Marie Favereau

A sweeping, epic history of the Ulus Jochi, or Golden Horde: one of the successor khanates which emerged out of the Mongol Empire in the mid-thirteenth century and survived into the mid-sixteenth century. In The Horde: How the Mongols Changed the World, Marie Favereau marshals an impressive array of sources to make the case that the achievements of the Golden Horde have often been misunderstood or discounted by later historians, trained as they were to think of sedentary agriculture and show more urbanism as both economically and morally superior to nomadic empires. The various Mongol states were thus, to this world view, simply temporary waves of violent invasion breaking west across the steppes, the Mongols "mere pirates of the land." Favereau argues instead both for the Jochids as skilled and flexible administrators of empire, and for the Horde as exercising a profound legacy across a great swathe of Eurasia.

I found the earlier chapters of the book, where Favereau concentrates more on the big-picture socio-cultural history, to be more engaging than the latter part, where it transitions into a more conventional political/military account. Still, a fascinating read and one with much to offer to those interested in medieval history or the history of empire. show less

3.5, this sort of dense history is usually one of my favorites, but either I'm just not familiar enough with this topic to give things context or there is a layer of explanation missing from this book that I typically find in similar histories. The introduction and epilogue were the best parts in connecting this history to more familiar ideas and people. Also, Jan-gus? Can we get a footnote about how I've been pronouncing that wrong? I did like the bits where we zoomed in on specific figures show more and saw how open minded they were. Certainly a different story than we are usually sold. show less

It is far too often forgotten that Asia's nomadic empires, from the Sogdians and Huns through the Parthians and Seljuqs, were key drivers of greater Asia's rich cultural diversity. This extraordinary book vividly details how the nomadic Mongols operated the largest empire of the premodern world, through practices that continue to shape today's world - Parag Khanna

Only read first 100 pages, so i can't really review it. Didn't get me where i wanted to go.... certainly an appreciation of the virtues of the Mongol way and a counteractive to long held negative perceptions, but i got bogged down in the specific moves- both geographically and family lineage. Not a criticism, just now what i was looking for.