THE MONGOLS

In the 13th Century, the Mongols came from the steppes of the Gobi desert and swept across central Asia to the "gates of Vienna" wrecking cities and countryside with barbaric cruelty.  After a pause, returning to their capitol, Karakorum in Mongolia after the death of Genghis Khan, they set forth again under his sons and grandsons to conquer the caliphs in Baghdad stopping the spread of Islam that the Crusaders had failed to do.  Under Kublai Khan, they conquered China and established the Yuan Dynasty.

How did Genghis Kahn, a nomad hunter and herder of wild beasts conquer three empires and lay the foundations for the making of the modern world?  Using Jack Weatherford’s recent book Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World, as our basic text, we will explore how these “barbarians" ruled most of the world in the 13th century and why, after a few hundred years they vanished only to re-establish a new democratic Mongolian nation in 1990.  It is a fascinating tale of courage, cruelty, vanity and cleverness.  Join me in this journey of discovery about the rise and fall of empires.

Class is limited to 25 members.

LORNA MICKLE CHANG graduated from Goucher College with a degree in Philosophy and a keen interest in history.  When China opened up in the 1980s she made many trips to China with her husband, David P.C. Chang, watching the emergence of China from Mao’s isolation and communist economy to the vibrant expansion of the 21st century.  She has given a number of ILEAD courses on China and now hopes to engage others in the intriguing adventures of the Mongol Khans.