Chapter 10, The Empire of Illusion, Epilogue, The Eternal Spirit of Genghis Khan Summary and Analysis

In the end, it was the bubonic plague that destroyed the Mongol Empire. The plague originated in China and was carried throughout the known world through their trade routes. Seventy-five million people died worldwide, and as a result, commerce and communication broke down. Europe, Persia, Russia and China were now by themselves. The Golden Family could no longer communicate and newly outnumbered Mongol ruling families began to assimilate into their surrounding culture. In China, the Mongols turned to Tibetan Buddhism and their international monetary system broke down. The Mongols of the Persian Ilkhanate disappeared and the Chinese Khans fell to the Ming dynasty. The Mongols returned to their nomadic lives prior to conquest. The Turkic Mongols dissolved into their...