Möngke Khan

Möngke Khan was a grandson of Genghis Khan and great khan of the Mongol Empire from 1251 to 1259. Supported by Batu, he defeated rival branches of the family and carried out purges before strengthening central administration and taxation.

Möngke sent Hulagu to conquer the Islamic west and directed Kublai’s campaigns in China. He died during the siege of a fortress in Sichuan, and the unresolved succession led to civil war between Kublai and Ariq Böke. Möngke Khan was born in Mongol Empire and died in Diaoyu Fortress.

John Man’s The Mongol Empire surveys the conquests of Genghis and his generals, the expansion under Ögedei and Möngke, and the division of imperial authority among competing branches of the ruling family. In Conn Iggulden’s Conqueror, Kublai grows from a scholarly prince into a commander during the Mongol assault on the Song dynasty. Serving under his brother Möngke, he learns to govern conquered territory as well as win battles, while Hulagu campaigns farther west. Möngke’s death divides the imperial family and forces Kublai into civil war with Ariq Böke, a contest that will determine both the future of the Mongol Empire and the creation of a new dynasty in China.