Introduction


"A man's greatest work is to break his enemies, to drive them before him, to take from them all the things that have been theirs." Portrait.
Genghis Khan was quite possibly the greatest military leader of all time. He built an empire that stretched from the coast of China to the Black Sea and pushed north into Russia. In size, his conquests exceeded that of both Alexander the Great and Napoleon. His name became synonymous with cruelty and terror. He butchered millions and trusted no one. Those he let live were burdened with hard work and heavy tribute. His army’s ability to travel quickly and live off the land allowed them to scout out villages and search for fertile terrain. Khan frequently used his murderous reputation to get villages to surrender without a fight and created an organized empire in which conquered villages were fairly autonomous as long as they paid their tribute on time.

Essential Facts

  1. Born near the present day border between Mongolia and Russia, Genghis was originally named Temujin. When his father, a local chieftain, was killed, a struggle for leadership of the tribe ensued and Temujin was forced to flee for his life.
  2. By 1206, Temujin’s obvious military prowess united the Mongol tribes and earned him the title of Genghis Khan.
  3. Once he had the undisputed rule of the Mongol tribes, Genghis Khan turned his attention to China. He seized Beijing by 1215.
  4. Khan’s military tactics included moving at an unprecedented speed. Each of his men kept three to four horses so that they could travel as much as 100 miles a day. They were experts in horsemanship and in archery. They usually attacked by surprise and overran a territory with amazing speed. His tactics were not to be duplicated until the twentieth century with tanks and Hitler’s “blitzkrieg” warfare.
  5. By the time of his death, Genghis Khan had created an empire that covered most of Asia. He had several sons who carried on his rule. His grandson Kublai Khan became the ruler of China and started the Yuan dynasty.