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.
Project to record Mongolian history receives €2 million in funding
The Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History will begin a project to document thousands of threatened sites and construct an open access database in English, Mongolian and Russian.
Climate change caused the demise of Central Asia’s medieval civilizations, study finds
A new study challenges the long-held view that the destruction of Central Asia’s medieval river civilizations was a direct result of the Mongol invasion in the early 13th century.
Genetic study reveals insights into the Mongol Empire and the ancient Steppe
Genome-wide analysis spanning 6,000 years in the Eurasian Steppe gives insights to the formation of Mongolia’s empires.
Archaeologists discover Genghis Khan’s winter home
The location of the command post from where the Mongol leader staged his invasions has been the subject of lengthy debate among historians and archaeologists.
Mamluks vs. Mongols
The Mongols presented the greatest threat to the early Mamluk sultanate.
An Offer He Couldn’t Refuse: The Man of Iron Recruits the Man of Letters
A portrait of Yeh-lu, Genghis Khan’s Chinese chancellor, the greatest statesman of the Mongol Empire.
How Millets sustained Mongolia’s Empires
The new discoveries show that the development of the earliest empires in Mongolia, like in other parts of the world, was tied to a diverse economy that included the local or regional production of grain.
Genghis Khan on Film
How has the ruler of the Mongol Empire, Genghis Khan, been depicted in film?
The Mongol Mamluk Sultan Al Adel Kitbugha (694-702 Hij, 1294-1302 AD)
In history, some personalities stand out due to the differences in the way they were viewed after achieving glory for themselves, a glory that took them up to the highest ranks.
Deep Ditches and Well-built Walls: A Reappraisal of the Mongol Withdrawal from Europe in 1242
As an alternative explanation, it posits that European fortifications produced a strategic problem that the Mongols were unable to surmount in the 1240s with their available manpower and siege engine technology.
The Mongol Peace and Global Medieval Eurasia
The Mongol moment has found its place in new scholarship on early forms of globalisation in Eurasia.
Researchers reveal new insights into mass graves from the Mongol invasion of Russia
In the winter of 1238 a Mongol army sacked the Russian city of Yaroslavl, part of its conquest of the region. Researchers have now been able to examine a mass grave from that attack, and used genetic research to identity three members from the same family.
Contextualizing the Mongol Invasion of Hungary in 1241–42: Short- and Long-Term Perspectives
Questions remain about the level and distribution of destruction and population loss, the role that environmental factors played in the invasion, the reasons for the Mongol withdrawal, and how this episode can be used for interpreting later thirteenth and fourteenth-century phenomena.
The Shortcomings of the Mongol Art of War as seen in China, Korea and Eastern Europe
This paper will briefly discuss the nature of the Mongol armies and some of their successes before exploring their shortcomings in a select number of regions