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.