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The Mongols (The Peoples Of Asia)
by
David Morgan
The revised second edition of this highly praised introduction to the Mongol Empire takes account of recent scholarship in the field.
Provides an overview of the government, religion, and politics of the Mongolian Empire
Considers the effects of Mongol military campaigns on other countries and peoples in China, Russia, Persia and Europe
Assesses the astonishing military ca...more
Provides an overview of the government, religion, and politics of the Mongolian Empire
Considers the effects of Mongol military campaigns on other countries and peoples in China, Russia, Persia and Europe
Assesses the astonishing military ca...more
Paperback, 2nd edition, 246 pages
Published
July 2nd 2007
by Blackwell Publishers
(first published 1986)
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Although it is strange that a book about the Mongols has been included in a series called 'The Peoples of Europe', Dr. Morgan has done an excellent job both in providing an introduction to Mongolian history and a justification for the book's inclusion in the series. Presents a synchronic account of Mongolian culture and government, along with a diachronic view of Mongols through history. Due to the paucity of evidence, and the immense number of disparate languages required to study Mongolian his...more
This book provided a good overview of the Mongols, their empire, & the effects of their invasions on other cultures, including my own (European), the Chinese, and especially the Persian/ Islamic world of the 1200s. I had read earlier that the Crusaders (referred to by the contemporaneous Muslims as "the Franks") were more of a semi-barbarian nuisance to the Islamic world, particularly in light of the much more savage threat of the invading Mongols. For what I wanted to know, this work ...more
I have to wish this wasn't the standard history on the Mongols. In the second edition he adds a chapter on scholarship since 1985. Read that, and see what a change there has been in our ideas. But he has 'not tried to update the main text of this book to take account of what has been published since it was written'. This means - sorry - his book mustn't be the standard history. The main text is quite negative, and the update makes that unjustified. At times he does descend to caricature - as a j...more
Bubba
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review of another edition
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review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Mongol lovers
Recommended to Bubba by:
Uli Schamiloglu
I met David Morgan while studying at Madison, and the prose of the book is much like the way he talks: it's witty and easy to follow, but chuck full of rich details. That being said this is just an introduction to the Mongols, I think it's only around 200 pages, and the Chaghatai Khanate, for example, only gets a brief mention. He hits heavy on the Ilkhans, which are his thing, and it's interesting to hear some details about the "Persian" form of Buddhism that they allowed to flourish....more
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This is an excellent introduction to the subject for the layperson, covering the broad sweep of the Mongol Empire(s) from about 1200-1400. Very well written, with a puckish sense of humor. I expect that once I finish the Saunders survey, these two books will have brought me from a near total ignorance on the topic to an ability to speak accurately on it, if only in broad terms. Highly recommended.
A great overview of the Mongols that covers their rise, rule and division into the various successor states including the Ilkhanate and Golden Horde. Provides a good overview of the historiography and teaches an appreciation of the basic problem of Mongol history - the would-be scholar has to be the master of many languages.
a concise overview of the rise and fall of the mongol empire. morgan's talent seems to be that of the DJ, for the most part content to contextualize a disparate body of historical record, but this approach serves him well and before you know it you've processed an amazing amount of knowledge about the mongols quite painlessly.
when i started the book i feared it was going to be a bit of an ordeal but morgan is generous with the anecdotal ( there is one concerning cats, swallows and c...more
when i started the book i feared it was going to be a bit of an ordeal but morgan is generous with the anecdotal ( there is one concerning cats, swallows and c...more
An extremely enjoyable overview of the Mongols and their role in European and specially Near Eastern history, which is kind of odd considering it's part of the "Peoples of Europe" series.
Great introduction to Mongol Historical studies, a must!
Great introduction to Mongol Historical studies, a must!
Somewhat outdated but still a good introduction.
Interesting historical research on Mongol empire.
really well-written and well-researched. the bibliography is a TODO list for anyone interested in learning more.
i read the newer edition of this book, which is published under the 'peoples of asia' series.
i read the newer edition of this book, which is published under the 'peoples of asia' series.
Since I didn't know much about the Mongols before I started this book, it provided a lot of information. However, it is a dry read and I suspect that once I know more I will not think much of it.
Good overview of the Mongol period of Mongolian history, with a brief chapter on what came before.
Great book. Great historical overview of the Mongol history for anyone who is interested.
Nona
marked it as to-read
Ireney Berezniak
marked it as to-read
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