The rise and fall of the second largest empire in history
Subtitle: how Genghis Khan's Mongols almost conquered the world
By: Thomas J. Craughwell
Publisher: Fair Winds Press
Published: 2010
Place of publication: Beverly, Mass
Language: eng
Number of pages: 272
ISBN-13: 9781592333981
Description: "Emerging out of the vast steppe grasslands of Central Asia in the early 1200s, the Mongols, under their ferocious leader, Genghis Khan, quickly carved out an empire that by the late thirteenth century covered almost one-sixth of the Earth's landmass—from Eastern Europe to the eastern shore of Asia—and encompassed 110 million people. Far larger than the much more famous domains of Alexander the Great and ancient Rome, it has since been surpassed in overall size and reach only by the British Empire. The Rise and Fall of the Second Largest Empire in the World recounts the spectacularly rapid expansion and dramatic decline of the Mongol realm, while examining its real, widespread, and enduring influence on countless communities from the Danube River to the Pacific Ocean."--Publisher description.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Family tree; title: Introduction; title: The Asian Steppes: an intensely hostile world; title: The savage boyhood of Temüjin; title: A friendless boy's first allies; title: Temüjin's first battle; title: The showdown that made Temüjin a Khan; title: Temüjin becomes Genghis Khan and the Mongol nation is born; title: The nomads conquer an empire; title: Northern China falls to the Mongols; title: Ghengis Khan invades the Muslim world; title: The Mongol style of warfare; title: The passing of Genghis Khan; title: "The Devil's Horsemen" invade Europe; title: How one man's death saved Europe from destruction; title: Rifts in the family; title: The rise of Kublai Khan and the breakup of Genghis Khan's empire; title: The first Mongol emperor of China; title: Epilogue; title: Bibliography; title: Acknowledgements; title: About the author; title: Index.