New Medieval Books: Matthew Paris on the Mongol Invasion in Europe
This book can be seen as a case study to help answer the author’s question: “What is history and how did Matthew view his duty as a historian?”
Did Chinggis Khan have red hair and green eyes?
A not uncommon claim on the internet is that Chinggis Khan, founder of the Mongol Empire, had red hair and green eyes.
The Mongol Invasions of Japan
In the thirteenth century, aided by suicidal courage, remarkable skill, and unbelievable luck, the samurai dared to resist the Mongol steamroller – and lived to tell the tale.
Surviving the Mongol Storm, with Nicholas Morton
A conversation with Nicholas Morton about the Mongol conquests of the thirteenth century, the terror that they inspired, and the strategies by which its targets tried to survive them. What did the Mongols think they were doing and how did the Byzantines use diplomacy to deflect the danger and even use it to their advantage?
Writing and the Mongol Empire
In 1204, the Mongolian warlord Temüjin adopted the Uighur script for his state and people. Two years later, he established the Mongol Empire and took the title of Chinggis Khan. What led an otherwise illiterate Mongol nomad to adopt a script, and how was it implemented in the new Mongol Empire? In this piece, we’ll look at the introduction and use of the written word in the early Mongol state.
The Mongol Storm with Nicholas Morton
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Nicholas Morton about the one hundred year rise of the Mongol Empire in the Near East, why they were so effective, and why they pursued global domination.
The Mongol Conquest of the Near East
From the Mongol invasion of the Khwarazmian Empire to their attacks into Syria – 1218-1260.
The Mongol Khans and Alcohol
A look at the Mongol royal courts and their relationship with alcohol.
Why did the Crusader States fall in 1291?
The war between the Mongols and the Mamluks in the second half of the thirteenth century would be the catalyst for the downfall of the Crusader States in the Near East.
The Mongols and Silk
You’ve likely heard the claim that the Mongols wore silk shirts as protection against arrows; the idea being that silk winds up around an arrowhead and thus prevents penetration. There is, however, little historical basis to this claim.
Chinggis Khan’s Missing Ten Years, 1186-1196
There is a stretch of ten years in Chinggis Khan’s early life where we have little information about his whereabouts. What was the future ruler of the Mongol Empire doing at this point?
The Cult of Chinggis Khan
What do you really know about Chinggis Khan? In this episode of the Medieval Grad Podcast, Lucie Laumonier interviews Dotno Pount about the Mongol leader Chinggis Khan and what historians know about his life and afterlife. Dotno’s research focuses on how after Chinggis’ death he was worshipped as a divine royal ancestor within Mongol society.
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World: A Retrospective
Jack Weatherford’s 2004 book Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World quickly became one of the top-selling works on Chinggis Khan and the Mongol Empire. The book sets out to a mighty task: offering a reevaluation of the Mongol imperial founder. Let’s take a look at whether this book was successful at this goal.
Medieval hairstyles: From bianfa to top-knots in Northeast Asia
The importance of hair and hairstyles among Chinese, Mongols and other peoples of northeast Asia during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.
What’s in a Name? Genghis vs Chinggis
The very name “Genghis Khan” is one that immediately brings to mind images of a great conqueror. But just as with most aspects of his life, the story of his name is not so simply told. Here, we’re going to have a look at the meaning, and transmission, of the name of Genghis; or as it’s rendered in Mongolian, Chinggis Khan.
The Mongol Conquest of Hungary in 1241-2
The story of the Mongol invasion in 1241, the Battle of Mohi, and why the Mongols withdrew from Hungary a year later.
A (Re)introduction to the Mongols
How was Mongol society organized during the Middle Ages? The answer lies in their numerical system of 10s, 100s, 1000s, and 10,000s.
Genghis Khan died of the plague, researchers suggest
On 18 August 1227, Genghis Khan, the founder of the Mongol Empire, died. Several stories have been put forward on what caused the ruler’s death, but a group of researchers now believe that he was a victim of the bubonic plague.
The Mongols’ Imperial Space: From Universalism to Glocalization
This paper seeks to explain how the Mongol imperial space was created, organized, and conceived by the Mongols and their subjects in the various realms
The Horde with Marie Favereau
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Marie Favereau about the myths and truths surrounding the Golden Horde, how nomadic people tend to be misunderstood, and how the Mongol people changed the world.
The Response of the West to the Mongol Invasion: 1241-1242
Examining the reports and events from the early years of the Mongol invasion into Europe.
Inscribing the Mongol Invasion into History: The Chronica Majora and Beyond
In 1242 the people of Eastern Europe acquired first-hand knowledge about the Mongols in their own lands, but within a short time the news made it to the westernmost edges of Christian Europe.
The Franciscan Friar who went to the Mongol Empire
Miss travelling? Take a journey to thirteenth-century Asia with John of Plano Carpini.
Wanderers, Miraculous Births, and Blacksmiths: Mongol Origin Stories in Mamlūk Histories
Today I want to be talking about origin stories about the Mongols as used in Mamluk sources. For one of the questions that historians in Mamluk times were dealing with was the matter of the Mongols.