Leo de Hartog is a Dutch specialist in Mongol history and has taught the subject extensively. GENGHIS KHAN of Conperor the World LEO DE HARTOG PAPERBACKS Published In 2004 by Tauris Parke Paperbacks an lmprmt of I BTauris & Co Ltd 6 Salem Road, London W2 4BU 175 F~tthA venue, New York NY 10010 www ~btaurls.com In the Un~tedS tates of Amer~caa nd in Canada d~strlbutedb y Palgrave Macmillan, a dlvlsion of St Alartln's Press 175 Fdth Avenue, New Yolk NY 10010 Copyright 0 Leo de Hartog, 1989, 2004 The r~ghto f Leo de Hartog to be ~dentltieda s the author of this work has been asserted by the author In accordance wlth the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 All r~ghtsr eserved Except for brief quotations In a revlew, th~sb ook, or any part thereot; may not be reproduced, stored In or introduced into a retr~evals ystem, or transmitted, In any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, pllotocopying, recording or otherwise, w~thoutt he prlor written permission of the publisher ISBN 1 86064 972 6 A full CIP record for thls book is available from the Br~t~sLhlb rary A hll CIP record for th~sb ook is avallable from the L~braryo t Congress Library of Congress catalog card: avallable Printed and bound in Great Britain by MPG Books Ltd, Bodmin, Cornwall Contents Preface Mongolia on the eve of the birth of Asia's greatest son Geography and climate The tribes Mongol society The rise of a young chief of the Bo jigins The emergence of an obscure tribe The beginning of the elimination process Ruler of all tribes living in felt tents The final overthrow of the Ong-Khan West Mongolia yields to the new master Power and suspicion The Yasa: Genghis Khan's code of laws The Mongol army Organization The Mongol cavalryman and the method of warfare The strength of the Mongol army The rapacious barbarians at China's northern frontier The art-loving Sung buy peace A careful beginning: the attack on Hsi-Hsia vi Contents The war without an end Victor and vanquished The prelude The rise of the Khwarazm shahs Contacts between the ruler of the west and the ruler of the east The 'liberation' of east Turkestan 0g6dei, the successor to the throne The hurricane from the east A giant with feet of clay Transoxiana overrun The pursuit of Sultan Muhammad I1 The destruction of the work of centuries The great raid The cavalcade of terror The first Mongol invasion of Russia After the storm The world conqueror and the mountain savage A broken world left behind The last campaign The world conqueror and his empire The world conqueror The empire In the footsteps of the father The inheritance The new ruler The reconquest of Persia and Caucasia The war in China continues The martyrdom of the Korean people The Mongol invader in Europe The end of the old Russia Central Europe on the edge of the abyss Contents vii The return to Mongolia 15 The last phase of unity 'Toregene was a very shrewd and capable woman' The apostolic nuncio Twilight of the Ogodeids Maps Central Asia at the end of the twelfth century (Chapters 1, 2, 3, 6, 11) North China (1205-40) (Chapters 6, 11 , 13) The Qara Khitai kingdom (1 135-12 18) (Chapter 7) South-west Asia (12 1-5) (Chapters 7,8, 10, 13) The pursuit of Muhammad I1 and the great raid ( 1220-3) (Chapters 8, 9) The Mongol Empire (1227) (Chapters 12, 13) The Middle East and Caucasia (1230-45) (Chapter 13) Eastern Europe ( 1236-42) (Chapter 14) Notes Bibliography Index Preface The study which forms the basis of this book began in 1941 when I was a prisoner of war in Colditz. That I was able to work in those years on the subject of Genghis Khan and the foundation of the Mongol Empire I attribute with gratitude for the most part to the co-operation I received from the French Red Cross. When I asked if they could send L'Empire des Steppes, by Rent Grousset I received this book with the note: 'L'Empire des Steppes de Grousset, actuellement introuvable, il vous est sptcialement adresst par l'auteur, par notre entremise.' In 1944 Professor Grousset also sent me his book Conquhant du Monde. After the war there was little opportunity for serious historical study. From 1972, however, I applied myself to acquiring knowledge about Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire. In the early period of my work I gained much useful information from Professor K. E. 0.Ja hn and Dr Th. Raff. In 1976 I came into contact with Professor J. A. Boyle. During my correspondence with this scholar he regularly supplied me with invaluable advice when I was confronted with problems. It was a great disappointment to me when I heard in 1978 the sad news that he had suddenly died. Later I communicated with two prominent experts on the subject of the Mongol Empire: Professor Denis Sinor and Professor Bertold Spuler. From them I was informed of books and articles that had escaped my attention Finally I am grateful to Dr R. H. Poelmeijer who was prepared to read the translated typescript and offer comments on it. As the book is primarily addressed to the general reader, the common spelling Genghis has been used, instead of the more scholarly 'Chinggis'. March 1989