I lack a good picture relevant to the steppe nomads in my personal collection, a reality that suitably compliments my point that any reader of history should not underestimate their importance to medieval history and to any history of civilization.

Perhaps my picture suggests the importance of the herds to the nomadic hordes, but I fear, for example, that it does not adequately signal the impressive competence of Genghis Khan as well as many of his sons, grandsons, and generals. Both the size and longevity of the empire, or empires, they built demonstrate their capacity for learning from their encounters with their enemies.

Christian fear toward and hatred of pagans as well as more modern skin-color racism causes many Western readers to overlook the importance of the civilized polities on the other ends of the trade routes known as the Silk Road. If you look past the terrifying image of a horde of brutal horse archers destroying armies and pillaging cities, you can see the grand narratives behind the wave of destruction.

Judged on the number of victories alone, Genghis Khan and, in particular, Subutai (also spelled Subotai and Subedei, by some authors) ranked among the greatest commanders in human history. And Mongol tactics indisputably influenced the development of modern mobile warfare. I’d argue that anybody interested in military history should study Subutai’s and Jebe’s initial long-range reconnaissance into Europe as well as the campaigns which followed it.

Other activity in the realms of legal codes, communication systems, assimilationist practices, and gender roles possibly influenced the course of Western development but certainly offer a writer much room to maneuver in the creation of fictional nomadic societies.

The overview of the Mongol military in James Chambers’s book was extremely useful, and so were the many cultural details in Harl’s and McLynn’s books. My secondary world contains three large groups of nomads, and I drew heavily upon the Mongols for my southern nomads, the most powerful group.

Here are a few of the books that I’ve found to be useful:

James Chambers, The Devil’s Horsemen: The Mongol Invasion of Europe

Marie Favereau, The Horde: How the Mongols Changed the World

Richard A. Gabriel, Genghis Khan’s Greatest General: Subotai the Valiant

Leo de Hartog, Genghis Khan: Conqueror of the World

Erik Hildinger, Warriors of the Steppe: A Military History of Central Asia, 500 B.C. to 1700 A.D.

Frank McLynn, Genghis Khan: His Conquests, His Empire, His Legacy

Jack Weatherford, Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World