What the History of Genghis Khan

The Mongol Empire went on to become the largest contiguous empire in history, stretching from the Pacific Ocean to eastern Europe

He launched a daring rescue of Borte after she too was kidnapped, and he soon began making alliances, building a reputation as a warrior and attracting a growing number of followers.

As well as modern day Mongolia, Khan’s empire included most of China, Korea, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Afghanistan, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Georgia, Turkmenistan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and some parts of Russia.

Most of what we know about Genghis Khan’s childhood comes from “The Secret History of the Mongols,”

Genghis Khan believed the strength of a man was defined by the children he left behind. He had thousands of women within his harem and fathered children with many of them.

the oldest known work of Mongolian history and literature, which was written soon after his death.

Around 8% of men from Asia are his descendants. This Mongol lineage is known for men because the common DNA is within the Y-chromosome.

Going against custom, Temujin put competent allies rather than relatives in key positions and executed the leaders of enemy tribes while incorporating the remaining members into his clan.

Khan's armies may have slaughtered more people than Joseph Stalin and Adolf Hitler's combined. His military campaigns sometimes involved eliminating an entire civilian population. As many as 40 million people were killed under his rule

He ordered that all looting wait until after a complete victory had been won,

On Genghis Khan’s order, he was buried in an unmarked grave at an unknown location in Mongolia. In order to conceal the location, his funeral escort executed everyone in their path.

he organized his warriors into units of 10 without regard to kin. Though Temujin was an animist,

According to legend, Khan requested that a river be diverted over his grave so that he would never be disturbed. This followed the custom of burial for ancient leaders such as Gilgamesh and Attila the Hun.

his followers included Christians, Muslims and Buddhists.

Surprisingly, Khan promoted religious tolerance and was interested in the philosophies of other cultures. He studied Islam, Buddhism, Taoism, and Christianity. When he attempted to befriend Persia, he sent a Muslim emissary.

By 1205 he had vanquished all rivals, including his former best friend Jamuka.

Genghis Khan also supported ethnic diversity within his empire, allowing people from other cultures to administer his cities. The Mongolians lacked experience for this task, given their nomadic roots.

The following year, he called a meeting of representatives from every part of the territory and established a nation similar in size to modern Mongolia.

Women were also well respected in the Mongolian Empire, with Töregene Khatun ruling as regent for 5 years after the death of Genghis’ son, Ögedei.

Genghis Khan modernized Mongolian culture by adopting the Uyghur script as a writing system and by creating the Yassa code of law.

He was also proclaimed Chinggis Khan, which roughly translates to “Universal Ruler,” a name that became known in the West as Genghis Khan.

Having united the steppe tribes, Genghis Khan ruled over some 1 million people

Before he united Mongolia, the plains were occupied by nomadic tribes including the Tatars, Keraits, Mongols, Merkits, and Naimans. Khan belonged to one of the Mongol tribes. The Chinese Jin dynasty used to periodically switch their support between the tribes to ensure that none attained superiority. This made the Jin dynasty one of Khan’s first targets

n order to suppress the traditional causes of tribal warfare, he abolished inherited aristocratic titles.

Genghis Khan’s birth name was Temujin, which was the name of a powerful warlord defeated by his chieftain father, Yesugei.