The Mongols carved out the largest land-based empire in world history, stretching from Korea to Russia in the north and from China to Syria in the south in the thirteenth century. Along with their leader Chinggis Khan they conjure up images of plunder and total destruction. Although this book does not ignore the devastation and killings wrought by the Mongols, it also reveals their contributions to governance, arts, culture, and the promotion of trade. The Mongol peace resulted in considerable travel and relations among numerous merchants, scientists, artists, missionaries, and entertainers of different ethnic groups. It is no accident that Europeans, including Marco Polo, first reached China in this period. Eurasian and perhaps global history starts with the Mongol empire.

• Chapter 1. Life on the Steppes


• Chapter 2. Chinggis Khan Emerges


• Chapter 3. Conquest and Governance


• Chapter 4. The Mongols and the World: Part One


• Chapter 5. The Mongols and the World: Part Two


• Chapter 6. The Mongols and Arts and Crafts


• Chapter 7. Decline, Fall, and Legacy


• Further Reading


• Index

Professor of Chinese and Inner Asian History, Columbia University; Distinguished Professor of History, City University of New York; author of Khubilai Khan, Voyager from Xanadu, China and Inner Asia, Modern Mongolia, and seven other books. Rossabi has lectured on Chinese and Mongolian history in Asia, Europe, and the U.S. Considered the world's leading expert on the Mongols.