Rossabi's Khan Review

821 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Life and achievements of Genghis Khan

Before Genghis Khan, the Mongols had been semi-barbaric and primitive nomadic tribes, becoming literate just a few years before the early 1200s. Kublai Khan was not only the grandson of Genghis Khan, founder of the Mongol Empire, he was also the fifth Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, and the founder of the Yuan Dynasty in China. The thesis of “Khubilai Khan His Life and Times” written by Morris Rossabi, is a biography that showed the significance of Khan’s life drawn on sources from a variety of countries, it goes into a detailed collection of his conquests and defeats. It is organized chronologically and topically in order to cover Khan’s exploits as a Mongol leader.
Professor Morris Rossabi was born in Egypt and researched throughout the Middle East. He earned his PhD in East and Central Asian history from Columbia University in 1970. He received an honorary doctorate from National Mongolian University in 2009. He is fluent in an array of languages such as: Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, French, and German. As well literate in Italian, Latin, Manchu, Mongol, Persian, Russian, and Uyghur.
Rossabi has an extensive writing career with over fifteen books, eleven biographies, fifty five articles, over one hundred book reviews and countless contributions to book chapters. Three of his titles relating to the Mongolian period would include: “Three Mongols in the Twentieth Century”, “Mongolian Empire and World History”, as well as “Modern Mongolia: From Khans to Commissars to Capitalists.” The book “Mongolian Empire and World History” proved to be a very good reference book with original documents and a general history of the Mongols. It became quite useful alongside his “Khubilai Khan His Life and Times”.
The first chapter of th...

... middle of paper ...

...ities such as the text is the clear and concise language with which it is written. The book used a lot of sources and is a very academic work. Therefore, this study is for historians interested in Khubilai Khan or this era of Chinese history. Rossabi does a great job explaining the man Marco Polo met in China. He also does explains the Mongols, their Empire, and their leader Khubilai Khan.
In conclusion, Rossabi collected information available about the great grandson of Genghis Khan and offers it as springboard into getting to know Khubilai Khan. Morris Rossabi can paint a picture of Khan and his life from a collection of sources emphasizing his significance in history. The conquest of China was a considerable achievement, however Khubilai should not only be remembered as the founder of the Yuan dynasty, but also as, albeit contested, Great Khan of the Mongols.

Show More
Related

  • Why was the Arab World Poised for Revolution?

    1043 Words  | 3 Pages

    Lewis, Bernard. The Middle East: A Brief History of the Last 2,000 Years. New York: Scribner,

    Read More

  • Views of the Mongols DBQ

    681 Words  | 2 Pages

    ... were positive, one may argue that these individuals only saw the tolerant and fair-minded side of the Mongols, and not the relentless warrior part of the society who was known for its “dirty” tactics of war, which went as far as launching diseased-ridden corpses over the walls of castles during sieges. Alternatively, one may argue that the scholars who provided negative documentation of the Mongols only saw the destructive side, not the open-minded side of the society who were known for their cultural acceptance. Although these accounts allowed for an adequate idea of the nature of the Mongols, a record from a peasant who was not a member of the upper class in their society, as all reports presented were from historians, scholars, and political leaders. This would allow for a different perspective on the issue and would produce a better understanding of the topic.

    Read More

  • Mongols Called the Tartars: Outsiders Beware

    2613 Words  | 6 Pages

    Rossabi, Morris. "Life in China Under Mongol Rule: Religion." The Mongols in World History | Asia

    Read More

  • History of the Tartars by Giovanni Carpini

    1002 Words  | 3 Pages

    Carpini’s History of the Tartars is a well organized and meticulous report on the Mongol Empire that is told from the perspective of Giovanni Carpini. As an overweight sixty year old friar, Carpini was an unlikely candidate to make the trek to the unexplored Mongol Empire, however because of his ability to mingle with the peasantry with ease, he was chosen to carry out this task. Through his determination to not only evangelize but also to spy on the Mongols, Carpini was able to write History of the Tartars with great detail and accuracy. Only because of Giovanni Carpini work, do we know as much about the Mongols as we do today.

    Read More

  • Genghis Khan and the making of the Modern World

    1542 Words  | 4 Pages

    When the word “Mongol” is said I automatically think negative thoughts about uncultured, barbaric people who are horribly cruel and violent. That is only because I have only heard the word used to describe such a person. I have never really registered any initial information I have been taught about the subject pass the point of needing and having to know it. I felt quite incompetent on the subject and once I was given an assignment on the book, Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern Age, I was very perplexed for two reasons. One I have to read an outside book for a class that already requires a substantial amount of time reading the text, and secondly I have to write a research paper in History. I got over it and read the book, which surprisingly enough interested me a great deal and allow me to see the Moguls for more than just a barbaric group of Neanderthals, but rather a group of purpose driven warriors with a common goal of unity and progression. Jack Weatherford’s work has given me insight on and swayed my opinion of the Mongols.

    Read More

  • Mongols

    1046 Words  | 3 Pages

    The military exploits of the Mongols under Ghengis Khan as well as other leaders and the ruthless brutality that characterized the Mongol conquests have survived in legend. The impact of the invasions can be traced through history from the different policies set forth to the contributions the Mongols gave the world. The idea of the ruthless barbarian’s intent upon world domination will always be a way to signify the Mongols. Living steadfast upon the barren steppe they rode out of Mongolia to pursue a better life for their people.

    Read More

  • The Mongol Conquest Of Russia

    684 Words  | 2 Pages

    After many years of conquests in China, the Mongols slowly established their own culture and structure in the Chinese Empire, though they were met with opposition. Initially, Kubilai passed laws to differentiate between the Mongols and Chinese. The Chinese scholars had to learn the Mongol alphabet and writing in order to keep formal records for the government. The Mongols ould not intermarry with the Chinese, and even mutual relationships between the two cultures was frown...

    Read More

  • Khubilai Khan

    1375 Words  | 3 Pages

    His achievements were first brought to the Western and European society in the writings of Marco Polo, the Venetian traveler who lived in China for nearly 20 years. Khubilai Khan began to play a significant part in the consolidation of Mongol rule. when his brother, Mangu Khan, became determined to complete the conquest of China in 1251. The. Upon the death of Mangu, only eight years later, Khubilai was proclaimed as the Great Khan.1 Then in 1279, Khubilai defeated the Southern Song Dynasty, bringing the remainder of China under his reign.2 This was the first time all of China was under foreign rule.

    Read More

  • The Life and Death of Pan-Arabism Ideology

    2879 Words  | 6 Pages

    Hourani, Albert. A History of the Arab Peoples. Cambridge, MA: Belknap of Harvard UP, 1991. Print.

    Read More

  • Kubla Khan Dbq

    1333 Words  | 3 Pages

    In 1260, Kublai Khan succeeded his oldest brother, Möngke Khan, and ruled over China until his death in 1294. Kublai Khan’s foreign policy and domestic changes positively influence Chinese trade within itself, and with Europe. He had a paper currency that could be used to purchase anything within the Empire and allowed people to enter debt. He appointed foreigners into high government positions that encouraged foreign merchants to trade within the his kingdom. His kingdom had areas designated for foreigners, well kept roads, and laws that were more lenient than those of Europe. Kublai Khan’s facilitation to trading was one of the reasons that both natives and foreigners of many professions came to admire Yuan China.

    Read More

  • A Critical Analysis of the Secret History of the Mongols

    986 Words  | 2 Pages

    This piece of literary work is one of the few surviving historical literature detailing about the Mongolians existence. The author is not known and even if people date it back to the year 1240, the real date when it was written and the literatures original title is still a debatable matter. Nevertheless, irrespective of these uncertainties, one thing is known to be for sure; the secret history of the Mongols is a piece of literary works that bears a lot of importance in literature and history. It owes its importance to the fact that it serves as a recount of the Mongol Khans genealogy and the times and life of Genghis Khan who founded the state of Mongol. The story tries to unveil the mysteries of great legends that existed in history.

    Read More

  • Comparing Weatherford's Genghis Kahn And The Making Of The Modern World

    498 Words  | 1 Pages

    Map number one on page 2 of Jack Weatherford’s “Genghis Kahn and the Making of the Modern World” (Weatherford, J. McIver.) we learn that in year 1200 the Mongolian homeland was small in area, approximately 200 X 200 square miles in diameter. Two main features are shown on the map, Mt Burkhan Kaldun in the upper northeastern area and the city of Avarga located on the River Kherlen in southeastern area of the map. Map number two on page 80 (Weatherford, J. McIver.) shows the expanded Mongolian Empire in the year 1260 stretching from the Sea of Japan west to the Black Sea. The 1260 Mongolian Empire incorporates Moscow, Kiev and the Caspian Sea. The

    Read More

  • Genghis Khan

    2245 Words  | 5 Pages

    Genghis Khan established the Mongol empire. He is still called God and Hero of his country. His achievements were incredible because he made the biggest empire ever, and surprisingly established it from a small nomadic tribe. He had great skills in battles, and the amazing talent of the leader. However, when we think that a person is a hero, always we tend to focus on only good aspects of their achievement, for example Christopher Columbus. He took over North American and brutally murdered the Native Americans and still today Americans continue to celebrate Columbus Day. This time, I will focus not on what he has achieved mainly, but what he has done to achieve, because we are more likely to see the achievement. Also, I want to write about what kind of person Genghis Khan was. I could say from my data he was not the hero of Mongol. I think that he didn’t have the qualification to be a hero and a great leader. I would call him as a mass murderer.

    Read More

  • Genghis Khan Personality

    649 Words  | 2 Pages

    Genghis Khan was born ‘Temujin" in Mongolia around 1162. At age 20, he began building a large army with the intent to destroy individual tribes in Northeast Asia and unite them under his rule. Genghis Khan was one of the most feared and influential leaders of his time. He took a country of feuding tribes and with his victories assembled Mongolia into the largest and most powerful empire in the world. The Mongol Empire lasted well after his death in 1227.

    Read More

  • To What Extent is Knowledge Provisional

    1335 Words  | 3 Pages

    Weatherford, J. McIver. Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World. New York: Crown, 2004. Print.

    Read More

More about Rossabi's Khan Review

Open Document