The Rise and Fall of the Second Largest Empire in History

Covers the events that led to the rise and fall of the Mongol Empire, from its unification by Genghis Khan to its sudden retreat and collapse from Europe following the death of Odgedei Khan in 1241, to the permanent division of its Empire under Kublah Kahn.

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Emerging out of the vast steppe grasslands of Central Asia in the early 1200s, the Mongols, under their ferocious leader, Genghis Khan, quickly carved out an empire that by the late thirteenth century covered almost one-sixth of the Earths landmassfrom Eastern Europe to the eastern shore of Asiaand encompassed 110 million people. Far larger than the much more famous domains of Alexander the Great and ancient Rome, it has since been surpassed in overall size and reach only by the British Empire. The Rise and Fall of the Second Largest Empire in the World recounts the spectacularly rapid expansion and dramatic decline of the Mongol realm, while examining its real, widespread, and enduring influence on countless communities from the Danube River to the Pacific Ocean.