Genghis Khan

Genghis Khan follows Temüjin from a precarious childhood on the Mongolian steppe to his proclamation as universal ruler in 1206. John Man explains how he overcame rival clans, reorganised followers around loyalty and military discipline, and launched campaigns that destroyed or absorbed states across northern China and Central Asia. The book also examines administration, communications, religious policy and the generals who converted steppe warfare into sustained imperial conquest.

The final part considers Genghis Khan’s death, the uncertainty surrounding his burial and the expansion of the empire under Ögedei and later descendants. Man combines written sources, archaeology and travel in Mongolia to assess both the scale of the destruction and the institutions that connected much of Eurasia, before tracing Genghis Khan’s modern resurrection as a national hero, global conqueror and disputed symbol of empire.