"All who surrender will be spared; whoever does not surrender but opposes with struggle and dissension, shall be annihilated."
-Genghis Khan
Genghis
Khan is known to be one of
history’s most
feared rulers. He was a great
leader, and his
philosophies and
strategies of war are still studied today. He and his raiders were from the
steppe region, now know as
Mongolia. One of his greatest
accomplishments was to
expand the
legendary Mongolian Empire.
Temujin was his name given to him at birth, Genghis Khan was an earned
nomenclature. It is known that he was
born in the 1160’s, but the exact date is unknown (approx. 1167). He was born into the
Royal Borjigh clan of the
Mongols and when he was
nine Temujin’s
father died from
poison (a
rival clan’s
coup). The Royal Borjigh clan was then controlled by a rival family who sent Temujin’s family away from the clan. Although they were
exiled and
poor, Temujin was well liked and had a great personality.
After the rival clan captured his
wife, Temujin asked an
ally clan
chief for help in the form of providing an
army. Not only did the ally provide 20,000 solders, but he convinced a friend of Temujin’s to provide another army. Temujin then took those armies and succeeded in
winning the
battle against the clan who took his wife hostage. From there he became
power hungry and began to destroy other clans. After his
friends split from him, he conquered them. Most of the clans and peoples he conquered he made slaves and servants.
After
conquering numerous clans, he was
crowned Genghis Khan, which means “
universal ruler.” Once he gained power over the the
Mongols, his son eliminated their
nomadic ways and started a
feudal system. Genghis was now ready for world domination with the new Mongolia, for he also had such technologies as:
catapults,
spears, and
burning oil. After conquering land near
China, he turned his sights to capturing the large
empire. Capturing China was no easy feat, for his army had to find a way around or over the
Great Wall, which was specifically put there to stop such
raids.
By the time Genghis Khan died he turned a nomadic state into a huge empire. One of Genghis's grandsons, Mongke took over as Khan (
great leader) when Genghis died. Another of his grandsons
Kublai Khan founded the
Yuan dynasty in China. When he was done Genghis Khan’s armies had captured an empire that stretched across
Asia, from
North Korea to
Eastern Europe in the North, and from
South China to
Asia Minor in the South
Genghis Khan was a great leader and general. His effect on China was evident through the expansion during his reign. He truly exemplified a
rags to riches story, and is still remembered as an amazing force.
Works Cited:
“Section 2: Dynastic Change.” Global Insights: People and Cultures. 1994
“Khan.” The New Encyclopedia Britannica. 1998
“Bios: Genghis Khan.” Bios: Genghis Khan.
Available: http://despina.advanced.org/17120/data/bios/khan/
“Graphic maps: Asia.” World Atlas Online
Available: http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/as.htm
“Genghis @ National Geographic”, National Geographic Online
Available: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/genghis/index.html