The Rise of the Mongols and Their Leader Genghis Khan

About the lecture

In this lecture, we look at the rise of the Mongols and their leader, Genghis Khan, focusing in particular on: (i) the contextual environment of the early Mongols, including the populations of Eurasia and the boundaries that separated them; (ii) the context of Temüjin’s (later Genghis Khan) (c.1162-1227) early life, including the Mongol defeat by the Tatars; and (iii) the re-emergence and rise of Temüjin, including the Mongol defeat of the Tatars in 1202 and Temüjin’s coronation as Chinggis Khan in 1206.

About the lecturer

Dr Nicholas Morton is a specialist in the history of crusading and the Medieval Mediterranean between the tenth and thirteenth centuries. More recently he has begun to focus specifically upon the theme of inter-faith relations between Christianity and Islam in this region. He has published extensively on topics connected to this subject area, writing a range of monographs and scholarly articles. He is also an editor for the Ashgate series Rulers of the Latin East.

Currently Dr Morton is completing a monograph exploring the First Crusaders' attitudes and behaviour towards the various non-Christian peoples they encountered during their campaign. This will be a highly revisionist work addressing many key scholarly and public orthodoxies surrounding the nature of Christian/Islamic interaction during the crusade.