The Secret History of the Mongol Queens: How the Daughters of Genghis Khan Rescued His Empire
“A fascinating romp through the feminine side of the infamous Khan clan” (Booklist) by the author featured in Echoes of the Empire: Beyond Genghis Khan
“Enticing . . . hard to put down.”—Associated Press
The Mongol queens of the thirteenth century ruled the largest empire the world has ever known. The daughters of the Silk Route turned their father’s conquests into the first truly international empire, fostering trade, education, and religion throughout their territories and creating an economic system that stretched from the Pacific to the Mediterranean.
Yet sometime near the end of the century, censors cut a section about the queens from the Secret History of the Mongols, and, with that one act, the dynasty of these royals had seemingly been extinguished forever, as even their names were erased from the historical record.
With The Secret History of the Mongol Queens, a groundbreaking and magnificently researched narrative, Jack Weatherford restores the queens’ missing chapter to the annals of history.
“Enticing . . . hard to put down.”—Associated Press
The Mongol queens of the thirteenth century ruled the largest empire the world has ever known. The daughters of the Silk Route turned their father’s conquests into the first truly international empire, fostering trade, education, and religion throughout their territories and creating an economic system that stretched from the Pacific to the Mediterranean.
Yet sometime near the end of the century, censors cut a section about the queens from the Secret History of the Mongols, and, with that one act, the dynasty of these royals had seemingly been extinguished forever, as even their names were erased from the historical record.
With The Secret History of the Mongol Queens, a groundbreaking and magnificently researched narrative, Jack Weatherford restores the queens’ missing chapter to the annals of history.
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Community Reviews
For the most part, this is a good book. It goes over incredible things about Mongol history, culture, and the changes in their way of life between the 12th and 16th centuries. The historical figures covered in the book are made vibrant with the author's attention to detail, which I commend.
It is precisely that attention to detail that forces me to deduct a star, due to the author's irresponsible use of language at times. Using the words "Turkish" and "Turkic" interchangeably, as well as offhandedly referring to a Thracian mythological figure as a Greek hero, are things that play into modern nationalist rhetoric and do not reflect the scientific reality of the cultures being examined.
Beyond that, the only thing I think the book was missing (or maybe my edition of the book was missing) is pictures. Especially maps!
I spent a good portion of my time reading the book, especially the last chapters, trying to find maps of the areas the author described. This became increasingly difficult as most of these locations are besides mountains, rivers and lakes which have different names in Chinese and Mongolian than they do in English, so the search results were incredibly poor.
I would also have preferred if the book included images of some of the other interesting things the author described in detail, such as the boqta but that's a minor thing compared to the need for maps.
It is precisely that attention to detail that forces me to deduct a star, due to the author's irresponsible use of language at times. Using the words "Turkish" and "Turkic" interchangeably, as well as offhandedly referring to a Thracian mythological figure as a Greek hero, are things that play into modern nationalist rhetoric and do not reflect the scientific reality of the cultures being examined.
Beyond that, the only thing I think the book was missing (or maybe my edition of the book was missing) is pictures. Especially maps!
I spent a good portion of my time reading the book, especially the last chapters, trying to find maps of the areas the author described. This became increasingly difficult as most of these locations are besides mountains, rivers and lakes which have different names in Chinese and Mongolian than they do in English, so the search results were incredibly poor.
I would also have preferred if the book included images of some of the other interesting things the author described in detail, such as the boqta but that's a minor thing compared to the need for maps.
Ideally, the first two sections of this book should have been integrated into Weatherford’s [b:Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World|40718726|Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World|Jack Weatherford|https:i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1530716694l/40718726._SY75_.jpg|2468245]. That said, the third part of this one (“Wolf Mother,” the section about Manduhai & Dayan Khan), could definitely be expanded into its own full book. It’s a compelling, interesting story in its own right. I would love for it to have lasted longer, but that would have made this book feel pretty far off balance.
Given the choice to segregate this history into its own book, the author does an OK job with it. If you’re going to read Genghis Khan, you definitely should also read this.
Given the choice to segregate this history into its own book, the author does an OK job with it. If you’re going to read Genghis Khan, you definitely should also read this.
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