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Genghis Khan and Mongol Rule
George Lane
Book Code: GR2528
ISBN: 0-313-32528-6
ISBN-13: 978-0-313-32528-1
272 pages, maps; photos
Greenwood Press
Publication: 9/30/2004
List Price: $49.95 (UK Sterling Price: £27.95)
Availability: Print on demand
Media Type: Hardcover
Trim Size: 6 1/8 x 9 1/4
Subjects: Reviews:
  • Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and graduate students.
    —Choice     March 2005
  • [E]xamines the war legacy of the Mongols to history and their contributions to international trade and cultural exchange a less stated facet of their history.
    —MBR Internet Bookwatch     February 2005
  • Lane argues convincingly that the Mongols were not necessarily the destructive barbarians of popular history, but rather an empire that encouraged cultural achievement, international trade, and even religious tolerance. Particularly intriguing is the chapter in which the author draws parallels between the U.S. response to 9/11 and the response of Mongol ruler Hülegü Khan to the Assassins (properly known as Isma'ilis) and his subsequent overthrow of the Caliph of Baghdad....[w]ould be most suitable for students doing advanced-placement history classes. The appended biographies and glossary are well done, but even more useful are the relevant primary documents conveniently included.
    —School Library Journal     January 2004
Description: The legacy of the Mongols has often been associated with their contributions to the arts of warfare and annals of horror. A more realistic association would be their contribution to international trade and cultural exchange.
Spawning an empire ranging from Persia to China, Genghis Khan united a nomadic warrior culture that had lived with their agrarian neighbors through controlled and limited extortion. It was a society whose leaders waged successful war and increased the tribe's prosperity. But the Mongols also understood it would serve their purposes to maintain commerce and agriculture, and to cultivate the arts in order that the luxuries they coveted would be all the more readily available. It was to this end that, after the first decades of destruction and rampage, the Mongols' policy changed to one of cooption and governance. The Mongols became effective cultural brokers as they forced, urged, bribed and coerced the movement of artists and artisans, scientists and scholars around their empire. Thematic chapters provide an accessible overview of the Steppe people from which Genghis Khan emerged, and chronicle his ascent as the Great Khan, as he subdued enemies and then conquered lands to the east and west. Following are excellent overviews of the founding and cementing of Mongol rule in China--the Yuan Dynasty--and Persia, centered in Iran. A concluding chapter provides a fresh perspective of the Mongol empire and makes clear the relevance of this vast and influential period to the contemporary world. Useful endmatter for students and researchers includes sixteen biographical sketches of figures ranging from Yuan Dynasty founder Qubilai Khan to famed Italian merchant and traveler Marco Polo. A score of annotated primary documents provide immediate access to the issues of the period through the eyes of the people living through them. Five maps, an annotated timeline, a glossary and annotated bibliography and several illustrations round out this engaging and valuable resource.
Table of Contents:
  • Introduction: Historical Overview
  • Overview of the Steppe
  • The Fall and Rise of Temujin
  • Chinggis Khan the World Conqueror
  • China and Founding of the Yuan Dynasty (1260-1370)
  • Mongols in Iran
  • History Repeated
  • Legacy
  • Biographies
  • Quotations from Primary Sources
  • Timeline
  • Glossary
  • Annotated Bibliography of Primary Sources in Translation
  • Annotated Bibliography of Secondary Sources
  • 5 Maps (Appendix)
  • Illustrations
LC Card Number: 2004043639
LCC Class: DS19
Dewey Class: 950
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