Empire of Silver

Name: Empire of Silver
Rating: 4.5 (3161 reviews)

by Conn Iggulden Book 4 in the Conqueror series.

First published 2010

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4.5(3,161)

After the death of Genghis Khan, his sons and generals must decide whether the empire will remain united. Ögedei secures the succession and establishes a capital at Karakorum, while Subutai and Batu carry Mongol armies through the Rus principalities and into central Europe. The advance culminates in the invasion of Hungary, but illness, family rivalry and competing claims to authority threaten the campaign at its moment of greatest success.

Ögedei’s succession is a political achievement because Genghis’s conquests have created several powerful family branches with armies of their own. The campaigns in the west demonstrate Mongol military reach, but every victory increases the territory and wealth available to competing princes.

The invasion of Europe therefore unfolds alongside a quieter contest over who controls the empire itself. When the khan’s health fails, commanders far from Karakorum must decide whether conquest or dynastic obligation takes priority.