Books about Mongolia
& Mongolian History
Mongolia,
Chinggis Khan (Genghis Khan) and the history of the Mongolian people has held a
deep fascination for numerous authors for centuries and continues to inspire writers
today. There is a large amount of literature available about Chinggis Khan, the
Mongol tribes, the Mongol Empire, and modern Mongolia.
The roots of this fascination with the Mongol peoples lie
with the founder of the largest
empire the world has ever known, Chinggis Khan. Chinggis Khan has been the
inspiration for hundreds of books about himself and the Mongol Empire. For many
authors and readers the fact that a minor chieftain from an obscure nomadic
tribe called the Mongols could come to rule a vast world empire is astounding.
Chinggis Khan's ability to conquer
his numerous enemies and his
success at incorporating those enemies into the ranks of Mongol armies and his
growing empire is a riddle for which scholars and experts have yet to provide a
cogent answer. The creation of the Mongol Empire has remained a powerfully
compelling story and seemingly beyond comprehension for many.
Central Asian, Middle Eastern, European, Russian, and Chinese kingdoms were systematically
invaded and conquered by Chinggis Khan and his sons in the thirteenth century.
This galvanized the world's attention and created the need for understanding of
this revolutionary historical development.
Some authors have said that the idea of a "world
history" actually began with the Mongol conquests and their creation of
the world's largest empire because
it established the first long term connection between the East and West. Most
of the history about the Mongols was written by authors that were natives of nations that were conquered and
ruled by the Mongols. This has caused a notable bias against the Mongols in
many historical texts including those written by Persian, Arab, Russian and
Chinese historians. The inherent
prejudice of these learned historians whose countries and kings were subjegated
by the "uncivilized" Mongols permitted them to include distorted
views of the Mongols and their history.
One of the exceptions to this pattern is the famous Mongolian book
titled "The Secret History of the Mongols" which contains elements of
Mongol folk mythology and narratives of actual historical events.
Others have argued that the rise of Chinggis Khan and the
creation of the Mongol Empire was an aberration, a mere accident of history, a
military "juggernaut" created without long term planning or vision.
Their rationale for this conclusion
is based in the belief that an "uncivilized, non-intellectual
barbarian" nomadic tribe could not possibly think in such powerfully
complex and prescient terms.
The fact remains that the Mongols not only conquered very
powerful nations, administered them ably for hundreds of years, successfully
negotiated alliances with European rulers, and opened up long term East/West trade. They also created
new schools of art, commissioned the writing of the first world history, and
consolidated the Russian and Chinese kingdoms to help create the Russia and
China of today; all of which when assessed objectively clearly contradicts the
naive view of the "aberrationists".
Many others thought that God had sent the "pagan
barbarian" Mongols as a punishment for their sins and sought understanding
of these events through religous envoys sent to the courts of the Mongol
Khans. Some of the earliest works
about Mongolia and the Mongol emperors were written by the envoys of the pope
to the Mongol courts in the thirteenth century. Since these early books about
the Mongols, many other books have been written about the Mongols and Mongolia
by travelers, scholars including the most famous, which is "The Travels of
Marco Polo".
Recommended Articles & Books
"China as a Successor
State to the Mongol Empire"
by Hidehiro Okada
"The Vicissitudes of
Mongolian Historiography in the Twentieth Century" by Thomas D. Haining
"Cassiodorus and
Rashid al-Din on Barbarian Rule in Italy and Persia" by David O. Morgan
"History of the World
Conqueror" by 'Ala ad-Din
'Ata-Malik Juvaini
"The Influence of
Chingiz Khan's Yasa Upon the General Organization of the Mamluk
State"
by A.N. Poliak
"The Journey of
William Rubruk" by W.W.
Rockhill
For Out of Print & Rare Books About Asia we
recommend
Asian Rare Books
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