Fascinating how the sable coat caused conflict and resulted in a kidnapping. I'm looking forward to your book. Is there a lot of extant writing for events of that time period or are you having to fill in a lot of gaps for the purposes of your story?
The Mongols left no pre-Empire records. They were a nomadic society with no written language. Temujin (Genghis Khan) ordered a written language to be developed for his native Mongol tongue shortly before he and his wife, Borte, conquered and then united the Mongol tribes into the Mongolian Empire in 1206. That is the short answer.
There is a large body of scholarship available for the period after 1206, mostly from China, Persia, Central Asia and Europe. For the pre-Empire years, which is the period my book focuses on, I drew from the manuscript “The Secret History of the Mongols.” It is thought to have been written about the year 1240, after Genghis Khan’s death. It’s composed in an epic poem style. Think of the Odyssey. Something like that. It chronicles the story of Genghis Khan and his exploits and struggles as he united the steppe tribes into one nation. How much of Secret History is fact will never be known, although there are numerous characters and events which are accepted as historically accurate.
As for putting down the story in book form? Much of the book contains historical events which I enhanced with action and dialogue, conflict, tension, resolution and narrative progression. Just as much contains invented scenes to round out the story and fill in the gaps, as you put it. As I explain in my “Note to Readers,” the book is part fact, part fiction and part legend.
It is a remarkable story, and I had a lot of fun writing it. The important character who must be mentioned is Borte, Temujin’s wife. The book is especially the story of their marriage and partnership. Without her guidance, the Empire would likely not have come about.
Fascinating how the sable coat caused conflict and resulted in a kidnapping. I'm looking forward to your book. Is there a lot of extant writing for events of that time period or are you having to fill in a lot of gaps for the purposes of your story?
Thank you, Cynthia, for your nice comments.
The Mongols left no pre-Empire records. They were a nomadic society with no written language. Temujin (Genghis Khan) ordered a written language to be developed for his native Mongol tongue shortly before he and his wife, Borte, conquered and then united the Mongol tribes into the Mongolian Empire in 1206. That is the short answer.
There is a large body of scholarship available for the period after 1206, mostly from China, Persia, Central Asia and Europe. For the pre-Empire years, which is the period my book focuses on, I drew from the manuscript “The Secret History of the Mongols.” It is thought to have been written about the year 1240, after Genghis Khan’s death. It’s composed in an epic poem style. Think of the Odyssey. Something like that. It chronicles the story of Genghis Khan and his exploits and struggles as he united the steppe tribes into one nation. How much of Secret History is fact will never be known, although there are numerous characters and events which are accepted as historically accurate.
As for putting down the story in book form? Much of the book contains historical events which I enhanced with action and dialogue, conflict, tension, resolution and narrative progression. Just as much contains invented scenes to round out the story and fill in the gaps, as you put it. As I explain in my “Note to Readers,” the book is part fact, part fiction and part legend.
It is a remarkable story, and I had a lot of fun writing it. The important character who must be mentioned is Borte, Temujin’s wife. The book is especially the story of their marriage and partnership. Without her guidance, the Empire would likely not have come about.
There you have it. I am so happy you asked!
Thank you for your detailed response. I’m glad you’re writing a story set in an interesting time of history.