Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
Audiobook8 hours
Defending Heaven: China's Mongol Wars, 1209-1370
Written by James Waterson and John Man
Narrated by Derek Perkins
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5/5
()
About this audiobook
The Defence of Heaven brings together, for the first time in one volume, a complete history of the Jin, Song, and Ming dynasties' wars fought against the Mongols. Lasting nearly two centuries, these wars, fought to defend Chinese civilization against a brutal and unrelenting foe, pitted personal heroics against the inexorable Mongol war machine and involved every part of the Chinese state.
The resistance of the Chinese dynasties to the Khans is a complex and rich story of shifting alliances and political scheming, vast armies and navies, bloody battles and an astonishing technological revolution. The great events of China's Mongol war are described and analyzed, detailing their immediate and later implications for Chinese history.
In this excellent new book, James Waterson tackles this fascinating subject with characteristic verve and skill. Setting the Mongol war in the wider context of China's ancient and almost perpetual conflict with the northern nomads, it sheds light on the evolution of China's military society and the management, command and control of the army by the Chinese state.
The resistance of the Chinese dynasties to the Khans is a complex and rich story of shifting alliances and political scheming, vast armies and navies, bloody battles and an astonishing technological revolution. The great events of China's Mongol war are described and analyzed, detailing their immediate and later implications for Chinese history.
In this excellent new book, James Waterson tackles this fascinating subject with characteristic verve and skill. Setting the Mongol war in the wider context of China's ancient and almost perpetual conflict with the northern nomads, it sheds light on the evolution of China's military society and the management, command and control of the army by the Chinese state.
Author
James Waterson
James Waterson was born into a London family of Royal Marines and Paratroopers. Fatherly advice however steered him away from a military career and into academia and teaching. He is a graduate of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London and received his Masters degree from Dundee University. He worked and taught in the United States and China for a number of years and now divides his time between the Middle East and Italy whilst trying to makes ends meet. The Ismaili Assassins is his second book and grew out of his travels in Iran. His first book, The Knights of Islam, a history of the slave soldiers of Islam, was published in 2007 by Greenhill Books. He continues to work at producing a life of the Crusader Bohemond of Taranto but knows it will never be finished.
Related to Defending Heaven
Related audiobooks
The Qing Dynasty: A Captivating Guide to the History of China's Last Empire Called the Great Qing, Including Events Such as the Fall of Beijing, Opium Wars, and Taiping Rebellion Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom: China, the West, and the Epic Story of the Taiping Civil War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Horde: How the Mongols Changed the World Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Genghis Khan: His Conquests, His Empire, His Legacy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Battle of Shanghai: The History and Legacy of the Battle that Started the Second Sino-Japanese War Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Mamluks: The History and Legacy of the Medieval Slave Soldiers Who Established a Dynasty in Egypt Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5In Distant Lands: A Short History of the Crusades Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Burma Wars: 1824-1886 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Six Battles for India: Anglo-Sikh Wars, 1845-46 and 1848-49 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Diadochi: The History of Alexander the Great’s Successors and the Wars that Divided His Empire Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mongolian History: History of Mongolia and the Life of Genghis Khan Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Retreat from Kabul: The First Anglo-Afghan War, 1839-1842 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tamerlane: The Life and Legacy of the Legendary Mongol Conqueror Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Collision of Empires: The War on the Eastern Front in 1914 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mongol Storm: Making and Breaking Empires in the Medieval Near East Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Byzantine Empire: A Complete Overview Of The Byzantine Empire History from Start to Finish Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Emperor Hirohito: The Life and Legacy of Japan’s Ruler during World War II Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Empire of Silver: A New Monetary History of China Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5A Concise History of Modern India Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Unfabling the East: The Enlightenment's Encounter with Asia Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Golden Horde: The History and Legacy of the Mongol Khanate Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Wars & Military For You
American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Saved: A War Reporter's Mission to Make It Home Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/577 Days of February: Living and Dying in Ukraine, Told by the Nation’s Own Journalists Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Diary of Anne Frank Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Book of Five Rings Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel: Genius, Power, and Deception on the Eve of World War I Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of September 11, 2001 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Valiant Women: The Extraordinary American Servicewomen Who Helped Win World War II Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5You're Stepping on My Cloak and Dagger Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5When I Come Home Again: 'A page-turning literary gem' THE TIMES, BEST BOOKS OF 2020 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Nazi Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Korean War: A History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Last Kingdom Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Rape of Nanking: The History and Legacy of the Notorious Massacre during the Second Sino-Japanese War Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5On Palestine Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Four Battlegrounds: Power in the Age of Artificial Intelligence Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ghosts of Honolulu: A Japanese Spy, A Japanese American Spy Hunter, and the Untold Story of Pearl Harbor Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Kill Anything That Moves Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Invisible Generals: Rediscovering Family Legacy, and a Quest to Honor America's First Black Generals Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dirty Tricks Department: Stanley Lovell, the OSS, and the Masterminds of World War II Secret Warfare Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Watchmaker's Daughter: The True Story of World War II Heroine Corrie ten Boom Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Countdown 1945: The Extraordinary Story of the Atomic Bomb and the 116 Days That Changed the World Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Left of Bang: How the Marine Corps' Combat Hunter Program Can Save Your Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Founding Mothers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related podcast episodes
Genghis Khan: Melvyn Bragg discusses Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire. 100% found this document usefulRomance of the Three Kingdoms: Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Chinese book Romance of the Three Kingdoms. 100% found this document usefulCHP-004 The Great Leap Forward: The Great Leap Forward ( 大跃进) from 1958-1960 caused death and suffering to dozens of millions of people. It sounded like a workable idea but it didn't turn out like Chairman Mao hoped. When looking back on the life of Mao Zedong, the Great L[...] 100% found this document usefulSima Qian: Grand Historian: The historian who spoke the truth to the emperor and suffered for it. 0% found this document useful18. Egypt - Fall of the Pharaohs: Far in the distance, three colossal shapes tower … 0% found this document usefulEpisode 24 - The Assassins: A short study of the Nizari Isma'ili sect 0% found this document usefulBismarck: Melvyn Bragg discusses the original Iron Chancellor, Otto Von Bismarck. 0% found this document useful2.14. History of the Mongols: Fall of the Jin: Ogedei finishes what Chinggis started 0% found this document useful2.46. History of the Mongols: Rise of Ming: Contact: info@kingsandgenerals.net 0% found this document useful
Related articles
Impaled On Quill And Sword MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military HistoryArticle
Impaled On Quill And Sword
Jul 11, 2023
13 min readMongol Empire History of WarArticle
Mongol Empire
Oct 29, 2020
2 min readChina’s Greatest Explorer All About HistoryArticle
China’s Greatest Explorer
Jul 14, 2022
7 min readLeaders After Genghis All About HistoryArticle
Leaders After Genghis
Jul 18, 2019
4 min readThe Mongols’ Vast Empire All About HistoryArticle
The Mongols’ Vast Empire
Jul 18, 2019
2 min readThe Seven Voyages Of Zheng He MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military HistoryArticle
The Seven Voyages Of Zheng He
Oct 5, 2021
15 min readConquering Khans History of WarArticle
Conquering Khans
Oct 29, 2020
4 min readChina’s River Of Gold ARCHAEOLOGYArticle
China’s River Of Gold
Oct 14, 2023
10 min readZHENG HE Legendary Explorer ASIAN GeographicArticle
ZHENG HE Legendary Explorer
Oct 10, 2022
6 min readTIMELINE The Mongol Conquest Of The Near East BBC History MagazineArticle
TIMELINE The Mongol Conquest Of The Near East
Mar 16, 2023
1 min readKalka River History of WarArticle
Kalka River
Jun 14, 2018
9 min readKorea’s Game Of Thrones MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military HistoryArticle
Korea’s Game Of Thrones
Apr 11, 2023
9 min readZheng He: Leader of the Ming Dynasty’s Treasure Voyages ASIAN GeographicArticle
Zheng He: Leader of the Ming Dynasty’s Treasure Voyages
Jun 7, 2019
After finally overthrowing the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368), ending close to a century under foreign rule, the first emperors of China’s Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644) wanted to demonstrate the power of Ming China and initiated military campaigns a
4 min readDIVIDING Genghis Khan’s EMPIRE All About HistoryArticle
DIVIDING Genghis Khan’s EMPIRE
May 21, 2020
5 min readRise Of The MONGOLS All About HistoryArticle
Rise Of The MONGOLS
Aug 10, 2023
10 min readSun Tzu All About HistoryArticle
Sun Tzu
Feb 28, 2020
3 min readAnne F Broadbridge All About HistoryArticle
Anne F Broadbridge
Jul 18, 2019
Q. IN YOUR BOOK YOU LOOK AT THE IMPORTANT AND INFLUENTIAL ROLES WOMEN PLAYED IN GENGHIS KHAN’S FAMILY AND IN THE MONGOL EMPIRE. WHAT WERE THESE ROLES? A. It’s critical to understand that in nomadic society, work was organised along gender lines. Sinc
3 min readHarrying England History of WarArticle
Harrying England
Oct 4, 2018
3 min readHow To Repel A MONGOL INVASION BBC History MagazineArticle
How To Repel A MONGOL INVASION
Jul 7, 2022
8 min readGenghis Khan Had Been Assassinated? All About HistoryArticle
Genghis Khan Had Been Assassinated?
Dec 31, 2020
5 min readHistory of Joseon Korea All About HistoryArticle
History of Joseon Korea
Jul 16, 2020
General Yi Seong-gye is ordered to attack Chinese troops on the border of the Goryeo Kingdom, but instead decides to lead his troops against his own leaders. Yi Seong-gye is victorious and crowned as the first king of a new Joseon Dynasty. He is giv
2 min readBest Of Literature 20 Years ASIAN GeographicArticle
Best Of Literature 20 Years
Aug 7, 2019
1 min readBattle Of Kalka River All About HistoryArticle
Battle Of Kalka River
Apr 23, 2020
7 min readThe Khan’s March To War History of WarArticle
The Khan’s March To War
Mar 17, 2022
3 min readCrushing Khwarezmia History of WarArticle
Crushing Khwarezmia
Jan 21, 2021
8 min readYour Essential Guide To The Wars Of The Roses History RevealedArticle
Your Essential Guide To The Wars Of The Roses
Sep 30, 2021
1 min readConquest And Colonisation History of WarArticle
Conquest And Colonisation
Oct 26, 2023
2 min readANCIENT WARFARE readings BREAKAWAY KINGDOMS Ancient Warfare MagazineArticle
ANCIENT WARFARE readings BREAKAWAY KINGDOMS
Apr 13, 2021
By Paul Elliot Fonthill Media Limited, 2014 ISBN: 978-1781553343 Elliot explores the changes which occurred in the legions during the third century AD and the challenges they faced in terms of funding, training and the lack of a secure centralized em
2 min readLouis And The Mongols Medieval Warfare MagazineArticle
Louis And The Mongols
May 5, 2023
The most important development shaping the region at this time was the rapid expansion of the Mongol Empire. In this environment, many families and communities fled West, seeking a safe haven. Among these were many Turkmen nomads whose growing number
5 min readDaimyo THE WARLORDS OF JAPAN All About HistoryArticle
Daimyo THE WARLORDS OF JAPAN
Dec 2, 2021
6 min read
Reviews for Defending Heaven
Rating: 4.444444444444445 out of 5 stars
4.5/5
9 ratings0 reviews