The Horde by Marie Favereau: Mongol Exchange and Environmental Change
The Horde by Marie Favereau: Mongol Exchange and Environmental Change

Summary/Abstract: Marie Favereau’s The Horde unravels the intricate and often overlooked history of the Horde (Ulus Jochi), a formidable nomadic regime that emerged from the Mongol Empire’s expansive conquests in the thirteenth century. The Horde was a dynamic and adaptive power that shaped vast territories in modern-day Eastern Europe (especially Russia and Ukraine), Central Asia and the Caucasus for three centuries. Favereau’s work invites readers to explore this complex entity that has remained shrouded in historical obscurity, overshadowed by the more extensively documented brotherly realms of the Ilkhanate and the Yuan dynasty. Favereau’s up-to-date research in this book succeeds in joining the internal dynamics of the Horde with its broader geopolitical significance. The author argues convincingly that the Horde was not merely a satellite of the Mongol Empire but rather an influential player in Eurasian trade and politics. It adapted to changing circumstances, leveraging its unique position to control critical trade routes and foster economic exchange across a vast network that spanned the continent of Eurasia and even beyond, to the Mamluk Sultanate in North Africa. The book’s portrayal of the Horde as an active agent in the “Mongol exchange” reshapes our understanding of global interconnectedness during this period. One of the book’s strengths lies in its commitment to utilizing indigenous concepts and terminologies such as ulus (people) and saraï (sedentary cities) or khan (ruler) and beg (nomadic leader) to explore the Horde’s identity. By foregrounding these terms, the Horde is presented from an insider’s perspective, revealing how its leaders navigated their distinct cultural and political landscape. This approach also underscores the fluidity of identity within the Horde—how it embraced various religious and linguistic influences, while maintaining a strong nomadic cultural core.

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