the Mongols and their way of warfare.“History is littered with great leaders leading great armies and conquering large swathes of the world—Attila the Hun, Alexander the Great, the Roman Empire . . . but none perhaps as staggering as that of Genghis Khan. I have never heard of Sube’etei, I’m ashamed to say, until now, in this excellent book by Carl Fredrik Sverdrup. Asian history has never particularly appealed to me, but this is big history, and the author’s style makes it compelling and readable.” —Books Monthly“This is a very valuable addition to the literature on the Mongol conquests, giving us a much clearer idea of the detailed course of their campaigns, the world in which they took place, and the methods used to win them.” —History of War
356 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 4, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 28, 2023
Wow. It manages to both be myth-busting and well in line with understanding the remarkable military achievements of the two men it primarily covers. Little of this was new to me personally, but the way it is organized and presented was a huge benefit to the reader. I wish this book had come out 4-6 years earlier than it did so I could have used it as a source when crafting my doctoral dissertation.
The best part of the book, however, was not its main purpose but rather its strong focus on Mongol anti-Jin and anti-Song campaigns, which often get short shrift in Anglo sources in favor of more familiar conquests in the Middle East and Europe. Muqali should be more famous in the west than he is and this book does a good job restoring him to importance of place as the third most impactful Mongol commander.
An extra special bonus for having a Khitan focused introduction that shows how the Liao Dynasty's military organization played such a large role in the structure of Mongolian armies. It is common for Mongolists to know about Khitans as the primary influence on the political structure of the Mongol Empire but their military influence is often overlooked. In this way it can be shown to more people how the Mongols really were successors of the Khitans in more than one way.
One warning I would have for prospective readers is that this book is not an introduction nor first jumping off point. It is best to have some familiarity with the Mongol imperial experience and course of events before starting this one.
The best part of the book, however, was not its main purpose but rather its strong focus on Mongol anti-Jin and anti-Song campaigns, which often get short shrift in Anglo sources in favor of more familiar conquests in the Middle East and Europe. Muqali should be more famous in the west than he is and this book does a good job restoring him to importance of place as the third most impactful Mongol commander.
An extra special bonus for having a Khitan focused introduction that shows how the Liao Dynasty's military organization played such a large role in the structure of Mongolian armies. It is common for Mongolists to know about Khitans as the primary influence on the political structure of the Mongol Empire but their military influence is often overlooked. In this way it can be shown to more people how the Mongols really were successors of the Khitans in more than one way.
One warning I would have for prospective readers is that this book is not an introduction nor first jumping off point. It is best to have some familiarity with the Mongol imperial experience and course of events before starting this one.
June 2, 2023
Great book on the Mongol military campaigns of Genghis Khan and Subutai, the greatest of mongol generals.
Excelent to learn about the early life full of adversity of young Temujin (Genghis) with maps never before available in mongol books of his early wars in the unification of the tribes of Mongolia.
With Sun Tzu references and examples used, and the constant comparisons with other great leaders of History specially Napoleon and Frederick II of Prussia, makes it even more interesting, even if they are from a completelly different time.
This is also a very good book to know more about Subutai and his outstanding ways to achieve victory, his military achievements were marked in the annals of history.
Important note: This book requires a some bases of knowledge on the mongol history and important characters, and it can be very easily confusing all the names mentioned specially in the Jin and Song campaigns, I recommend reading with a google available for search, not to mention the various locations suddenly taken and it would be interesting to follow in a map that is not always available in the book.
Excelent to learn about the early life full of adversity of young Temujin (Genghis) with maps never before available in mongol books of his early wars in the unification of the tribes of Mongolia.
With Sun Tzu references and examples used, and the constant comparisons with other great leaders of History specially Napoleon and Frederick II of Prussia, makes it even more interesting, even if they are from a completelly different time.
This is also a very good book to know more about Subutai and his outstanding ways to achieve victory, his military achievements were marked in the annals of history.
Important note: This book requires a some bases of knowledge on the mongol history and important characters, and it can be very easily confusing all the names mentioned specially in the Jin and Song campaigns, I recommend reading with a google available for search, not to mention the various locations suddenly taken and it would be interesting to follow in a map that is not always available in the book.
November 15, 2022
Very good and detailed book about the conquests of Genghis Khan and his sons. I especially enjoyed reading about Subotai, one of the greatest generals in the history of mankind. Now I just want to read all the books by Conn Iggulden again, as I have studied up on the Mongols and their way of war.
September 7, 2020
Most of us have heard of Genghis Khan and his Mongols and the massive empire they created across Asia in the 13th Century. Less well known is that the Empire continued to expand after his death under his great general Sube'etei. Carl Fredrik Sverdrup’s book dissects the military campaigns that brought this about, focusing on operational aspects. The result is a detailed and authoritative account that will be hard to surpass.
After an annotated discussion of the main sources and a brief background survey, The Mongol Conquests is split into two parts; the first tracking Genghis Khan on campaign and the second Sube'etei. Sverdrup describes the Mongol army then delves into their campaigns, battles, and sieges in a blizzard of short chapters for both generals each with an introductory comment from a source and most with a map included. He also stops the action at times to provide a short overview of the chapters to follow. Sverdrup adds a brief verdict for most of the campaigns, which combine to form a cogent analysis of Mongol performance and that of their enemies. He leaves no doubt that the Mongols were a highly intelligent, determined, and ruthless foe – of Sube'etei, Sverdrup writes that he “conquered for the sake of conquest” and it showed, though Genghis Khan also displayed considerable diplomatic skills. He also notes, however, that the Mongols were not ‘supermen’ as they are often portrayed, and for the most part they deployed superior tactics and strategies over brute force and terror to achieve victory. They also suffered several defeats and setbacks, and in the end, even the Mongols under their greatest generals discovered the limits of Empire. Sverdrup concludes with useful appendices on the Mongol army and a list of their battles.
Historians rely on their sources to write with authority, and Sverdrup surely cannot be faulted in that regard. Each chapter concludes with the sources used and Sverdrup is also willing to engage modern historians and their interpretations. He appends a significant bibliography too. I highlight that here because The Mongol Conquests is Sverdrup’s first book, but he handles his material with some aplomb. Not only are his sometimes controversial arguments solidly argued, he writes well too – the Battle of Sanfeng chapter was a particular highlight for me as an example of how to clearly narrate a battle. Overall, Sverdrup’s book is an excellent introduction to the Mongol conquests of the 13th Century and a ‘must-read’ for enthusiasts of mediaeval warfare in the East.
After an annotated discussion of the main sources and a brief background survey, The Mongol Conquests is split into two parts; the first tracking Genghis Khan on campaign and the second Sube'etei. Sverdrup describes the Mongol army then delves into their campaigns, battles, and sieges in a blizzard of short chapters for both generals each with an introductory comment from a source and most with a map included. He also stops the action at times to provide a short overview of the chapters to follow. Sverdrup adds a brief verdict for most of the campaigns, which combine to form a cogent analysis of Mongol performance and that of their enemies. He leaves no doubt that the Mongols were a highly intelligent, determined, and ruthless foe – of Sube'etei, Sverdrup writes that he “conquered for the sake of conquest” and it showed, though Genghis Khan also displayed considerable diplomatic skills. He also notes, however, that the Mongols were not ‘supermen’ as they are often portrayed, and for the most part they deployed superior tactics and strategies over brute force and terror to achieve victory. They also suffered several defeats and setbacks, and in the end, even the Mongols under their greatest generals discovered the limits of Empire. Sverdrup concludes with useful appendices on the Mongol army and a list of their battles.
Historians rely on their sources to write with authority, and Sverdrup surely cannot be faulted in that regard. Each chapter concludes with the sources used and Sverdrup is also willing to engage modern historians and their interpretations. He appends a significant bibliography too. I highlight that here because The Mongol Conquests is Sverdrup’s first book, but he handles his material with some aplomb. Not only are his sometimes controversial arguments solidly argued, he writes well too – the Battle of Sanfeng chapter was a particular highlight for me as an example of how to clearly narrate a battle. Overall, Sverdrup’s book is an excellent introduction to the Mongol conquests of the 13th Century and a ‘must-read’ for enthusiasts of mediaeval warfare in the East.
April 23, 2021
Excellent reference book for studying the Mongol Empire era conquests and battles in detail and accurate references of the battles and strategic op's.
December 31, 2023
Detta är nog mest en bok för professionella historiker, eller möpar. Det är inte en lätt bok.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews