When Mongols Attack!

...or "The Wrath of Khan".

I've been working on a post on the Mongol Empire for some time now but condensing the lives and times of Genghis, Ogedai, Kublai and the rest of Golden Horde is getting tremendously difficult.

The draft is now longer than some of the essays I did at university. Mind you, there were facts printed on the inside of Weetabix boxes that are longer than them. And better researched as well.

Last night the BBC saved me some time by showing a well-constructed and brilliantly filmed drama-documentary on a Mongol named Temujin - a.k.a Genghis Khan.

Written by Isabelle Grey, it charted his life from the death of his father, covered the kidnapping of his wife, early alliances, decisive battles in the power struggles on the steppes and his unification of warring tribes into a more modern and meritocratic Mongolia. The programme also dealt with his attacks on the Chinese Empire and Persia, and the exploratory forays into Europe.
A great bit of television - now I'm hoping for a sequel about Ogadai Khan.
Might write to Points of View about that...