A Thousand Years of the Tartars Author:PARKER, E. H. Parker From the Kegan Paul classic collection, this is the definitive history of the Tartars up to the conquests of Ghengis Khan as seen by the Chinese, using original Chinese histories. Beginning with the first Chinese references to the nomads "whose country was on the back of a horse," Professor Parker traces the rise and fall of the seven great Tart... more »ar empires who fought the Chinese for control of North China for a thousand years. Here are to be found the best accounts of the adventurous warriors and bannermen whose proud traditions were passed down to their Manchu descendents, the last rulers of imperial China. Famous battles, ingenious military strategies, dynastic struggles, ritual sacrifices, royal intrigues, and the rivalries of the Tartar harems are described in detail, as is the Tartar way of life, in which children were taught to ride from infancy and to believe that force was their only law. With a full index and five maps, this is a key work for readers interested in the early history of Eurasia and in a legendary people who remain a subject of enduring fascination.« less