 |
Osprey Publishing Warrior Series No. 84
Mongol Warrior 1200-1350
By Stephen Turnbull
Price £10.99/$16.95
A review by David Lanchester
|
Those familiar with Osprey will know what to expect from this new work. Stephen Turnbull needs no introduction as an expert on the Japanese while his other interests include those who had a military interaction with them. The Mongols, '..one of the great success stories of world military history', are one of these.
The book is sumptuously illustrated by Wayne Reynolds, a new name to me and of considerable talent. The colour plates are superb; Osprey is indeed lucky to have these artists available to them. Of course the book is also well illustrated with photographs and prints.
The introduction places the Mongol in his historical context, the rise of the Mongol empire from a warrior called Temujin, titled the 'universal ruler' or 'Genghis Khan'. There follows a good chronology, which will aid the reader to appreciate how quickly, and how vast the empire spread.
The following chapters make up the bulk of the work; recruitment and training; appearance; their daily and campaign life; their battle tactics and strategy. There is rather a nice painting of the siege of Kiev showing a traction trebuchet in action. These chapters incorporate lots of little snippets from the various campaigns, battles and sieges based on contemporary reports.
The glossary is rather too brief but there is much to pursue from the bibliography. One avenue, which I for one would like to explore, is why the Mongols did not return to Europe after their successful campaigns against the Hungarians and Poles.
All in all a very useful publication that furnishes a good overview for those like me who have scant knowledge of the subject.
Please remember to mention Wargames Forum when contacting traders!
Return
to Book Reviews
Return
to What's New?
Return to Home Page
