The Mongol Conquests: The Military Operations of Genghis Khan and Sübe'etei

by Carl Fredrik Sverdrup

Overview

“A scholarly, detailed history of how the Mongols created the greatest landlocked empire in history” (Midwest Book Review).

The Mongols created the greatest landlocked empire known to history. It was an empire created and sustained by means of conquest. Initially an insignificant tribal leader, Genghis Khan gradually increased his power, overcoming one rival after another. After he had subjugated all tribes of Inner Asia, he struck southward into China and later attacked distant Khwarizm in the Near East. Sübe’etei continued to make significant conquests after Genghis Khan died, conquering central China and leading a large force into the heart of Europe. Between them, Genghis Khan and Sube’etei directed more than 40 campaigns, fought more than 60 battles, and conquered all lands from Korea in the east to Hungary and Poland in the west.

This book offers a detailed narrative of the military operations of these two leaders, based on early Mongolian, Chinese, Near Eastern, and European sources. Making full use of Chinese sourced not translated properly into any European language, the account offer details never before given in English works. Detailed maps showing the operations support the text. Many conventional wisdom views of the Mongols, such as their use of terror as a deliberate strategy, or their excellence at siege warfare, are shown to be incorrect. This is a major contribution to our knowledge of the Mongols and their way of warfare.

“History is littered with great leaders leading great armies and conquering large swathes of the world—Attila the Hun, Alexander the Great, the Roman Empire . . . but none perhaps as staggering as that of Genghis Khan. I have never heard of Sube’etei, I’m ashamed to say, until now, in this excellent book by Carl Fredrik Sverdrup. Asian history has never particularly appealed to me, but this is big history, and the author’s style makes it compelling and readable.” —Books Monthly

“This is a very valuable addition to the literature on the Mongol conquests, giving us a much clearer idea of the detailed course of their campaigns, the world in which they took place, and the methods used to win them.” —History of War

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781913118228
Publisher:	Helion & Company Ltd.
Publication date:	05/20/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	392
Sales rank:	565,031
File size:	5 MB

About the Author

Carl Fredrik Sverdrup is a Scandinavian living in Switzerland. He studied engineering and business, and has a career in international business management. He has a long-standing interest in military strategy and history. He has published articles on the Mongols with Journal of Medieval Military History (Numbers in Mongol Warfare, 2012) and Journal of Asian History (Sübe’etei Ba’atur, Anonymous Strategist, 2013). The Mongol Conquests is his first book. He is married and has two children.

Table of Contents

List of Maps v

Preface vi

Introduction viii

A Note on Sources xiii

The Environment: Nomads and Sedentary States xviii

The Khitan War Machine xxiii

Part I Genghis Khan 25

1 Temüjin 27

2 The Officers 32

3 The Mongol Army 36

Overview: Ally of To'oril, 1191 to 1202 42

4 The First Raid on the Merkits (Map 1) 44

5 The Victory of Jamuqa (Map 1) 47

6 The Defeat of the Tatars (Map 2) 50

7 Showdown with the Jürkins and the Restoration of To'oril (Map 3) 54

8 Further Raids on the Merkits (Map 3) 57

9 War with the Naimans (Maps 4, 5) 59

10 Migrating to the Eastern Regions (Map 6) 64

11 Overcoming the Tribes in the East (Map 7) 67

12 Confrontation at Köyiten (Map 8) 71

Overview: Master of Mongolia, 1203 to 1208 75

13 To'oril's Bid for Supremacy (Map 9) 76

14 The Showdown with the Naimans (Maps 10, 11, 18) 81

15 The Defeat of Buyiruq (Maps 4, 23) 87

16 The Conquest of Wulahai (Maps 11, 23) 90

17 Battle Along the Buqdurma (Map 4) 92

Overview: The Chinese Campaigns I, 1209 to 1215 94

18 Assault on Xia (Maps 11, 18) 96

19 The Road to Beijing (Map 12) 101

20 The Failed Siege of Datong (Map 13) 110

21 Into Central China (Map 13) 113

22 The Siege of Beijing (Map 13) 119

23 The Continued War Against Jin (Maps 11, 13, 21, 23) 126

24 Incidents at Home (Map 1) 145

Overview: The Great Western Expedition, 1219 to 1224 147

25 The defeat of Muhammad II (Map 14) 150

26 Khwarezm Crushed (Map 15) 158

27 Mopping-Up Operations (Map 15) 166

Part II Sübe'etei 171

28 Sübe'etei 173

29 The Early Life of Sübe'etei 175

Overview: Circling the Caspian Sea, 1216 to 1224 178

30 Defeat of Qudu's Merkits (Map 14) 180

31 The Hunt for Küclüg (Map 14) 184

32 Rendezvous on the Irghiz River (Map 14) 187

33 The Hunt for Muhammad II and Raid into Georgia (Map 16) 191

34 Across the Caucasus Mountains (Map 17) 199

35 And Quiet Flows the Don (Map 17) 203

36 Conflict Along the Volga (Map 17) 209

Overview: The Chinese Campaigns II, 1226 to 1234 213

37 The Destruction of the Xia State (Map 18) 215

38 Testing the Border Defences of Jin and Song (Map 18) 222

39 The Caspian Sea (Map 24) 225

40 Defeat in Daohui Valley (Map 19) 228

41 The Battle of Sanfeng (Maps 20, 21) 233

42 The Siege of Kaifeng (Map 22) 259

43 The End of Jin (Map 22) 273

44 Recovering Luoyang in the Year of Duanping (Map 23) 284

45 The Mongol Invasions of Korea 289

Overview: The European Campaigns, 1236 to 1246 293

46 Destruction of the Bulgar State (Map 23) 295

47 The Conquest of Russia (Map 23) 300

48 Securing the Plains Around the Black Sea (Maps 17, 23) 305

49 The Conquest of Chernigov (Map 23) 307

50 The Invasion of Hungary and Poland (Map 24) 309

51 Into the Heart of Europe? (Map 24) 325

52 The Mongol-Song War (Map 23) 328

53 Again Against the Song (Map 23) 336

54 Conclusions 339

Appendices

I The Breakdown of the Mongol army 351

II Battles of the Mongols and their Allies 358

Bibliography 367

Index 378

Editorial Reviews

This is a very valuable addition to the literature on the Mongol conquests, giving us a much clearer idea of the detailed course of their campaigns, the world in which they took place, and the methods used to win them.

Historyofwar.org

The book goes into all of the great Mongol victories, but also presents their defeats. Again, contrary to many earlier books the Mongols did not just spread like the plague across Asia. The were unstoppable under good generals and beatable under others… This book is a treasure. The closest book I can compare it to would be Chandler's 'The Campaigns of Napoleon', and should be on every history lover's bookshelf.

A Wargamers Needful Things

‘’A detailed and authoritative account that will be hard to surpass. The Mongol Conquests is Sverdrup’s first book, but he handles his material with some aplomb. Not only are his sometimes controversial arguments solidly argued, he writes well too – the Battle of Sanfeng chapter was a particular highlight for me as an example of how to clearly narrate a battle. Overall, Sverdrup’s book is an excellent introduction to the Mongol conquests of the 13th Century and a ‘must-read’ for enthusiasts of mediaeval warfare in the East.’’

Wargames Illustrated

The book goes into all of the great Mongol victories, but also presents their defeats. Again, contrary to many earlier books the Mongols did not just spread like the plague across Asia. The were unstoppable under good generals and beatable under others… This book is a treasure. The closest book I can compare it to would be Chandler's 'The Campaigns of Napoleon', and should be on every history lover's bookshelf.

A Wargamer's Needful Things

General readers may find in The Mongol Conquests a convenient introduction to the Mongol Empire. Specialists will value the clarity of its charts and maps

Michigan War Studies Review

… immensely insightful and worthy of the time spent understanding its thorough contents … the book is organized in a thoughtful and excellent fashion … This book is particularly worthwhile in the way that it frames the discussion of the Mongol army and its operations in a variety of contexts.

De Re Militari

This is a very valuable addition to the literature on the Mongol conquests, giving us a much clearer idea of the detailed course of their campaigns, the world in which they took place, and the methods used to win them.

History of War

"History is littered with great leaders leading great armies and conquering large swathes of the world - Attila the Hun, Alexander the Great, the Roman Empire... but none perhaps as staggering as that of Genghis Khan. I have never heard of Sube'etei, I'm ashamed to say, until now, in this excellent book bu Carl Fredrik Sverdrup. Asian history has never particularly appealed to me, but this is big history, and the author's style makes it compelling and readable."

Books Monthly

… An essential reference to help navigate the complicated chronology and countless personalities… An essential contribution to the fields of Mongol, Inner Asian and military history.

Journal of Military History

"The Mongol Conquests: The Military Operations of Genghis Khan and Sube'etei is a scholarly, detailed history of how the Mongols created the greatest landlocked empire in history, eventually spanning from Korea in the east to Hungary and Poland in the west. Focusing especially on the military operations of these two great generals, The Mongol Conquest draws upon Mongolian, Chinese, Near Eastern, and European sources to reconstruct these ancient campaigns that made world history. The Mongol Conquests also presents evidence to contradict popular beliefs about the Mongols, such as that they used terror as a deliberate strategy or possessed skill at siege warfare. The Mongol Conquests is highly recommended for both public and college library world history or military history shelves."

Midwest Book Review