Nomadic Empires: From Mongolia to the DanubeGerard Chaliand "Nomadic Empires sheds new light on 2,000 years of military history and geopolitics. The Mongol Empire of Genghis-Khan and his heirs, as is well known, was the greatest empire in world history. For 2,000 from the fifth century b.c. to the fifteenth century a.d., the steppe areas of Asia, from the borders of Manchuria to the Black Sea, were a ""zone of turbulence,"" threatening settled peoples from China to Russia and Hungary, including Iran, India, the Byzantine empire, and even Syria. It was a true world stage that was affected by these destructive nomads.This cogent, well-written volume examines these nomadic people, variously called Indo-Europeans, Turkic peoples, or Mongols. They did not belong to a sole nation or language, but shared a strategic culture born in the steppes: a highly mobile cavalry which did not require sophisticated logistics, and an indirect mode of combat based on surprise, mobility, and harassment. They used bows and arrows and, when they were united under the authority of a strong leader, were able to become a deadly threat to their sedentary neighbors.Chaliand addresses the subject from four perspectives. First, he examines the early nomadic populations of Eurasia, and the impact of these nomads and their complex relationships with settled peoples. Then he describes military fronts of the Altaic Nomads, detailing events from the fourth century b.c. through the twelfth century a.d., from the early Chinese front to the Indo-Iranian front, the Byzantine front, and the Russian front. Next he covers the undertakings of the great nomad conquerors that brought about the Ottoman Empire. And finally, he describes what he calls ""the revenge of the sedentary peoples, exploring Russia and China in the aftermath of the Mongols. The volume includes a chronology and an annotated bibliography. Now in paperback, this cogent, well-written volume examines these nomadic people, variously called Indo-Europeans, Turkic peoples, or " |
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Nomadic Empires: From Mongolia to the Danube Gerard Chaliand,A. M. Berrett No preview available - 2006 |
Common terms and phrases
adversary alliance allies Anatolia Arab army attack Attila Avars Balkans battle Bayazid Bulgars Byzantine empire Byzantium campaign capital cavalry central Asia century B.C. China Chinese conquered conquest Constantinople Crimea culture Danube death defeated dynasty eastern eleventh century emperor enemy fighting Genghis Khan Golden Horde Hephthalite Hephthalite Huns High Asia horses Hsiung-nu Hungarians Hungary incursions India invasions Iran Iranian Islam Juan-juan Jurchens Karamanids khaghan khanate Khazars Khitans Khorezm Khubilai Kiev Kipchaks land later Mamluks Manchus military Ming Mongolia Mongols mounted archers Murad Muslim nomadic waves nomads northern China offensive Ogedei Oghuz Oirots Ottoman empire Parthians Pechenegs Persian princes raids ravaged reign Riazan Roman ruler Russian Samarqand Sassanids Scythians sedentary Seljukids settled siege sinicized sixth century steppe Subodei sultan T’ang Tamerlane Tartars tenth century thirteenth century thousand Tibetans Timur took Transoxiana tribes troops Tu-chueh Tuqtamish Turkestan Turkic Turkic-Mongols Turkic-speaking Turks Uighurs Ukraine victory Vladimir Yüeh-chih