Allsen Thomas T. Mongol Imperialism: The Policies of the Grand Qan Möngke in China, Russia, and the Islamic Lands, 1251-1259

University of California Press, 1987. — 278 p.Based on his doctoral dissertation, Thomas T. Allsen evaluates the reign of Khubilai's elder brother & immediate predecessor, Grand Khan Möngke. The focus is on how Möngke mobilized the resources of the enormous empire in a coherent, sustainable way, while keeping the many local khanates (like the Golden Horde) under his personal control.