RECENT ASSIGNMENT

Here is a review for the first book:

Review of The History of the Mongol Conquests by J. J. Saunders. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2001. 275 pp. + xix. ISBN: 0-8122-1766-7. $19.95 paperback.


The History of the Mongol Conquests by the late Professor J. J. Saunders was originally published in 1971. Thirty years later, it has been published again in paper back by the University of Pennsylvania Press. Although virtually every university library has this volume among its collections, it will now be more accessible in bookstores at a reasonable price.
In his preface, Saunders discusses the complications that all of those who wish to study the Mongol Empire encounter: the bewildering number of sources and the languages one must know to study it. With sources written Chinese, Persian, Arabic, Russian, Armenian, Latin, Georgian, Mongolian, Japanese, and a variety of Turkic languages, no single individual can hope to master them all. He then discusses many of the scholars, who at the time contributed to the study of the Mongol Empire in their own particular niche. This in itself is highly interesting as one sees the modern historiography of the topic unfold. Furthermore, as many of the sources, which were commonly used at the time that Saunders wrote The History of the Mongol Conquests are used less frequently now, we can see how the evaluation and use of sources have changed. Finally, in the preface, Saunders evaluates the primary sources and discusses some of their translations.
Saunders begins his examination of the Mongol Conquests with a study of Eurasian nomadism, discussing not only the social and economic structure of it, but also the geographic factors that affect it. Rather than immediately delving into the topic outlined by the title of his book, Saunders then spends two chapters on the history of nomadic conquests prior to the coming of the Mongols. Although some of the terminology is outdated, such as the use of Turkish rather than Turkic, they remain solid accounts of the events. He neither oversimplified nor included a bewildering amount of analysis concerning philology, ethnicity, and other issues. Instead, he provides a well-written narrative of events. This is commendable as it is highly probable that among the audience he wrote for, they would have had no previous knowledge of the early Turkic empires that dominated Eurasia. The information provided is sufficient for his cause, which was to demonstrate that the Mongols were not the first to dominate the steppes of Eurasia, but also, that no other power prior to the Mongols accomplished what they did.
Beginning in the fourth chapter, Saunders explores the Mongol conquests, starting with the founder of the empire, Chinggis Khan. Saunders’ account, though solid enough as an introduction to the topic suffers only from its age. , Saunders examination of Chinggis Khan as a leader remains useful and objective. The latter is crucial as the overwhelming majority of the sources were written by the conquered, albeit many were in the service of the Mongols when they wrote. In addition, Saunders evaluates the Mongols’ military capabilities within this chapter.
Saunders, being British and writing for a Western audience, appears to have also set the precedence which other narrative historians would follow: a focus on Mongol activities against Europe and events involving Christian missionaries. This is not meant as a criticism, as the topic itself is fascinating, and more importantly, the sources for these topics are more accessible in terms of being written in Latin and even Old French. Still, because of his emphasis on this section, consisting of chapters five and six one may walk away with the idea that this was indeed the focus of the Mongols activities, whereas Europe, and the Russian principalities were merely a frontier to the more important steppe lands.
In comparison, Saunders only devoted a single chapter (although in length it is comparable to the European chapters) to the conquest and rule of China and Persia. Whereas the foray into Hungary and Poland were brief, Mongol rule in China and Persia lasted approximately one hundred years. Then two chapters consider the fall of the Mongols in China and Persia, and the continuation of the Mongols in the Russian steppes, known as the Golden Horde, and the Mongol controlled territory in Central Asia.
The final chapter is perhaps the most important as it discusses the importance of the Mongol Conquests. It would be easy, as many of the sources that Saunders consulted discussed, to dismiss the Mongols as merely the most destructive of a long line of barbarian armies, however Saunders examines the long-range impact of the conquests. One of the results of the conquests was the spread of the Turkic nations. Although one may quibble that the Mongol conquests were not directly responsible for the spread of the Turkic peoples, many of whom comprised the bulk of the Mongol armies, as Turkic tribes had been present in Middle East two hundred years prior to the advent of the Mongol Conquests and the Russian steppes even longer, nevertheless, large numbers of people were moved, often fleeing before the Mongols, and in some cases because they were stationed as an occupying army. Saunders, who recognizes all of these issues, however believes that the Mongol Conquests had the most important impact.
The second issue that Saunders examines is the contact that the Mongols had with Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam. The Mongols were known for their tolerance of all religions, although as the empire fell apart, various sections became affiliate with either Islam or Buddhism. Their tolerance remains remarkable, but even more so considering that religious strife between Christianity and Islam was very apparent in the Crusades. Even persecution for variance from an established religion was common. The Mongols however attempted to remain neutral and much of what Saunders wrote thirty years ago is still applicable in present day studies of the Mongols’ religiosity. Finally, and perhaps the most important effect of the Mongol Conquests was the opening of Asia. As the Mongols dominated most of Asia, caravans could travel from the Black Sea to the Yellow Sea unhindered. Although it was still an extremely long travel, the time and the risk were considerably reduced. A ramification of the opening of trade was the exchange of goods. Items such as the compass, gunpowder, and paper now entered Europe where they were previously unknown. Western curiosity of Asian goods such as spices and silk became greater. As the Mongol khanates disintegrated, the accessibility of the travel routes also collapsed, setting in motion the Age of Exploration in an attempt to find new and safe routes to China. Thus, in effect, Columbus’ voyage to America was a consequence of the Mongol Empire.
One may question why a historical book would be republished, particularly after an interim of thirty years. In many aspects it is woefully outdated, particularly the bibliography. Numerous academic works have been published on a variety of topics concerning the Mongol Empire, ranging from individual rulers such as Chinggis Khan and Kubilai Khan to the rule of the Mongols in specific regions. Although other accounts of the Mongol Conquests have been published, The History of the Mongol Conquests remains unparalleled as a narrative history and for mass consumption.


Timothy May
The University of Wisconsin-Madison