Genghis Khan: His Conquests, His Empire, His Legacy Paperback – 6 Sept. 2016

Good condition. Good read. Thanks.

Until the early 13th century Mongolia was a country ruled by many tribes.There was a great deal of friction but a young man named Temujin who later became Genghis Khan came to power and completely reorganised the country into a highly efficient fighting power.Initially he led the country into victories over the neighbouring Jin and Song Chinese empires before moving west to conquer the Khwarezmian region towards the Caspian and Aral seas.He left much of the fighting to his sons Chagatai,Jochi,Ogodei and Tolui and his favoured generals Muqali and Sumedei.The mongols later conquered further regions in the Middle East and Central Europe as far as Hungary although later victories followed Genghis Khans death in 1227.This book provides an interesting and detailed account of the many battles and victories that were fought by the Mongols. It describes how he organised the Mongol army into one the most deadly and efficient armies of all time,how he carefully planned his campaigns to cause minimal losses to his and yet how he virtually eliminated all forms of life in the captured regions.It describes who he trained and used his men and horses,the tactics used to suit different terrains and the use of captured slaves at the van of his armies to take the brunt of the opposing forces.The book does tend to read like a catalogue of bloody battles but that is a reflection of the.reality.Millions were killed by the Mongols as they conquered much of the known lands in the northern hemisphere but the use of such brutal force was the norm.Many characters are mentioned but the inclusion of a list of the main ones and who they were at the front of the book helps. Unfortunately the maps are rather limited. More detail could have been included and the lack of a map covering the campaigns between Khwarezmian and Central Europe would have helped. However, I would recommend this book to anyone who has limited knowledge of Genghis Khan and who wishes to obtain a greater understanding of how the Mongols had such an enormous effect on the world at the time.