Emperor Of The Seas (kublai Khan And The Making Of China)

By (author) Weatherford Jack
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By (author) Weatherford Jack
Short description/annotation:
A gripping tale of naval warfare, dynastic rivalry, and technical innovation, by the author of Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World.
Description:
Control the sea, and you control everything...a gripping tale of naval warfare, dynastic rivalry, and technical innovation, from the author of the classic work Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World. Genghis Khan built a formidable land empire, but he never crossed the sea. Yet by the time his grandson Kublai Khan had defeated the last vestiges of the Song empire and established the Yuan dynasty in 1279, the Mongols controlled the most powerful navy in the world. How did a nomad come to conquer China and master the sea? Based on ten years of research and a lifetime of immersion in Mongol culture and tradition, Emperor of the Seas brings this little-known story vibrantly to life. Kublai Khan is one of history’s most fascinating characters. He brought Islamic mathematicians to his court, where they invented modern cartography and celestial measurement. He transformed the world’s largest land mass into a unified, diverse and economically progressive empire, introducing paper money. And, after bitter early setbacks, he transformed China into an outward looking sea-faring empire. By the end of his reign, the Chinese were building and supplying remarkable ships to transport men, grain, and weapons over vast distances, of a size and dexterity that would be inconceivable in Europe for hundreds of years. Khan had come to a brilliant realization: control the sea, and you control everything. A master storyteller with an unparalleled grasp of Mongol sources, Jack Weatherford shows how Chinese naval hegemony changed the world forever - revolutionizing world commerce and transforming tastes as far away as England and France.
Table of contents:
CONTENTS Preface: China’s Golden Age on the Sea Introduction: The Travels of Marco Polo I: KUBLAI: A PRINCE WITHOUT QUALITIES 1. The Mongols Descend on China 2. Left Standing in the Dust 3. Brothers on Two Continents 4. Möngke Becomes Great Khan and Restarts the Mongol Wars 5. War from the Pacific to the Mediterranean 6. Kublai Awakens II: KUBLAI TURNS TO THE SEA 7. China’s Great Water Wall 8. An Arms Race Begins with Financing 9. Kublai Builds an Offensive Navy 10. Da Yuan, the Great Beginning 11. Chaos on the Sea of Japan 12. Decadence Before the Deluge 13. Grand Finale of the Great Song 14. Navy Without a Country III: THE SILK ROAD OF THE SEA 15. Black Wind Over Japan 16. Markets, Money and Murder 17. Mongols Lost in the Jungle, Adrift at Sea 18. If Vietnam Fails, Attack Egypt 19. The Mongol Princess and her Tiger 20. Kublai Completes his Age IV: THE CALM AFTER KUBLAI AND THE DECLINE 21. Iron Man and the Lotus 22. From Conquest to Commerce 23. Ports of Profit and Pleasure, Poetry and Pretence 24. Rotting Ships, Sinking Currency 25. China Retreats from the Sea 26. Wolves Come During Rain 27. The Empress of China Sets Sail Epilogue: History Allows No Favourites Research and Sources Notes Index
Biographical note:
Jack Weatherford is an anthropologist and author of New York Times bestselling Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World. He has spent over 25 years exploring Mongolia and its history, and his writing on the Mongol Empire has transformed our understanding of its long legacy. Jack Weatherford is the retired DeWitt Wallace Chair of Anthropology at Macalester College in Minnesota, and he is the only foreigner ever inducted into the Order of Chinggis Khaan, Mongolia’s highest national honour. His other books include The Secret History of the Mongol Queens, Genghis Khan and the Quest for God, Indian Givers: How Native Americans Transformed the World, and
More Information
Author By (author) Weatherford Jack
Date Of Publication Sep 26, 2024
EAN 9781399417747
Contributors Weatherford Jack
Publisher Bloomsbury Continuum
Languages English
Country of Publication United Kingdom
Width 153 mm
Height 234 mm
Thickness 25 mm
Product Forms Paperback / Softback
Availability in Stores ABC Dbayeh, Metro Mall, Hamra, ABC Verdun, ABC Achrafieh, Global
Weight 0.454000
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