英语蒙古史读本
Primary Sources
Bar Hebraeus. The Chronography of Abu’l Faraj. Vol. 1. Translated by Ernest W. WallisBudge. Piscataway: Gorgias, 2003. Bar Hebraeus, also known as Abu’l Faraj, witnessed the Mongol invasions of the Middle East and then also received patronage from Hülegü and other Ilkhans. His history begins in the Biblical era and extends well beyond his death to approximately 1295 providing a fascinating account of Ilkhanid rule from an Eastern Christian perspective. It can also be found at https://archive.org/download/BarHebraeusChronography.
Bar Sauma. The History of Yaballaha III Nestorian Patriach and of His Vicar Bar Sauma. Translated by James A. Montgomery. New York: Octagon, 1966. Bar Sauma travelled from China to the Middle East on pilgrimage. His travelling companion, Markus, became Yaballaha III, Patriarch of the Church of the East. Bar Sauma, however, continued on to Europe as an emissary for the Ilkhanate. This is one of the few Eastern accounts of Europe, in effect a reverse Marco Polo.
Dawson, Christopher, ed. Mission to Asia. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1980. Mission to Asia is a crucial collection of translated accounts from Franciscan friars including John of Plano Carpini, William of Rubruck, and John of Monte Corvino. All are excellent accounts of Europe’s encounters with the Mongols. Additionally, this volume has correspondence between Güyük Khan and Pope Innocent IV.
Juvaini, Ata-Malik. Genghis Khan: The History of the World-Conqueror. Translated by J. A. Boyle. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1997. Juvaini, who held a position in Hülegü’s government, provides a history of Mongols from the Mongol invasion of Central Asia to Hülegü’s invasion of Iran, ending before the sack of Baghdad. The work is especially important for its coverage of the Khwārazmian Empire and Qara Khitai.
Odoric of Pordenone, The Travels of Friar Odoric. Translated by Sir Henry Yule. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002.Like other Franciscan friars, Odoric sought to convert the Khan. His arrival in China did not achieve this, but his travel account provides a fascinating account of the late Yuan Empire.
Polo, Marco. The Description of the World. Translated by Sharon Kinoshita. Indianapolis: Hackett, 2016. New documents and archaeology continue to demonstrate the value of Marco Polo’s account of his time in the Mongol Empire. Kinoshita’s excellent translation provides the flavour of the period and the accuracy that any reader could want.
——.The Travels. Translated by Nigel Cliff. New York: Penguin, 2015. As several manuscripts of Marco Polo exist, it is always useful to read other translations. Cliff’s translation compares favourably with Kinoshita’s while making use of the other manuscripts.
Rashiduddin Fazlullah. Jami’u’t-Tawarikh: Compendium of Chronicles (Tome 1). Translated by Wheeler M. Thackston. London: I. B. Tauris, 2012. The third volume of Wheeler Thackston’s translation of Persian histories dealing with the Mongols, Rashīd al-Dīn’s (Rashiduddin) Jami’u’t-Tawarikh is one of the first attempts at a world history. Making use of his position within the government and access to Mongol officials, Rashīd al-Dīn’s work is indispensable for the study of the Mongols.
Takezaki Suenaga. In Little Need of Divine Intervention: Takezaki Suenaga’s Scrolls of the Mongol Invasions of Japan. Translated byThomas D. Conlan. Ithaca: Cornell University East Asia Program, 2001. Translation of the scrolls and other records related to the Mongol invasions. The book is bound so that it is to be read from right to left as that is how the scrolls were written and illustrated. Conlan’s essay provides the appropriate context to appreciate the nuances of the work. Conlan argues convincingly that Japan would have been difficult to conquer even if the tsunamis had not occurred.
The Secret History of the Mongols. Edited and Translated by Igor de Rachwiltz. 3 vols. Leiden: Brill, 2004.The best translation of the Secret History of the Mongols which is our most valuable source for the early life of Chinggis Khan. Most of the first two volumes are notes to the text. The third volume consists of additional notes and corrections. Indispensable for serious study of the empire. An open access version with minimal notes can be found here: https://cedar.wwu.edu/cedarbooks/4/.
Thomas of Split. History of the Bishops and Salona and Split. Translated and edited by Damir Karbic, Mirjana Matijevic, and James Ross Sweeney. New York: Central European University Press, 2006. Thomas of Split was a witness to the Mongol invasion of Hungary. His work is particularly valuable as it provides extensive details of Hungarian history prior and after the invasion. The book is arranged with the Latin text on one page and the English translation on the opposite.
William of Rubruck. The Mission of Friar of William of Rubruck: His Journey to the Court of the Great Khan Möngke, 1253–1255. Translated by Peter Jackson. Indianapolis: Hackett, 2009. The best translation of William of Rubruck. The footnotes and commentary by Peter Jackson add to the value of this work.
Zenkovksy, Serge A., ed. The Nikonian Chronicle. 5 vols. Translated by Serge A. Zenkovsky and Betty Jean Zenkovsky. Princeton: Kingston, 1986. An accessible translation of the Chronicle of Nikon. It provides the long-term perspective of interactions between the Rus’ and the Mongols as well as events on the periphery of this relationship. Invaluable for studying the Golden Horde.
Secondary Sources
Allsen, Thomas T. Commodity and Exchange in the Mongol Empire. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997.
Examines the importance of Islamic textiles, particularly nasij, or gold brocade within the Mongol Empire. Allsen’s work highlights themes within the empire beyond the typical focus on military actions and government institutions.
——.Culture and Conquest in Mongol Eurasia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001. One of the first studies to establish how the Mongols’ transcontinental empire served not only to promote trade, but also disseminate new ideas and trade. Furthermore, Allsen demonstrates that the Mongols were active participants in this exchange of goods and ideas.
——.Mongol Imperialism: The Policies of Grand Qan Möngke in China, Russia, and the Islamic Lands, 1251–1259. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1987. Allsen’s first book and it remains one of the most important studies of the Mongol Empire. Allsen’s groundbreaking study sheds light not only how the Mongol Empire operated but how it changed, demonstrating that the Mongols operated with a complexity previously not appreciated.
Amitai-Preiss, Reuven. Mongols and Mamluks: The Mamluk-Ilkhānid war, 1260–1281. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995. The first major study of the conflict between the Mongol Ilkhanate and the Mamluk Sultanate beyond individual battles. This work also demonstrates the value of the Arabic sources to the study of the Mongol Empire.
Atwood, Christopher P. Encyclopedia of Mongolia and the Mongol Empire. New York: Facts on File, 2004. An impressive reference work. As the title indicates this is a work for not only the Mongolian Empire, but truly all things related to Mongolia. There is no other work with the same level of detail and insight.
Biran, Michal. Chinggis Khan. London: Oneworld, 2007.One of the best biographies of Chinggis Khan. Biran also focuses on how Chinggis Khan shaped the Islamic world.
Buell, Paul and Francesca Fiaschetti. Historical Dictionary of the Mongol Empire. 2nd ed. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2018. An updated version of Buell’s first edition expanded and corrected. It remains an indispensable reference and includes essays outlining the history of the Mongol Empire and the successors khanates. The Yuan essay is of particular value. The first edition can be found in an affordable paper back: Buell, Paul. The A to Z of the Mongol Empire.
Lanham: Scarecrow, 2010. Broadbridge, Anne F. Women and the Making of the Mongol Empire. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018. A study of the Mongol Empire with an emphasis on the role of the Mongol queens, including the daughters of Chinggis Khan. One of the most important recent studies on the Mongol Empire.
De Nicola, Bruno. Women in Mongol Iran, The Khātūns, 1206–1335. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2017. De Nicola investigates the role of the wives of the Ilkhans and their influence not only on society in the Ilkhanate but also their role in the politics and governing.
Dunnell, Ruth. Chinggis Khan. Boston: Pearson, 2010. The second of the recommended biographies of Chinggis Khan. Brief but informative and suitable for classroom use.
Halperin, Charles J. The Tatar Yoke: The Image of the Mongols in Medieval Russia. Corrected ed. Bloomington: Slavica, 2009. Originally published in 1985, Halperin demonstrates how the Orthodox bookmen altered historical records to obscure Rus’ familiarity with the Mongols and created a narrative of oppressive rule and influence on Russia. An essential work for the study of the Golden Horde and for understanding the Rus’ sources.
——.Russia and the Mongol Horde: The Mongol Impact on Medieval Russian History. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1987. Despite its age, it remains a key study for understanding Rus’ and Mongol relations as well as serving as an introduction to the Golden Horde.
Haw, Stephen G. Marco Polo’s China: A Venetian in the realm of Khubilai Khan. New York: Routledge, 2006. Haw convincingly argues that Marco Polo did indeed visit China and serve in the court of Qubilai Khan. The author’s dissection of Polo’s account also sheds light on many ubiquitous aspects of Yuan China.
Jackson, Peter. The Mongols and the Islamic World from Conquest to Conversion. New York: Columbia University Press, 2017. Jackson’s magnum opus. In addition to the narrative of the Mongols interaction with the Islamic world, he explores their impact including their early destruction of much of Central Asia and the Middle East. Jackson also discusses how the Mongols conversion to Islam expanded and influenced the Islamic world, demonstrating the Mongols had as much an impact on Islam and it did on them.
——.The Mongols and the West, 2nd ed. Boston: Pearson, 2018. A masterful study of Mongol contact with Western Europe. Jackson explores not only the violent encounters, such as the invasion of the west and diplomatic efforts, but also how Western Europeans perceived the Mongols and how that influenced them.
May, Timothy. The Mongol Art of War. Barnsley: Pen & Sword, 2007 and 2016. The Mongol Art of War discusses the development and organization of the Mongol military.
——.The Mongol Conquests in World History. London: Reaktion, 2012.This work explores the impact of the Mongol expansion on world history with a particular emphasis on the Chinggis Exchange or the concept of transmission of goods, knowledge, and people across the empire and how it altered the world.
——.The Mongol Empire. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2018. A narrative history of the Mongol Empire from its rise to the end of each of the successor khanates. It also explores the relationship of the Mongols with Islam exploring how it changed over time.
——.ed. The Mongol Empire, A Historical Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara: ABC-Clio, 2016. The third reference work on the Mongol Empire. It is organized by theme and also includes primary source selections.
Morgan, David. The Mongols. 2nd ed. Malden: Blackwell, 2007. Originally published in 1986, The Mongols long remained the standard introduction to the study of the Mongol Empire. The second edition adds a chapter on the historiography up to 2007. While outdated in some ways, it remains the best work in understanding the history of the study of the Mongol Empire.
Ostrowski, Donald. Muscovy and the Mongols: Cross-Cultural Influences on the Steppe Frontier, 1304–1589. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998. As the title suggest, Muscovy and the Mongols explores how the Mongols influenced Muscovy. Ostrowski differs somewhat from Halperin but they both agree that the “Mongol Yoke” was not quite how Russian historians have depicted it.
Ratchnevsky, Paul. Genghis Khan, His Life and Legacy. Translated by Thomas Nivison Haining. London: Blackwell, 1991. The third recommended biography of Chinggis Khan. It is the most detailed with an emphasis on Chinggis Khan’s early life. The English translation differs from the original German as many of the detailed footnotes have been worked into the text providing additional detail without becoming tedious in scholarly apparatus.
Rossabi, Morris. Khubilai Khan. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2009. Originally published in 1988, Rossabi’s biography of Qubilai Khan remains unsurpassed and will likely remain that way for decades. A masterful study that not only reconstructs Qubilai’s life but also attempts to understand the influences and motives of one of the greatest rulers in history.
——.Voyager from Xanadu: Rabban Sauma and the First Journey from China to the West. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2010. Rossabi explores and discusses Rabban Sauma’s journey. The book is more than a narrative account of the primary source as he explores and discusses the world of Rabban Sauma, elaborating the journey and providing context to Rabban Sauma’s travel account.
