The Devil's Horsemen: The Mongol Invasion of Europe

by James Chambers

Book Overview

On Christmas Day 1241 the armies of Batu Khan, founder of the Golden Horde, crossed the Danube while the disunited kingdoms of the West lay at their mercy. The Mongol invasion of Europe was entering... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0689109423
• ISBN13: 9780689109423
• Release Date: January 1979
• Publisher: Atheneum Books
• Length: 190 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.

Customer Reviews

They Were the Devil's Horsemen

What can really be said about the Mongol army. They had an excellent leader (Gengis Kahn) and they understood, and were trained for warfare like no other army before them, and I dare say after them. They were Brutal and swift. James Chambers does an excellent job showing how the Mongols nearly conquered the entire world. Had Odgedei Kahn not died an untimely death, the golden hoard would have swept through Europe. One could only imagine how history could have been changed if the armies had not retreated. Which leads to another point Mr. Chambers makes which adds to his work. The fact that as their empire expanded, they did not have the manpower to effectively rule what they conquered. This was demonstrated by infighting among princes ruling in the outlying conquered territory. They, in essence, began to crumble from within. As the Chinese explained it to Gengis Kahn, what you conquer by horseback you can not govern by horseback. In essence it is what happened to the Mongols. Check this book out if you want an easy to read, concise history, of the Mongol army.

Historical Discovery

I had been in the dark about the Mongols, relegating them to the endless and anonymous Steepe invaders of European history. I learned the Mongols stood out as one of the most impressive armies in history. They rank as the most powerful army (in relative terms) ever, perhaps rivaled only by the American forces in 1945, and as the most brutal, even more ferocious and destructive than the Japanese Imperial Army. They are the standard for which all other armies should be measured, yet strangely they have been relegated to as asterisk in history. I am in awe of the Mongols under the supreme command of Genghis Khan and his peerless generals Subedai and Obedai. This book was one of the most concise, chronological, and logical historical books that I have ever read about any historical subject. This hidden treasure of a book owes much to the brilliant subject, the well-studied author and the unpretentious storytelling. It gets my highest recommendation; prepare to be impressed. I am very lucky to have found this book.

Recommended by My 4-Star US Army General Mentor

This was one of the all-time greatest military history books which I have ever read. When I was in high school in Alexandria, General Richard Thompson (a 4 star US Army general who was a mentor of mine when I was in high school), strongly recommended that I buy a copy of this book and read it. This was the best book recommendation I ever received, and I have enjoyed reading and re-reading the book on multiple occassions in the decade+ since I initially bought the book. I later gave a copy to a close friend, who was so inspired by this book, that he wrote his college history major thesis on the Mongols.

an excellent book of a less known period of european history

I read the french translation of this book "les cavaliers du diable". It is an excellent book about the invasion of europe by the Mongols. It gives an idea of the strength of their armies compared with the european armies of poor armed conscripts but also compared with the elite knights. The important battles like Liegnitz are vividly written. You almost think you are participating in it. The first chapters of the book describe the conquest of the Kwarezm empire, georgia, the Bulgarian empire and the Russian principalities. The book closes with the defeat of Hulagu by the Mamluks. The way of warfare is also well detailled.

A history of Ghengis Khan and his immediate descendants

Very easy to follow, in chronological order.