Background

Why He’s Important to HWH

• Genghis Khan (1165-1227)

• Chinggis Khan
• During his lifetime, he conquered more territory than any other conqueror,
and his successors established the largest contiguous empire in history.
• Even today his legacy continues in Asia, for without Genghis Khan
there would not be a Mongolia.
• Born to the noble family of Yesugei (father) and Ho'elun (mother), Genghis
Khan was first called Temuchin.
• At an early age, he was engaged to Borte who belonged to another tribe.
• After leaving Temuchin with Borte's family, his father Yesugei was returning
to his own camp when he was poisoned by Tatars.
• After his father died, Temuchin returned to his family, still a boy.
• According to the primary source of information on Temuchin's life, The
Secret History of the Mongols, he endured many hardships, including the
kidnapping of his wife Borte, but slowly recruited supporters and assumed a
veil of leadership among the Mongols.
• After rising to power in 1185, Temuchin experienced numerous setbacks and,
eventually, victories.
• A key to his success was an alliance with his father's anda, or blood brother,
Toghril Ong-Khan, Khan or King of the Keraits, which were another tribe.
• With Toghril's support, Temuchin recovered Borte and slowly became the top
power in the prairie.
• Eventually, relations between Temuchin and Toghril soured and led to a war
that left Temuchin victorious.
• By 1206 Temuchin dominated Mongolia and received the title Genghis Khan
(thought to mean Oceanic Ruler or Firm, Resolute Ruler).
• Although Genghis Khan now ruled Mongolia and had united the various tribes
into one tribe (the Mongols), he was not content to remain there.
• However, as with most wars, there was never a single reason; and, certainly,
a variety of factors came into play.
• In 1207, the Mongols began operations against Xi-Xia, which included much
of northwestern China and parts of Tibet.
• This campaign lasted until 1210 with the Xi-Xia ruler surrendering to Genghis
Khan.
• During this period, the Uighurs also surrendered peacefully to the Mongols
and became valued administrators throughout the empire.
• In 1211, after a great meeting, Genghis Khan led his armies against the Chin
Dynasty that ruled northern China.
• War continued against the Chin until 1234, well after Genghis Khan's death.
• In 1219 a caravan under the protection of Genghis Khan had been massacred
in Otrar, a city of the Khwarazm Empire, which consisted of all or parts of
modern Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan.
• With his armies engaged in China, Genghis Khan attempted to find a peaceful
solution, but Muhammad Khwarazmshah, the ruler of the Khwarazm Empire,
forced the issue, unaware of the might of Genghis Khan.
• After the execution and humiliation of his messengers, Genghis Khan left a
trusted general, Muqali, to battle the Chin while he led an army to central
Asia.
• Mongol armies had clashed with those of Khwarazm earlier in 1218 when
Genghis Khan's son Jochi and a general (Jebe) completed the conquest of
Qara-Kitai, which was to the northeast of Khwarazm.
• From 1219 to 1222, the Mongols started a war in central Asia and destroyed
the Khwarazmian Empire.
• Striking from several directions, Genghis Khan-accompanied by his four sons:
Jochi, Ogodei, Chaghatai, and Tolui-carried out a battle that remains
strategically remarkable.
• Though a few Khwarazmian princes escaped, the defeat was complete; but
Genghis Khan still had a matter of revenge to settle.
• The ruler of Xi-Xia, who had surrendered in 1210, had not provided troops for
the campaign.
• Although this act of rebellion gravely insulted Genghis Khan, for the time
being the defeat of Muhammad Khwarazmshah was much more important.
After the conquest of the Khwarazmian Empire, however, Genghis Khan
turned his armies once again against Xi Xia.
• In 1226, his armies invaded Xi-Xia.
• During the campaign against Xi-Xia, Genghis Khan fell from his horse when it
was startled while the emperor was hunting.
• Although he eventually died from internal injuries as a result of the fall, he did
not allow his followers to halt the campaign. They continued the siege of the
capital of Xi-Xia even after his death.
• When the conquest was complete, Genghis Khan was buried in a secret
location that remains a mystery although several modern expeditions have
attempted to find it.
• Even today the legacy of Genghis Khan remains impressive.
• As an organizational and strategic genius, Genghis Khan created one of the
most highly-disciplined and effective armies in history; this same genius also
gave birth to the core administration that ruled it.
• Even after he died on campaign in 1227, the Mongol armies
dominated the battlefield until the empire stretched from the Pacific
Ocean to the Adriatic Sea.
• His non-military achievements include the introduction of a writing
system based on the Uighur script (still used in Inner Mongolia
today), the idea of religious tolerance throughout the empire, and the
achievement of tribal unity among the Mongols.
• Genghis Khan's greatest accomplishments, however, cannot be
counted in terms of territory or victories, but in the presence of a
Mongol nation and culture.
• Mongols today idolize him as the founding father of Mongolia.