The Mongol Empire and Its Legacy (Brill's Scholars' List)

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Summary: Major evaluation of the Mongol impact on history
Review: The Mongol empire was founded early in the thirteenth century by Chinggis Khan and within the span of two generations embraced most of Asia, becoming the largest land based state in history. The united empire lasted only until around 1260 but the major successor states continued on in the Middle East, present day Russia, Central Asia and China for generations, leaving a lasting impact much of which was far from negative on these areas and their peoples. The papers in this volume present new perspectives on the establishment of the Mongol empire, Mongol rule in the eastern Islamic world, Central Asia and China, and the legacy of this rule. The various authors approach these subjects from the view of political, military, social, cultural and intellectual history. Most of the essays offer original research and visit major controversies in Mongol studies. Now that the volume is priced for individual purchase the volume should become an optional text for class use. The book is a must-read for the specialist and worth a close look by generalists.