A critical analysis of the secret history of the mongols. Temujin destroys the merkit and takes the title genghis khan. This elegant and readable adaptation of the secret history of the mongols yuan chao pi shih is a must for any fan of chingis ghengis khan. Led by their oceanic leader, genghis khan chinggus khan, the mongols took control of approximately 24,000,000 square kilometers 9,300,000 square miles of eurasia from the backs of their sturdy little horses. There has long been a need for a scholarly english edition of the great th century historical epic, the secret history of the mongols, the only surviving mongol source about the empire. The book covers the origins of the mongol people, the rise to power and reign of genghis khan r. This book is brought to you for free and open access by the books and. Part of the asian history commons, and the east asian languages and societies commons this book is brought to you for free and open access by.
The title implies that tsh is the focus, when in fact the focus is on the works of mr. The secret history of the mongols and western literature. The secret history of the mongols by francis woodman cleaves and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. The secret history of the mongols by bira, shagdaryn. The secret history of the mongols is a primary account covering the history of the mongols under genghis khan and his son ogadai. Genghis khan struggles against jamukha and tayichiud. It is ironic that whatever secrets this work contained were revealed already in. Until their unification by genghis khan, the mongols played a minor role in major world affairs. Written partly in prose and partly in epic poetry, it is the major native source on. The secret history of the mongols mongolian culture. Secret history of the mongols project gutenberg self. The loss and rediscovery of the secret history of the mongols. I first learned of this book in the early days of our trip, while we were still sightseeing in ulaanbaatar. Almost all writers, even those who were in the mongol service, have dwelt on the enormous destruction wrought by the mongol invasions.
How the daughters of genghis khan rescued his empire, a 2010 book by jack weatherford. Associated press a fascinating romp through the feminine side of the infamous khan clan. Her successful campaigns, which she waged even when pregnant, promoted china to erect the great wall and preserved peace for her children and the nation. Because of this i feel the title of the book the secret history of the mongols. It includes the full translation with a few notes, but omits the extensive introduction explaining the nature and origin of the text, the detailed commentary concerning linguistic. Mongolia still exists today, but the mongols who live there now arent the ones history books will remember. Terms in this set 5 which of the following best characterizes the anda relationship in mongol society as described in the secret history of the mongols document 11. Included in this collection are pieces on the eighthcentury chinese poet tsen shen and the great chinese prose writer, han yu, as well as some of waleys original poems and stories. If you want more details, read the secret history of the mongols. The only extant copies of this work are in chinese titled yuan pishih or secret history of the yuan dynasty from the archives of the ming government. The core of the history is believed to date from the midth century.
Between 1206 and 68, an obscure group of central asian nomads exploded across the steppes and established the worlds largest contiguous empire in history the mongol empire. The secret history of the mongols the origin of chinghis khan an adaptation of the yuan chao pi shih, based primarily on the english translation by francis woodman cleaves by paul kahn north point press san francisco 1984. The book is mainly about the life and the career of chinggis khan, his ancestors and his rise to power. The author is unknown, and he gives unique accounts of genghis khans life and rule as well as describes the life in medieval mongolia. Yet sometime near the end of the century, censors cut a section about the queens from the secret history of the mongols, and, with that one act, the dynasty of these royals had seemingly been extinguished forever, as even their names were erased from the historical record. With the secret history of the mongol queens, a groundbreaking and magnificently researched narrative, jack weatherford restores the queens missing chapter to the annals of history. I know francis woodman cleaves has already translated it into english. Interestingly this is almost as much leadership book as is history book. The secret history of the mongols goodreads share book. The secret history of the mongols has been published in translation in over 30 languages by researchers. Index to the secret history of the mongols 1st edition. Within a few yards of them, the biker comes to a stop.
Written in prose, it features alliterative verse, myths, legends, epic fragments, songs, eulogies, dialogues, army regulations, and proverbs. Mongqolun niu a to b a an secret history of the mongols. The secret history of the mongols is one of the most important primary source for study of mongol history and chingis khan. The universe to which chinggis and the mongols owed allegiance was bound by neither kin nor place. It was probably composed in 122829, and presented at a great assembly in northeastern mongolia that had been convened to elect a successor to chinggis qaan our genghis. In actual fact this book was a collection of papersarticles or essays and part of the book was the secret history of the mongols, translated by the author. Jack brought to life the key mongol queens of history one by one with their circumstances motivations and actions. Booklist the mongol queens of the thirteenth century ruled the largest empire the world has ever known. Nov 29, 2010 the secret history of the mongol queens ends with the astonishing tale of queen mandhuhai the wise who reunited the mongols while fighting the chinese ming dynasty and the muslim warlords. What was so obviously shown in the book was how mongol empire rose and fell based on ability to come together or inability to do so. The secret history of the mongols is the oldest surviving literary work in the mongolian. If you want more details, read the secret history of.
We brought books, as we always did while travelingprobably more than was reasonable. Publication of this work was delayed until 1982, although the translation was completed in 1956. I have personally handled and am familiar with the book the secret history of the mongols. Index to the secret history of the mongols crc press book first published in 1997. The daughters of the silk route turned their fathers conquests into the first truly international empire, fostering trade, education, and religion. The secret history of the mongols is a chronicle written in the th century ce with some later additions and is the most important and oldest medieval mongolian text. I am in favor of merging the contents of these two topics under the name the secret history of the mongols because that is the book. Cliffnotes of the secret history of the mongols youtube. A mongolian epic chronicle of the thirteenth century is a shortened. The secret history of the mongols, translation, study, and scholarly notes by francis woodman cleaves cambridge, mass, 1982, in 342 pdf pages. Secret history of the mongols kindle edition by waley. While fishing at a local lake, two young boys scurry for cover in the nearby bushes as a stranger, an unknown biker, approaches on a growling harley.
In 2004 the government of mongolia decreed that the copy of the secret history of the mongols covered with golden plates was to be located to the rear part of the government building. Dec 16, 2011 in actual fact this book was a collection of papersarticles or essays and part of the book was the secret history of the mongols, translated by the author. In tracking the life of genghis khan, we were following the protagonist of perhaps the most important work of literature ever written in mongolia. Unfortunately, as far as i am aware, there is no original mongolian version extant and we have had to rely on reconstructions from chinese versions.
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. The secret history of the mongols ancient history encyclopedia. Even famous historical commanders, like alexander the great and hannibal barca, start to look a lot less impressive when their achievements are compared to lesser mongol generals. The th century secret history of the mongols, covering the great. The book known as the secret history of the mongols mongqolun niuca tobcaan. I suspect not every word was translated and perhaps it was an excerpt of the book i intended to buy. They were known for their strong family connections and their emphasis on tribal positions. The secret history of the mongols mongyolun niuca tobcaan is the earliest surviving literary monument of the mongolian people. William hung, the transmission of the book known as the secret history of the mongols, harvard journal of asiatic studies, vol. The mongols were renowned as effective and terrifying battle tacticians, who honed their skills by fighting a lot. The secret history of the mongols by cleaves abebooks.
I am not, however, famailiar with a book entitled the secret book of the mongols. A saga of epic battles, betrayal, love, tyrants, and prisoners in ancient china is poorly chosen, hence my 3stars. The mongols began as a group of powerful nomadic tribes. Genghis khan, the first great khan of the mongol dynasty and often hailed as the king of kings, was the founding emperor of one of the largest contiguous empire, i.
Secret history of mongols fully illustrated book about genghis khan for you to discover. History of the mongols free listening on soundcloud. A weekly podcast about the greatest land empire ever created 28 tracks. Its author is unknown, and although it is widely thought to have been written in 1240, both its original title and the exact date of its composition are still matters for debate. W hen my dad and i decided to spend two weeks traveling in northern mongolia, it was not for literary reasons. The secret history of the mongols traditional mongolian.
Also, this book is very impressive poet like homors great works. This adaptation of what is recognized today as the oldest mongolian text written two decades after chingis khans death tells the mongols own version of the origin of their nation, the life of c. The secret history of the mongols ebook by professor. After all, their ancestors roamed the land on horseback, pillaging and conquering with the. Full text of the secret history of the mongols see other formats.
Index to the secret history of the mongols crc press book. Genghis khan destroys the tatars and tangles with ong khan. The original text of the secret history of the mongols was written in the vertical uighur script which the mongols had adopted from the turkic uighurs at about the turn of the th century. Mukhali naiman nayaga night nightguard odchigin ogodei ogodei khan onan ong khan palace tent prince riding river rode ruler saying secret history senggum shigi khutukhu soldiers sons sorkhan shira steppe subetei tanghut targhutai tatar tayang. Historical background the exception of the sagalike secret history of the mongols 1240. May 22, 2014 if you want more details, read the secret history of the mongols. Secret history of the mongols, with lengthy introduction explain.
That is why just two million mongols, with 129,000 cavalrymen, could establish the largest land empire in world history. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers new books every 1, 2, or 3 months new customers receive 15% off your. The secret history of mongols the history is the one surviving literary source of information about the mongols, dated around 1240. Linguistically, it provides the richest source of preclassical mongolian and middle mongolian. But the most compelling is the secret history of the mongols, consisting of long extracts from a thirteenthcentury chinese saga. Stream tracks and playlists from history of the mongols on your desktop or mobile device. Western washington university western cedar books and monographs 122015 the secret history of the mongols. The secret history of the mongols mongolia collection. I have read several books on genghis khan and the mongols but this book presented a quite different and. The th century secret history of the mongols, covering the great cinggis qans 11621227 ancestry and life, stands out as a literary monument of first magnitude. The secret history of the mongols ebook by professor urgunge. Sep 22, 2015 art, history, illustration all in one.
Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Nevertheless it was an interesting enough book and i do not regret buying it. A critical analysis of the secret history of the mongols this piece of literary work is one of the few surviving historical literature detailing about the mongolians existence. John emerson, the secret history of the mongols and western literature, sinoplatonic papers 5, may 2004 the treeless steppe, mongols bad a peculiar fear of lightning and of stonns, and the rainstone was often used sometimes, as here, to perverse effect in warfare. In 2004 the government of mongolia decreed that the copy of the secret history of the mongols covered with golden plates to be located to the rear part of the government building.
646 296 815 1321 11 565 1012 1168 867 628 1416 655 145 129 230 348 234 494 995 1406 1409 202 700 765 12 888 789 398 144 6 428 802