Genghis Kan is one of history’s greatest leaders and conquerors. He rose to power with brilliance and determination, regardless of how outmatched. He was able to control large swathes of the globe, and thus create the biggest land empire.
Genghis Kahn’s birthname was Temujin. It meant iron in his home language. Temujin was the son of a powerful Mongolian father in 1162. Temujin, however, was still a young teenager when his father died. He introduced Temujin’s father to Borte his future wife. Together they would have a child. Temujin was unable to provide for his family, Borte, and their children. Temujin was made the head of his family after his father’s death. Borte proposed to Temujin. The marriage established an alliance between Borte’s tribe and Temujin. This was the first step Temujin made to unify all Mongolian tribes. Borte got married to Temujin shortly thereafter. The Merkit Tribe captured her and Temujin realized that he must get Borte back. He went to other tribes for help, but his clan wasn’t strong enough to do it. Toghrul Kahn was the first chieftain to whom he traveled. Toghrul was a powerful, elderly, and peaceful man. Temujin and Toghrul Khan were good friends. Temujin even considered Toghrul to be his godfather. Toghrul was influenced by this relationship and agreed to assist Borte in his return. As they began to return Borte, Temujin was given full control over all Toghrul forces. Temujin led the forces that attacked the Merkit camp and destroyed it. His wife returned home after he had left.
Many tribes believed that Temujin was too powerful after he became an ally with Toghrul. The Taijutsu clan and Tartars were two of the two that decided to attack Genghis. Genghis was not far from his Keratis tribe ally. Temujin heard from his scouts one day as he was walking through the prairies. Temujin seemed to be in despair. But, he devised a brilliant plan that would save them all. He established his army in a valley. His army had enough bows to deter the enemy as they charged. Temujin took part in a cavalry ride that toured around the army of enemy soldiers during the charge by the Tartars. This was done to allow him to attack the enemy’s rear. The enemy was massacred by the cavalry, and they fled the battlefield. This defeat spread the word about Temujin’s brilliant leadership skills on the steppes.
Temujin became a respected military leader on the steppes. So many tribes sought his assistance. Temujin led the formation of one great clan from Mongolia’s eastern clans to defeat the Keratis. He quickly led the army of giants across Mongolia in a surprise attack on his enemy. He defeated the Keratis with his perfect plan. He asked his enemies to join his tribe, rather than following his tradition and killing them. This idea was key to Temujin gaining vast territory and unifying Mongolia. Temujin’s army and he traveled across the steppes unifying all the Mongolian tribes in order to create a united country. He called the most powerful Mongolian men to create a council after he had accomplished this incredible feat. Temujin thought one leader would be necessary to ensure the survival of the tribes. As you would expect, Temujin got elected Khan of these various tribes. They named him Genghis Khan which is the Great Khan.
Genghis Kan, formerly Temujin’s son, and his army set out to seek more supplies. His generals were sent out to the fields of Mongolia by Genghis Khan during this period to obtain many valuable items. They brought back spoil, weapons, herds, and oxen. Orphaned children were also to be raised by the Mongolian mothers. Genghis also reaffirmed his earlier ideal of allowing his soldiers to join him before killing them. This ideal allowed Genghis to conquests to obtain supplies and greatly increased the army’s size. He was now able to afford some comfort and had sufficient supplies. He was trusted by the people he ruled because they could now enjoy a happy and joyful life.
Genghis Khan, along with his men, decided to ride up the Great Wall and begin an attack against the rest. Genghis knew that the wall would be difficult to penetrate. His men rode up and down this wall for many months to make it seem like the Mongols were not planning to attack. The Mongols were planning to attack all the time. The Great Wall of China guards were taken by surprise when the Mongols attacked. The Mongols were able erect a Great Wall and enter Western China, which was ruled the Western Xia dynasty.
The Western Xia dynasty saw a civil war and a weak government. The Mongols quickly advanced on the Xia dynasty before they reached their capital of Yinchuan. The two-month-long siege of their capital was unsuccessful. The Mongols didn’t have the necessary siege equipment to demolish the city’s strong walls. Genghis Chan then led a slow retreat from his city, seeming to have lost hope in his conquest. The people of Yinchuan were delighted and opened their gates.
The Mongols decided to act after two days of riding. The Mongols turned around their horses and started to pedal at full speed towards Yinchuan. The Mongols managed a feat of retaking the city’s ground in just one night. Despite not being able completely to destroy the Western Xia Dynasty’s larger army, they were able a number of people in the city. They were also successful in removing some of city’s crops. After another month under siege, Emperor of Western Xia dynasty surrendered to Genghis Khan and Mongols.
While this was Genghis Khan’s first rule, it led him to an even bigger invasion of the Jin dynasty, Cathay, north China. Genghis Khan, who was the Northern Chinese ruler, wrote to the Golden Emperor a letter after the Mongols invaded Cathay. It said, “My dominion is now so well organized, that I can travel to Cathay. Is the Golden Empire available to welcome us? We will bring an army that is roaring like an ocean and we’ll stay until we win or lose.” Genghis Khin sent the letter, even though it contained fewer men than his Golden Emperor. The letter sent by Genghis Khan shocked the Emperor and caused him to panic.
The Mongols arrived with four armies. They made a mess of Cathay by deploying four armies and destroyed the countryside, killing many livestock and forcing hundreds to flee the cities. Each armies would also surround the enemy’s army to make it appear larger than it actually was. The Mongol invasion quickly scared the Northern Chinese people. They were also suffering from a famine due to the invasion of Genghis Khan’s army. Cathay’s nobles became extremely scared and killed their emperor. They then placed another emperor in control. HsuanTsung, the new Emperor, fled his capital and shocked the people. Genghis Kan won Zhongdu’s control and the people finally gave up.
Genghis began to accumulate his democratic wealth during the long-lasting war against the Cathays. He began trading with Muslims in western Asia, and began frequent dealings with them. One day, a Mongol caravan for trade was taken by Muslims. Genghis sent two diplomats to resolve the matter peacefully. Shah Ala ad-Din Muhammad Shah Ala ad-Din Muhammad, leader of Khwarezmian dynasty didn’t appreciate this gesture. Instead of reacting calmly, he decided that he would send back Genghis’ diplomatic heads. This angered Genghis Khan, who decided to send back the heads of the diplomats that Genghis had sent. Genghis Kan organized his army in Tumens. Each tumen contained 10,000 men and was led by a particular general. Chepe Noyon (or Subotai) are two of the most prominent generals. These two men were trusted individuals by Genghis Kahn and were frequently sent out with armies to conquer lands. Chepe Noyon und Subotai were part a large army, which included many Lumens. These men amounted hundreds of thousands.
Genghis seized this army and quickly rose toward Central Asia. Shah Ala ad-Din was very concerned about the attack on an eastern front. After Genghis Khan and Genghis Khan had returned with their scouts, Shah Ala ad-Din fled from the city where he was living to escape. Otrar was where the Mongol army first arrived. Otrar was where the governor robbed and took the Mongol trade caravan.
Genghis Khan seized this city as it wasn’t heavily fortified when he arrived in the city. The governor was found by Genghis Khan, and he set fire to him. Many of the inhabitants were also killed. The Khwarezmian town of Bukhara was next for the army. The horror spread quickly after they arrived. Genghis Khan conquered the army and killed the remaining soldiers in the city. The great Khan killed all living things within the city of Bukhara after defeating the enemy troops. He instructed his soldiers to remove the heads of all animals, including children and women.
He then went to Samarkand, the capital. In this city, the cruel punishment he used was even more severe. After conquering Samarkand, he made every citizen stand in front of a field. He executed all the citizens who were found in the field. Genghis Kan eventually took down the Shah’s forever fleeing. But the Mongols couldn’t kill the Shah. He fled to an island and died of illness. Genghis Kan used these deadly tactics to inflict fear upon his enemies. Additionally, Genghis Khan used this cruel tactic to create fear in his enemies.
After this conquest and the journey it took, Temujin returned to his homeland to lead a peaceful life. He established a code for law while governing his people. This code was known as the Yassa. It remained with Mongolia for many decades after Genghis’s death. Although the yassa was a general law code, it had three main focuses. The first was to worship the great khan. Genghis Kan had received this while he rose to power. Second, the binding Mongol Tribes together. One of his greatest achievements was the binding of Mongol tribes together. It would be difficult for you to understand. You wouldn’t understand. He didn’t use his power to achieve it. He remained true to his ideals, even though he was the leader of one of the smallest Mongolian tribes. The Yassa also advocated harsh and severe punishments for those who had wronged others. Genghis’s fear of the Yassa was something he had believed all his life. His fear enabled him to conquer every piece of land he had control over. Yassa also stated that there is only one God, the army must be organized and all men must work or serve in the army. This law helped to keep the empire happy and prosperous. It also kept the citizens and people in line. A harsh penalty for crimes meant that they couldn’t do wrong. The death penalty was used for most crimes. This was common during Genghis Chan’s reign.
Genghis Kan attacked Cathay after it was repelled in 1226. The Jin and Western Xia dynasties from China allied with one another and attempted to overthrow the Mongol army. Genghis Khin’s army decimated the allied forces. The Mongols invaded Cathay, decimating every city on their way to the capital. Genghis Kan decided to follow one main principle once he had reached the capital. To ensure that they never rose to power again, he ordered the executions of all the royal families.
1227 was the year of Genghis Khan’s death. Every source will differ on the manner in which he died. According to one source Genghis Chan was killed by his horse while he was hunting. He died from injuries sustained over the next days. Another source claims Genghis Kan died in Tului’s arms. According to this story, Genghis Khan died after contracting a disease that slowly drained his health until he eventually died. Some sources also state that he died of injuries suffered in the battle against Xia dynasty. Genghis Kan’s tomb, which he had left behind, was not discovered because the Mongol thumbs didn’t bear the names for the fallen.
The empire was ruled by Genghis Khan’s grandsons and sons after his death. After Genghis’s passing, the empire grew. The empire’s land spanned from Eastern Europe to the sea of Japan to the east. His grandson Kublai Khan ruled the lands of Kiev, Russia, and the South.
Genghis Khan’s legacy has endured for over 900 year. Although he was born into a poor family, he worked hard to make it through his childhood.
After he became a commander of his own army, it was possible to unify Mongolia and take control of China and Central Asia. This made him one of the greatest leaders, conquerors and emperors the world ever saw.
