How the Daughters of Genghis Khan Rescued His Empire

He not only did great historical research, he tried to understand the importance of male and female balance in the universe from nomadic perspective. It is not easy task for anyone who is outlander and try to explain it. But he really did! In order to understand a certain culture very well you willing to go really deep into it and "taste" it with your human basic senses; looking, eating, smelling, listening, and touching. He did it all. I really appreciate his effort to complete the missing chapters to fill in and especially about our great womanhood. Value of womanhood can't be ignored...

Jack Weatheford has done a great serive to both the many Mongol queens and to modern readers by telling us about the daughters, grand-daughters and even very distant X-times-grand-daughters. Everyone interested in the true players in history will be glad to have this information. Feminists, as I'm glad to say I am -- will be interested in this view of the history of the Mongol empire and how it was ruled in its stable segments by the five daughters of the great Khan while the men were off conqueroring vast portions of Asia. Descriptions of the power of the mothers and the queens, some as young as 16 when entrusted with vast territories, has not been known until now. I have visited Mongolia and even there, I heard nothing about these women. Thank you, Mr. Weatherford for digging through history and writing an illuminating book.

A worthy followup to "Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World". Given the many segments of lost history, as a narrative these stories are difficult to tell, up until the final chapters on Queen Manduhai, which are well worth the read. Weatherford continues to add depth and color to a neglected but critical period in global history.

there was very little about the daughters in this book. It was mostly about the mongol world, their father and how he conquered the world. I appreciate the history lesson but this was not what I was looking for in a book. there was too much dry facts before one gets to a tid bit of the women. interesting to know that this world conqueror did this due to the women who ruled in his place, and not surprising that all other historys buried this fact from the world. have to keep women in their place you know...

Little hard to follow at times and lacks the idea changing power of his book Ginghis Khan
But is a useful follow up book. Who would have known that he would have promoted
and used women to rule to this amazing extent---in addition to all this other surprising
modern ideas in such a backward area

We read it while traveling in Mongolia. Full of lots of interesting material about the women behind Ghengis Khan and his mostly-ineffective sons. Too bad the writing style was overly dry and pedantic for my tastes

In 1206 ad after a decades of hard fighting, Genghis Khan unified the Mongol Nation and began the job of empire building. Before they came nation the Mongols were nomadic and semi nomadic tribesmen with no unity to speak of . Oft times they fought among each other and no one took them seriously. The Turks and the Chinese looked down upon them with scorn. They were considered the scum of the Earth. Genghis Kahn, or Temujn would change all that.

Born of the Borjiin clan, he was the son of a warrior and a Turkish woman.. At an early age his father died in battle and his family was far from helpful. All of Genghis Khan’s property was taken by his family and he and his mother were virtually outcast. He took refuge with the Ongudd tribe. Tragedy marred his early life as his first wife was abducted from him and given to another man. When he finally retrieved her and she had a child, Temujin did not waste time debating who the child was. The blue sky gave him birth and so therefore there was no illegitimacy. In 1206 he called all the tribes together at Khuraltai and formed them into a nation. In conquests he was known as both a ruthless conqueror and a fair and open minded ruler. He elevated the position of women to that of equality. They would save his empire.

After conquering territory he would let one of his offspring rule the province. Some he gave to sons like Ogodei and others to his daughers like Altai Kun and other names that are hard to remember. When his daughters took a province they married the heir and he want to the Khans special army. The daughter ruled as queen. The females were often more responsible and the sons were drinking lechers.

After Genghis Khan passed on his empire would begin to unravel 10 years later. His son Ogodei would attack other sons and daughters and take away their property. THi lead to civil wars and infighting. He presided over the abduction of Otriot females of noble birth and had them humiliated in the worst possible fashion. He would pas on 10 years laters and the empire would e fractured.

Central Mongolia was not part of the empire in fact their were now three Mongolian Empires. One Empire was in china after Kublai Khan took it over an established the Yuan Dynasty, Another was Il Khanate which included Iran and present day Iraq. The third was Russia. Eventually they would too would dissolve thanks to infighting and civil wars. Leaders would try to wipe out heir apparent and claim power for themselves. They just made themselves weaker. All would have been lost had it not been for the Mongol Queen who behind the scenes saved sons, fought battle an conducted intrigues to stay alive and inn power. They would never have such a vast empire like they did before but Humadie and Dayan Khan (Last Heir) would slavage the nation and forge an understanding with the Chinese.

Great book and easy to read, Filled with facts yet will not bore you down with excessive details. Worth the read.

Genghis Khan’s fascinating tale of his rise to founding the Mongolian empire is well-known. What many people did not know was that it was the Mongolian queens (his wives, daughters, and female descendants) that helped restore the dying empire. Their contributions have been erased or altered throughout history as their censors have been trying to rewrite history and to undermine their influence. Yet, the author, Jack Weatherford, brings these remarkable women into the spotlight and shows us how they were the support that helped protect Genghis Khan’s massive empire.

Genghis Khan acknowledged how it was the women who helped found his empire. He believed that women were important to ruling his empire as much as his men. He knew that his sons were incompetent at ruling his empire, so he made his wives and daughters rulers of strategically important territories within his empire. Yet, because these women were given so much power that had never been exercised by women before, the women turned on each other and that weakened the empire.

However, these women eventually restored the dynasty. Jack Weatherford tells us many stories about these fascinating queens. Each of the queens were strong and were the rock of the empire. Some of these women were Khutulun and Queen Manduhai. Khutulun was a wrestler, She challenged her suitors that she would marry them if they beat her in a wrestling match, and none of them ever beat her. Queen Manduhai helped restore the empire and created a strong government that helped their nation to live on for centuries.

Overall, The Secret History of The Mongol Queens shows the accomplishments of how the women helped build the Mongolian nation. While the men were building monuments that did nothing to help their nation, it was the queens who protected it. The message of this book is that even though people have tried to erase or alter history, the truth will always be revealed if we are willing to seek it. These women’s stories have tried to be erased in documents, but they have never been forgotten in people’s minds. The Secret History of The Mongol Queens is scholarly, meticulously researched and a comprehensive read for the general reader. The writing is engaging and their stories will leave you breathless and fascinated at how strong and intelligent these women were. This book is a great tribute to the accomplishments of these captivating Mongol queens.

This is one of the best books on Mongolian history I have read. Professor Weatherford provides a fascinating insight into the reasons for the decline of the Great Khan's empire. As a long term resident of Mongolia I can testify to the prowess of the females of this country; this book has reinforced the reasons why and how Mongolia became what it is today. The book is well written and researched. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it (several times) and have shared the author's wisdom by lending the book to others. Read and be educated!

Fascinating pieces of lost &/or censored history. There are still plenty of gaps in the information, but Weatherford has done a good job of tracking down various sources of info in an attempt to uncover & save the history. (FYI, there are some harrowing sections in there re: violence toward girls & women.) Be sure to also read the epilogue, note on transliteration, & notes at the end of the book. It does get a little confusing to read at times, mostly owing to the previously mentioned gaps &/or the unusual names that appear throughout the book. It's not as smooth or as satisfying as his book on Genghis Khan, but it still uncovers glimpses of unique history that might otherwise be languishing or lost. Worth reading, especially in conjunction with Weatherford's book "Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World".

Five years ago, when I read Weatherford's Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World I was struck by the role of women in Genghis Khan's Mongol Empire. I thought it worthy of a book, and, voila! It is!

Weatherford is uniquely qualified to write this book and his knowledge shines through. He writes of tribes, customs, places and events giving enough description to enable westerners to understand the unfamiliar. There is a useful map and several genealogy charts.

Weatherford tells how Genghis Kahn's empowered his four daughters. When he married them into important tribes he gave them governance over them. In word and deed, Weatherford shows that GK supported these women in these roles while men served in the military. It was a workable and practical division of labor. With this system the largest empire the world has known was built.

This golden age for Mongols, both women and men, ended with GK's death in 1227, and one of his alcoholic sons, Ogodei, inherited the leadership. He effectively began a "War on Women" (the title of Chapter 5) which included acts of mass rape and the effective removal of his sisters from power. The 250 years after GK's death are characterized by internal power struggles and land disputes. Weatherford notes some interesting women in the interim period such as Khutulun who rejected suitors (many) who could not beat her in battle; however, in this period, almost everyone loses from the Mongols' disunity. Finally, Queen Manduhai accepts the hand of a 7 year old whom she marries and grooms. She works with and through him to unite the Mongols and secure borders for their grazing lands.

I would like to give this book 5 stars for Weatherford's work in assembling this, but have to hold back this highest honor. I believe that Weatherford's respect for the Mongols and their accomplishments results in his presenting some people and events in a better light than warrented. Some of the brutal acts of both men and women are described in rather mild language. Since I don't know enough about the Mongols to really evaluate how euphemistic this actually is, I would not have held back the fifth star for this alone, but a 5 star book needs a 5 star book design. There is nothing about the cover, the title, the choice of type face or the paper that suggests this is the serious work that it is. It has the look and feel of a work of pop fiction. The only design elements that reflect the quality of the research are the elegant brush paintings (almost like calligraphy) that introduce each part.

I recommend this book for those interested in the history of this period and those interested in women's roles in history. I hope material like this finds a wider audience and a place in world history/civilization curricula.

So, I am kinda hooked on all things Mongol Empire after reading Weatherford's first installment on this subject. Such an easily accessible piece of history that sheds new light on the view of the Mongols that is presented to Western audiences. It is amazing to see the development of political know-how that Genghis Khan possessed and foresaw in his daughters; but even more amazing how his daughters played out his dream of unification. Highly recommended!

Given that Mongol men were expected to wage war (and when not engaging in war - training for war), it makes sense that they had little time for administration.

Their women however managed the Gers, the children, the herds and the wounded and recuperating soldiers, the frequent movement of the camps.

They had great experience and the men were smart to give them this responsibility.

It has to be difficult to write a historical book for lay people. We are looking for a story and not the random messiness of life. Jack Weatherford manages to keep a focused eye on the women in Genghis Khan family and he manages to tie things together at the end as if this was a novel with a beginning, middle, and end. I read two-thirds of this book on one rainy day.

Some details are as amazing as history can be. Genghis Khan tells his daughters at their arranged marriages that the couple must be two shafts of one cart. "If a two shaft cart breaks the second shaft, the ox cannot pull it." He also says, "whoever can keep a house in order, can keep a territory in order." The women ran the regions that they were assigned and their husbands were drawn off to be the Khan's generals. The sons-in-law had the honor of marrying into the Khan's family, but they were taken away from their seat of power into the army. Power was left in the daughters' hands. The sexual politics are also a bit different in this time period when women had more autonomy.

Like any political and battle-filled novel, this one has its villains. After the Khan dies, his sons set about destroying the Mongol nation in their lust for power. The daughters-in-law destroy what the sons don't destroy in their attempts to secure their sons' inheritance. Some of the ways that they murder their enemies is described and it is horrendous. Even with all that, the Mongols do become rulers of China for a time before they are kicked back out to the steppes.

Weatherford brings us our "happy" ending by bringing back to life one of the last great Queens of Genghis Khan's line. When her husband is murdered, she has the choice of marrying the war leader or taking the tribe back to china to be vassals. She decides to rule instead.

As it happens, one of my roommates at LSU was Mongolian. I wish that I could press this book into her hands now. I think that she would love it.

I wholly agree with everything the reviewers have already expounded on, it is marvelously written, easy to read and understand.
It is very eye opening how in a span of 300 years Genghis khan's descendants managed to completely obliterate everything he stood for , especially regarding to women's hallowed position of power.
My favorite tidbit is the mention of the old men, from the procession of clans at that very first grand meeting clapping their magical rocks together to control the weather, just enough sun and just enough rain for the occasion!

Very interesting story about the history of the powerful but often hidden women leaders of Mongolia who reforged and reshaped the collapsed empire of Genghis Khan. Heavy on names and dates, but put into stories for context.

The Secret History of the Mongol Queens is an engaging read. The author seems to have a feeling for the land itself and how the nomadic Mongols were able to survive in such harsh environs. My disappointment is that very little description was given to just what was the "Eternal Blue Sky" that inspired Ghenghis Khan to go about his conquering. The word 'Tengri' was mentioned only once and it is my understanding from other reading that these were the collective sky gods. The subject of shamanism was never brought up although to his credit the author does describe some of the respect for nature and prayers and rituals used, especially in portraying the character of Queen Manduhai.

Genghis Khan and his Mongol cavalry conquered Asia, the Middle East and Eastern Europe and only the great Khan's death in 1227 A. D. saved Western Europe. Here is the inside story of the family struggle between his daughters and his daughters-in-law about the succession of power and how Queen Manduhai successfully leads the Mongol army that provoked the building of the Great Wall of China. It is about time she was recognized for being a bloody and cool lady."

When Mr.Weatherford's first book Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World came out I was so excited. You know, finally there is someone who wrote a book on the Mongols with lot more truth than bunch of lies and myths that was made up for the last 800 years. He became my instant favorite historian.

So when this next book The Secret History of the Mongol Queens: How the Daughters of Genghis Khan Rescued His Empire about his daughters/daughter-in-laws/granddaughters... I was happy to read another one of his books so that instead of buying local translated version I specifically ordered it from the states through my the store account and read it. Big disappointment! I'm a Mongolian who knows quite a lot about my own history stuff so I can honestly say what he tried to tell his readers was way off. What he basically said through this book was that Genghis Khan had very intelligent daughters & daughter-in-laws & he trusted in them lot more than he had trusted in his sons & successors. Since all his sons & male heirs were unworthy drunkards, if it wasn't for all those women, the largest empire ever known would've fallen apart lot quicker than its actual existence. Wow. Talk about biased book...

Were all those women were just as smart and energetic as they were beautiful? I have no doubt. But were all the men who wore the crown were so stupid and worthless who does nothing but drink alcohol and have s...x? I doubt it. The way my grandma & mother raised me, & the way my wife & all my sister-in-laws are I have highest respect towards our women. But counting ALL THE GUYS out when you're discussing the success of the empire? Whatever went wrong it's those males' fault & whatever that was right it's the women's doing seemed bit too much.

Mr. Weatherford's first book made him very well known in Mongolia & he was received as a honorary guest when he visited Mongolia. However after this book I do not think he'd be as welcome as he used to be.

This is a book about women and their influence and contribution during and after the Mongol Empire.
It is beautifully written with a very detailed facts and reliable research to back up everything.
Great stories about queens, their daughters and women in general. I would highly recommend this book.

Jack Weatherford makes history sound like a novel It's literally a page turner. I read Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World and awoke to a whole strata of history of civilization I was not even aware of. This is the sequel, tracing the ensuing evolution of the Mongol empire through the deeds and misdeeds of Genghis Khan's daughters and their successors. I'm looking forward to reading his other books.

Too much detail and re-hashing of Genghis' life and story. I thoroughly loved and enjoyed reading all (5) books of the Genghis life-story written by CONN IGGULDEN. Mongols Queens was kind of boring reading after (6) chapters or so.