Diane Wolff

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Great Video: The Mongol Invasion of Medieval Russia

In a brilliant campaign headquartered in a vast camp in the steppes, Batu Khan attacks Kiev and burns the Church of the Virgin to the Ground. He defeats the Russian princes and becomes the Khan of All the Russias.

The Silk Road Series: The Heirs of Chinggis Khan

Narrative History

Batu. Khan of the Golden Horde: The Mongol Khans Conquer Russia

Russian history is strangely silent on the subject of the conquest of Russia by the Mongol Empire. This book reveals the true story and the reason why Russian history is silent. It is the story of Batu Khan, grandson of Chinggis Khan (Genghis Khan}, who formed an alliance with the Supreme Khan's favorite daughter-in-law, the Princess Sorghagtani, to put her sons on the throne.

Marco Polo's World

Why was Marco Polo called a liar by the citizens of Venice when he returned after his stay of almost two decades at the court of Khubilai Khan?

Coming Soon! A new work of historical fiction, Cobalt Blue: Marco Polo in Dadu.

Inspired by Marco's position in Khubilai Khan's government after Khubilai Khan united China into one country. It had taken three generations, beginning in the time of Genghis Khan. Khubilai Khan did not wish to treat the South as a conquered people, but as the return of long lost brothers. Marco was assigned a position and was to bring evidence to Khubilai Khan of the corruption of villainous ministers who robbed the Song tombs after Khubilai had given a promise that they were not to be disturbed.

But Khubilai Khan had problems. The empire handed to him was vast, but it was cracking up and his relatives, jealous of the importance of China, were breaking away. His dream of universal rule was disappearing. Khubilai entered his King Lear period and he was getting depressed.

His son, the Heir Apparent Jinggim, was worried about him, and Marco was a friend of the son. Marco soon entered into a plot againt the villainous Minister of Finance, Ahmad. Khubilai had so many projects of public works, observatories, civil engineering and the building of a fleet to invade Japan by sea, that he had an insatiable need for revenue.

Marco Polo, who had traveled widely in the Middle East, comes up with a plan. Khubilai invests and a secret project takes place in a workshop in the Dadu, the new Imperial Palace. What was Marco's idea? This is the story of Cobalt Blue.

The project is a success. Khubilai offers Marco a marriage to a noblewoman and a post at court, but Marco decides to return to Venice. The stories of China arouse disbelief. It cannot be so fabulous, the citizens say. But it was. On his deathbed, asked to recant, Marco says he has not told half of what he saw.

Taifun: Khubilai Khan Invades Japan by Sea

Why would a man born to the horse take to the sea? Why did the boy Shogun refuse to submit to the man who unified China? Why did Khubilai Khan become obsessed with forcing the submission of Japan?

An Offer He Couldn't Refuse: A Man of Letters in a Military Government

This is the story of the relationship between a military genius who brought the nomad tribes of the steppes under his banner and the greatest statesman of the empire that he conquered, the Jin Empire of North China. It is the story of the civilizing of the khan.

Il-Khan: Why Hulegu Khan Destroyed the Assassins and the Caliphate

Why did the Mongol Emperor give Orders of Submission to the Caliph of Baghdad? This volume reconstructs the story from the contemporary Muslim historians Juvaini and Rashid al-Din.

Diplomat: Queen Sorghagtani in Khara Khorum

The European friar sent by the Pope of Rome to the Mongol court described Princess Sorghagtani as the most remarkable woman of her age. She was an excellent judge of people, well-connected and well-respected. When her husband died, she turned her attention to the careers of her sons instead of making a royal marriage. She moved to China, where she supported the return to normalcy after a quarter century of war.

She had watched her father-in-law build the empire. She was not about to let the house of Ogodei destroy it.

Her story illuminates one of the most brilliant political careers of all time. This is Game of Thrones in Asia, only the story is for real.

Standalone Stories

Young Readers FREE DOWNLOAD!

Chinese Writing: An Introduction

How to look at the Chinese language. How to make sense of it. How to understand the styles of Chinese calligraphy. Illustrated with photos of masterpieces of calligraphy in the four styles. Photos: collection C. C. Wang, modern Chinese painting master. Winner of the American Library Associations Most Notable Book Award in the year of its publication.

Blog

Chinese Maritime Buildup Increases Tensions over the Senkaku Islands

September 30, 2016

Tags: Senkakus, East China Sea

Here's a capsule explanation of what's going on in the East China Sea. This territorial dispute is one of the flashpoints in the region, since the Japanese insist on making ports of call.

Here's a link to an image that focuses on the China/Japan territorial dispute. There are other conflicting claims in the region.

https://goo.gl/images/KMbTBk

In 2012, the Japanese government bought three of five islands from a private family. Japanese vessels regularly patrol the sea, off the coast of Okinawa. The Japanese and the Chinese government have disputed claims to the islands.

The Chinese call them the Diaoyu Islands. Dispute over them has been going on since the 1970s.
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