The Mongol Conquests

"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

“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 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

“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

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

“ … 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

“ … 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

‘’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