Throughout, Genghis Khan considered himself “the whip of heaven,” chosen to bring order and justice to a troubled world. Weatherford details his conquest of China and then of Muslim lands to the west. Military success led to vastly increased landholding, and his empire grew. Founding the nation of Mongolia in 1206 with 1 million followers, Genghis Khan showed early wisdom in deciding to bring the written word to his empire, and he set about having scribes put the Mongolian spoken language into writing. Readers may grow to feel empathy for the young and unlikely future ruler, until fratricide and other acts of violence quickly taint his image.

Early in the book, the author does an admirable job explaining the physically harsh and brutal life into which Temujin-the name of the future Khan-was born and raised. Among Weatherford’s most startling revelations is that, centuries before John Locke and similar thinkers, Genghis Khan believed in and promoted religious tolerance within his great empire. Though he was unquestionably a ruthless and violent conqueror, the author wants readers to see his subject as a thoughtful leader marked by extraordinary forethought and wisdom, paired with a religious personality. 1162-1227) not discussed in most history books. Even history’s most famous conqueror had a soft side.Īn acclaimed expert on Mongolia, Weatherford ( The Secret History of the Mongol Queens: How the Daughters of Genghis Khan Rescued His Empire, 2010, etc.) introduces readers to a Genghis Khan (c.

Genghis khan and the quest for god