Genghis Khan and the Quest for God

How the World's Greatest Conqueror Gave Us Religious Freedom

By: Jack Weatherford

Narrated by: Mark Bramhall

A landmark biography by the New York Times best-selling author of Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World that reveals how Genghis harnessed the power of religion to rule the largest empire the world has ever known.

Throughout history the world’s greatest conquerors have made their mark not just on the battlefield, but in the societies they have transformed. Genghis Khan conquered by arms and bravery, but he ruled by commerce and religion. He created the world’s greatest trading network and drastically lowered taxes for merchants, but he knew that if his empire was going to last, he would need something stronger and more binding than trade. He needed religion. And so, unlike the Christian, Taoist and Muslim conquerors who came before him, he gave his subjects freedom of religion. Genghis lived in the 13th century, but he struggled with many of the same problems we face today: How should one balance religious freedom with the need to reign in fanatics? Can one compel rival religions - driven by deep seated hatred - to live together in peace?

A celebrated anthropologist whose best-selling Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World radically transformed our understanding of the Mongols and their legacy, Jack Weatherford has spent18 years exploring areas of Mongolia closed until the fall of the Soviet Union and researching The Secret History of the Mongols, an astonishing document written in code that was only recently discovered. He pored through archives and found groundbreaking evidence of Genghis’s influence on the founding fathers and his essential impact on Thomas Jefferson. Genghis Khan and the Quest for God is a masterpiece of erudition and insight, his most personal and resonant work.

©2016 Jack Weatherford (P)2016 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"An engrossing history that sheds further light on a figure the West has long regarded as the ultimate barbarian." (Booklist)

"Weatherford's study of 13th-century Mongolia reveals how Genghis harnessed the power of religion to rule the largest empire the world has ever known, and draws parallels to religious extremism today." (Publisher's Weekly, Top 10 History Titles)

"Weatherford tells the gripping story of how a man rose from nothing to control almost all the known world. That the Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan, the ultimate self-made man, was also the founder of religious liberty is only one of many surprises in this well-researched and well-written book." (Andrew Roberts, author of Napoleon)

Really Good

This history is so rich. Amazing how so little has changed. Bring back the great Khan..

A very interesting take on Genghis Khan legacy

The unexpected influence of Genghis khan on future societies including the USA was really insightful

Intriguing History

This is a thorough and engaging history of the life and works of Genghis Khan, as well as his spiritual journey. The argument that he gave religious freedom to the world is tantalizing, but a little thin.

Truth and research

For the first time I read about the great accomplishes by Chingis Khan in a truthful manner

be fitting of a great leader and world's biggest c

befitting of world's greatest conqueror. first half of this book was repeat of his earlier book on great khan though.

Educational and Entertaining

Another great work by the author. I was a bit lost as he gave information in the final chapters about the descendents of Genghis, but he tied it in quite nicely in the end.

Surprisingly inspiring

I don't know why but this book made Ghengis Khan a very endearing person for me. He truly was a force to be reckoned with, and not just in conquest, doing much benevolent and constantly searching for knowledge.

The other story read them both

This version tells of different battles and conquests and successfully links the mongols to our first amendment and shows how East and west have been co-mingling for ever.

Absolutely amazing

I felt like a learned something new and stunning in every single page of this book. History isn’t at all what they’ve taught us in western school. Well written and mind blowing

Fascinating history

The time, place and geography of the story of the Mongol leader Genghis Khan and his successors is truly incredible. An edict of religious toleration was promulgated by Genghis Khan around the same time as the Magna Carta in England… Amazing!