The Mongol invasions and the Aegean world (1241–61)
This article examines the decisive role played by the Mongols in the political history of the Aegean region in the thirteenth century. The Mongol invasions of 1241–44 were the key turning point in the struggle for hegemony in the region.
How the borders of the Mongol Empire changed in the Middle Ages
Here are several videos that show the development and changing borders of the Mongol empire.
The Look of Medieval Ethnography: William of Rubruck’s Mission to Mongolia
Reads William of Rubruck’s mission to Asia as an instance of premodern ethnographic representation and the shape of the precolonial European ethnographic gaze upon Asia.
Encounters in the Ruins: Latin Captives, Franciscan Friars and the Dangers of Religious Plurality in the early Mongol Empire
For the historian wishing to investigate forms of religious encounter, the complexities and ambiguities of life in the Mongol camps are enticing
Reframing the Mongols in 1260: The Armenians, the Mongols and the Magi
While subjection to the Mongol yoke was far from desirable, rulers could seek to make the best of the situation, in the hope that the ambitions of the Mongols might come to match their own, or that the Mongols might be persuaded to support their cause.
Marco Polo on the Mongol State: Taxation, Predation, and Monopolization
The aim of this article is to bring attention to Marco Polo’s descriptions of economic and political features of the Mongol empire that are especially meaningful when viewed through the lens of Austrian economics.
Escaping the Mongols: A Survivor’s Account from the 13th century
In the year 1241, a Mongol army invaded eastern Europe, ravaging Poland, Hungary, Croatia and Romania.
Climate of Doubt: A re-evaluation of Büntgen and Di Cosmo’s environmental hypothesis for the Mongol withdrawal from Hungary, 1242 CE
Büntgen and Di Cosmo’s recent article in Scientific Reports attempts to tackle an important historical mystery (the abrupt Mongol withdrawal from medieval Hungary). We agree with their underlying assumption that an interdisciplinary analysis of environmental and documentary resources can result in a better understanding of the events. However, some of the supporting evidence does not withstand critical examination in the context of the Mongol invasion of Hungary.
Ruins of 8th century monument discovered in Mongolia
A joint excavation team from Osaka University and the Institute of History and Archaeology of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences discovered the ruins of a unique monument surrounded by 14 large stone pillars with Turkic Runic inscriptions.
The Ilkhanid Mongols, the Christian Armenians, and the Islamic Mamluks: a study of their relations, 1220-1335
This work seeks to fill a gap in the academic literature concerning the study of the Ilkhanid Mongols of the Middle East during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries CE using Armenian, Persian, Arabic, and Syriac primary sources in English translation.
Marrying the Mongol Khans: Byzantine Imperial Women and the Diplomacy of Religious Conversion in the 13th and 14th Centuries
Marrying the Mongol Khans: Byzantine Imperial Women and the Diplomacy of Religious Conversion in the 13th and 14th Centuries By AnnaLinden Weller Scandanavian Journal…
Encounters Among Enemies: Preliminary Remarks on Captives in Mongol Eurasia
While the collective experience of Mongol prisoners is one of agony and desperation, not all captives suffered such a grim fate.
The Shadow of Chinggis Khan on Istanbul: The Ottoman Empire in the Early Modern Asian Context, 1300 – 1600
Prof. Ali Yaycioğlu examines the making of the Ottoman State and socio-economic formation between the late 14th to the 17th centuries.
Birds of the Mongol Empire
The Mongol Empire, the largest contiguous empire the world has ever known, had, among other things, a goodly number of falconers, poultry raisers, birdcatchers, cooks, and other experts on various aspects of birding.
The Mongol Invasion of Croatia and Serbia in 1242
The Mongol invasion of Croatia and Serbia constitutes a single, albeit extremely interesting, episode in the great western campaign of 1236-1242, so meticulously planned and executed by the armies of Batu, grandson of Chingis Khan and founder of the “Golden Horde”.
Genghis Khan’s Womenfolk: How Imperial Women Shaped the Mongol Conquests and the Mongol Empire
In this lecture, Professor Broadbridge will present three key moments from Mongol history to illustrate the way that imperial women’s contributions have dramatically changed Mongol history as we know it.
Climatic and environmental aspects of the Mongol withdrawal from Hungary in 1242 CE
The Mongol invasion of Eastern Europe, and especially its sudden withdrawal from Hungary in 1242 CE, has generated much speculation and an array of controversial theories. None of them, however, considered multifaceted environmental drivers and the coupled analysis of historical reports and natural archives.
Genghis Khan: Barbarian Conqueror or Harbinger of Democracy
The world has generally viewed Genghis Khan as a barbaric conqueror whose troops raped and murdered hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people and pillaged and often destroyed villages, towns, and cities throughout Asia and Europe. However, several popular writers have recently portrayed him as an advocate of democracy, international law, and women’s rights.
Heirs of Genghis Khan
It all begin in the year 1190 when Genghis Khan managed to bring together the different nomadic tribes of Mongolia in a single, powerful army of 200,000 men.
The last rex crucesignatus, Edward I and the Mongol alliance
This study explores the crusading efforts of Edward I, King of England (1272– 1307), in the last decades of the thirteenth century.
‘Spurred on by the Fear of Death’: Refugees and Displaced Populations during the Mongol Invasion of Hungar
Sensitized by the grim headlines which daily announce the appalling plight of twentieth-century refugees in eastern Europe, I was motivated to investigate the behavior and conditions of medieval refugees fleeing the Mongols.
13th-century Mongol sabre discovered in Russia
While Russian archaeologists were conducting a routine examination of an old sabre unearthed seven years ago in Yaroslavl, they discovered that the weapon dates back to the 13th century, making it to be oldest crucible steel weapon in East Europe.
Millions of people are descended from Genghis Khan and 10 other Asian dynastic leaders, researchers find
Geneticists from the University of Leicester have discovered that millions of modern Asian men are descended from 11 powerful dynastic leaders who lived up to 4,000 years ago – including Mongolian warlord Genghis Khan.
The Mongol Empire: The State of the Research
The study of the Mongol Empire has made enormous strides in the past two decades, and its most notable impact is the shift of seeing the Empire not only in national or regional terms but from a holistic perspective, in its full Eurasian context.
How Well Do You Know Genghis Khan?
What do you really know about Genghis Khan? Take our quiz and find out: