Eurasian nomads

The Mongols

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• published: 29 Jun 2011
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For 300 years the Mongols ruled the largest continuous land empire in history: twice the size of the Caesar's Roman Empire; longer lasting than Napolean's; as world-shaking as Alexander the Great's. They were the fury that rose like a storm out the steppes in the early 13th century; the Mongols pioneered a style of warfare unparalleled in cunning and cruelty, and so revolutionary, it still inspires military strategists today. Sweeping east and west, destroying everything in their path, they shatter the old world order and carve a new course of history. Towards the end of 12th century, between the two cultures of Islam in Persia and central Asia and to the far east, the trio of kingdoms in China, stretch vast formidable grasslands, the Eurasian steppes. Nomadic tribes, the Tatars, the Mongols, and others eke out a grim life. In 1175 the Tatars renew a old feud with the Mongols. Caught up in their own struggles, they ignore their common enemy in China. A nine years old, the boy who became Genghis Khan's father is poisoned by the Tatars. As a fatherless boy facing death on the barren steppes, he grows up with the goal of seeking revenge. With his training and the strength of his personality, in 1196 he unites his clan, and remains suspicious of all others, and begins to wreak vengeance on the Tatars, molding his army into the finest calvary the world has every seen. In 1206 Genghis Khan is acclaimed as universal leader of the steppe tribes, and stands poised to seal his reputation as the bloodiest of all barbarians. This History Channel documentary series tells the fascinating stories of four of the most fabled groups of fighters in history, tracing 1,000 years of conquest and adventure through inspired scholarship and some of the most extensive reenactments ever filmed.