Genghis Khan is one of the most powerful and successful military leaders in history. He organized the Mongols and other tribes of the Steppes into one of the strongest military forces in the history of the world, one that would ultimately conquer the continent of Asia and rule over the largest land empire Earth has ever known.

Temujin

Genghis Khan was born with the name Temujin around the year 1162. The actual year of his birth is unknown. His father was Yesukhei, Khan (chief, ruler) of the Kiyad. However his father was murdered when he was in his early teens, and Temujin lost everything, his tribe abandoning him.

Living a life of poverty, Temujin married Borte of the Kerkirat tribe when he was 16. The Merkit tribe soon stole her, however. Borte was eventually returned to him several months later. The stealing of wives was common practice among the Mongols, and Temujin would remember this incident later in his life when he would bring an end to this practice.

As he grew into adulthood, Temujin allied himself with a friend of his father, Ong Khan. Ong Khan saw the potential in Temujin, especially after the campaign against the Tartars of the west in which Temujin faired exceedingly well. Ong Khan decided to adopt Temujin and make him his heir.

This move angered Senggum, son of Ong Khan, who had hoped to be his successor. Senggum attempted to assassinate Temujin, but Temujin learned of this and defeated him and his supporters in battle.

During his life Ong Khan had been building a coalition of Mongols and other tribes of the Steppes. Temujin assisted him greatly in this, and after Ong Khan’s death Temujin became khan of this new coalition.

Genghis Khan

After Ong Khan’s death, Temujin continued to unite the tribes. In 1206 the entire Mongol world was under his control. But Temujin would not stop there. Now in his early forties, he saw an even greater destiny for himself and for the Mongols he ruled. He renamed himself Genghis Khan, which means Lord of the Earth, and began his quest to conquer the world.

Although we today generally view him as a barbarian, Genghis Khan actually did much to civilize the Mongols. His biggest accomplishment in this arena was the development of a written language for the Mongols, as well as the development of a written code of laws.

The Armies of Genghis Khan

The keys of the Mongols’ successes were mobility and discipline. Genghis Khan created an army of incredible organization and discipline, unlike any before seen in Mongolia. Composed primarily of cavalry archers, they could move with amazing speed and essentially outmaneuver any opponent.

Genghis Khan also recognized the importance of military intelligence. He crafted a powerful network of spies so that he would always know the movements of his enemies. While no one could ever be completely sure of exactly where Genghis Khan and his armies were, he always knew exactly where everyone else was.

Genghis Khan also realized that while his armies were unbeatable on the battlefield, cavalry would not be able to take a walled city. He developed his own technology of siege warfare, creating catapults and other siege machines that could be moved easily and built rapidly on the field of battle. This would assist him greatly in his conquest of China and the rest of Asia.

China

The Mongols had always raided the Chinese from time to time, but under Genghis Khan they would not only raid but also conquer. It was only natural that the Chines, enemies of the Mongols for so long would be the first part of their world conquest.

Starting in 1206 the Mongols invaded northern China, ruled by the Tangut. They were north of the Great Wall, and the province was made up mostly of farmers and herders. Genghis fought their armies for four years, finally in 1210 being declared the ruler of the province.

After conquering the province, the Chin in Beijing sent a delegation to Genghis Khan, declaring that he must submit to them as their vassal and pay tribute. Rather than submit, Genghis Khan and his armies invaded. For six years they fought, until the Chin finally gave in to Genghis Khan and submitted to him, paying tribute. Northern China completely belonged to the Mongols.

Central Asia

Genghis Khan left Beijing in the control of one of his generals and returned to his capitol at Karakorum. While there he sent a trade caravan to the Khwarezmian Empire, a newly formed empire between Persia and Afghanistan.

The sultan of this empire, Ala-ad-Din Muhammed, claimed that there were spies in the caravan. Genghis Khan sent envoys to respond to this accusation. The sultan killed the chief of the envoys and burned the beards of the others, which was a grave insult.

Genghis Khan responded by invading. The Khwarezmian armies were no match for his incredibly disciplined cavalry archers, and the empire fell in 1221.

One story of this conflict tells of the Caliph in Baghdad, ruler of the long-lived Abbassid Empire, sending Genghis Khan a group of European prisoners from the Crusades to assist in the conquest as he was an enemy of Ala-ad-Din Muhammed. Genghis Khan felt he had no need for the Europeans and freed them, allowing them to return home.

After conquering the Khwarezmian Empire, Genghis Khan sent armies further to the west, coming to Russia and Armenia in Eastern Europe. The armies conquered, as always, and by the time of his death in 1227 Genghis Khan had an empire spanning the entire Asian continent, from the Caspian Sea to the Pacific Ocean.  He had created an army that was undefeated in battle during his lifetime, and would remain undefeated for years to come.

The Conquests of Genghis Khan

Before invading, Genghis Khan always offered his enemies a chance of peace. This chance was rarely taken, however, and when invading Genghis Khan and his armies fought mercilessly.

The Mongols were not completely barbaric, however. Although they would rape and pillage any city they conquered, Genghis Khan would make sure to spare the merchants as well as the artisans of the cities. He believed strongly in trade, and thought it was the most important part of his empire. He would have the artisans, architects and the like rebuild the cities he had conquered, and attempt to make them even more beautiful than they had been before.

One of the most important impacts of Genghis Khan and his Mongol Empire was its effect upon the Silk Road. For centuries the Silk Road had gone out of use, too dangerous for merchants to travel. Under Genghis Khan almost the entire Silk Road came under the control of the Mongols, and he protected the trade routes so that it could once more be used to trade between the east and the west. Two generations after Genghis Khan, Marco Polo of Italy would travel the full length of the Silk Road into China, and write of his travels there.

After Genghis Khan

The Mongol Empire did not end with Genghis Khan’s death. His successors would push the empire even further, raiding Europe, destroying the Abbassid Empire and conquering the entirety of China. The Mongol Empire would last until the death of Kublai Khan in 1294, when it began to break up. Mongol control would continue for centuries in parts, however, and their impact would be felt for even longer.