“All who surrender will be spared; whoever does not surrender,
but opposes with struggle and dissension, shall be annihilated.”

-Genghis Khan

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The Mongolian Empire in the thirteenth century was a result of Genghis Khan’s strict military discipline, tribal dispute, and primitive politics. His brutal and bold mind enabled him to lead his tribe to great fear and success. He was brought up to be nothing less than great. Born with a strong will, and a goal to succeed, war was in his blood and was fated for him since birth. It was said that when he was born, he was holding a blood clot clump signifying god’s favor and his warfare mentality. The clot of blood is claimed to represent the state seal, the kashbu. He was born a son of a chief of a tribe within many tribes of Mongolia. He rose up and in less than 14 years, he controlled his own tribe and in another decade, he ruled all of Mongolia and all the surrounding land while rapidly expanding his already large empire (compared to Mongol standards and lifestyle).

“With a lion’s strength they have voices more shrill than an eagle”

- Grigor of Akanc, Armenian Monk, on the Mongols

First of all, let us understand the Mongols. Who are the Mongols? What were they like? What were their main characteristics?  The Mongols were illiterate, religiously shamanistic and sparsely populated, perhaps no more than around 700,000 in number. Their language today is described as Altaic — derived from the Altay mountain range in western Mongolia — a language unrelated to Chinese. They were herdsmen on the grassy plains north of the Gobi Desert and south of Siberian forests. Before the year 1200, the Mongols were fragmented, moving about in small bands headed by a chief, or khan, and living in portable felt dwellings – gers (kind of like tents). They were the masters of the Steppes (grass land with very sparse resources) and depended on animals such as sheeps, horses and oxen. The Mongols endured frequent deprivations and sparse grazing. They frequently fought over turf, and during hard times they occasionally raided, interested in goods rather than bloodshed.

“Yesugei and his brothers grew up bold, dangerous, and poised for instant action. If they saw anything they wanted, they were inclined to think they had a right to it”

- R. P. Lister, A Historian

Who was this great warlord? What made him different and what made him able to conqueror successfully? Let us explore his family background. His father was a tribal chief called Yesugei and a nephew of the former Khan. Yesugei and his brothers were very dominant and fierce of the Mongols and their tribe was the most powerful tribe in Mongolia. Yesugei went with his brothers on a raid and abducted a woman named Hoelun on their raids and this abduction made him a very powerful enemy, another tribe known as Merkits. Hoelun became Yesugei’s chief wife and bore him many sons and daughters. Hoelun became Temujin’s mother and the best advisor he ever had in his lifetime. Genghis Khan was originally born as Temujin in/around 1167 (No one knows for sure when he was born) near Onon River. Temujin has many names but the most common ones are Temujin (which means ironworker), and Genghis Khan. He was the best in everything he did. Genghis mastered horsemanship at the age of 3 and learned archery and sword fighting by the age of 9.  His father also arranged his weeding to a girl named Bortei, who was a daughter of a chieftain named Dai Sechen. He started to go hunting with his father and learned valuable strategies for war, lessons on ruling and political insights into the Mongolian lifestyles and tribes. Then when Temujin was around 13 he became the new chief of his tribe since the Tartars poisoned his father, Yesugei.  But according to The Secret History of the Mongols, a Mongol epic written during the mid-1200’s, the members of the tribe left their new chief. For a while, Temujin and his family lived a harsh and lonely existence. They owned few sheep or other livestock and had to dig roots for food. They left mainly because they thought Temujin was too young and inexperienced to rule a large tribe. From that day on, the Tartar tribe led by chief Targutai was hunting Temujin down. Temujin was captured and taken prisoner but later escaped with the help of a sympathizer guard. Temujin went to his fiancée’s father’s kingdom to hide out. With their help, he was able to be reunited with his family and try to start his own tribe. Then one day, when his family was trying to find food, his stepbrother stole a fish and ate it. Temujin found out and killed his Stepbrother for starving the family and reducing their rations. When some of the tribes found out about this, they started to come, little by little, to Temujin since he now showed his strength by showing that he doesn’t show favoritism even with his own family members.

“Men killed each other for self-preservation, or out of a desire for power or wealth, or in a fit of sheer temper, but small boys rarely killed each other for a fish”

-R. P. Lister, Historian on Bekor’s murder

Then few years later, horse thieves attacked Temujin’s new tribe and the horses were stolen. In Mongolia horses were like money and like a lifeline. If you lost your horse, you will die from the steppe’s harsh climate. Thankfully, Temujin was hunting when this happened so when he came back and learned of this, he quickly began the pursuit by himself. He tracked the enemy for 4 days and 4 nights. On his pursuit, Temujin met his best friend and his most trusted general, a boy named Bogurchi who was the son of a very rich Mongolian noble called “Naku the Rich”. These events made him more famous and led more people toward him.

“In return for this gift, I will reunite you scattered people… I will bring back to you your straying kinsmen.

- Togrul, Kerait chief, Blood brother of Yesugei

Temujin went to his father’s former blood brother Togrul. Blood brother is a very close friend that you have, that you spend a lot of time and resources and help each other in all events and all Mongolians had a blood brother. Togrul who was a very strong friend of Yesugei, promised to help and aide Temujin. Then Temujin proclaimed that he is willing to take retainers (people in his service like a squire) into his tribe to be trained. Young men flocked to Temujin and his tribe experienced a growth spurt. Now Temujin had a wife, a mother urging revenge, a vassal, a squire, 2 powerful allies, four hardy strong brothers, modest number of horses and finally a tribe that respects him. He started to defend and claim what as his and his fame started to spread. Temujin and his tribe was being discusses around campfires throughout all of Mongolia. By the time Temujin was 17, he had changed from a tribe less boy chief to a minor lord with allies and a modest tribe.

“Be one of mind and one faith, that you may conquer your enemies and lead long and happy lives”

- Genghis Khan, to his followers

“Half of my breast has been snatched from me. Shall we not avenge this injury?”

- Temujin, requesting help from Jamuga and his allies

“The Merkits have cast me into affliction. They have carried off my wife”

-Temujin, after Bortei’s abduction

Then one day, Merikts attacked the tribe because they wanted revenge from Yesugei’s attack couple of years ago. Merkits captured Temujin’s wife but he was able to save his whole tribe. Temujin wanted his wife back so he asked his blood brother chief Jamuga to send aid. With Jamuga’s aid, Temujin was able to defeat the Merkits, the first tribe he destroyed. Then during the next couple of years, Jamuga and Temujin led surprise attacks and teamed up to defeat many enemy tribes. Temujin’s and Jamuga’s fame and power rose so much that they started to count each other as enemies and rivals. Temujin was considered to be very worthy, honest and charismatic leader. People followed him whole heartily. Temujin conquered many tribes and some tribes he made them vassals by giving very rare or expensive gifts to their chiefs.  Then in 1183, The Great Mongolian Tribal council was called. This council decided to name Temujin their khan or ruler and gave him the title Genghis as his first name. Most of Temujin’s (now Genghis khan) allies favored him being named khan. His blood brother Jamuga (now slowly jealous and hating Temujin) was against Genghis.

“Do not break faith; do not untie this knot; do not once again rip off the collar of you coats”

- Togrul, Kerait chief, to the Mongols after Genghis was proclaimed Khan.

A family quarrel over land finally was the trigger that let loose the bloodshed after Genghis was proclaimed khan. Jamuga attacked Genghis and the war was declared. In 1198 Genghis send messages to his allies and all of Mongolia to mobilize for war. Genghis and his swift mobile archers led by most of the Mongol chiefs attacked Jamuga and ended in stalemate. Jamuga and his son succeeded in convincing Torgul that Genghis was bad so Genghis khan now lost his powerful ally. Through trickery led by Genghis khan and his brothers, Genghis attacked and defeated the Keriaits and an enemy tribe killed Torgul. Jamuga fled to Naiman where he created allies such as Tartars, Merkits and Naimans. Genghis noticing the threat to his rule, called for Tribal Council. There the majority authorized Genghis khan’s request for an all out assault on the enemy. Genghi’s army overran the enemy and made the Merkits, Naimans and Tartars his vassals. Genghis khan became the undisputed ruler of all Mongolia. Then he began the Expansion.

“I will rule them by fixed laws that rest and happiness shall prevail in this world.”

-Genghis Khan, after being named Khan

“Heavens has appointed me to rule all the nations, for hitherto there has been no order upon the steppes”

-Genghis Khan

“Those who were adept and brave fellows I have made military commanders. Those who were quick and nimble I have made herders of horses. Those who were not adept I have given a small whip and sent to be Shepherds”

-Genghis Khan, after the reorganization of his followers

Genghis Khan transformed Mongolia, a nomadic nation, into a State that seemed to be like the feudal system. One the main qualities like leader of Genghis Khan was his personality and his presence of leader, one tell that he was taller that normal stature, he had the wide head, strong jaw and penetrating eyes o grayish green color and in addition the cruelty that he distributed whit his sword instilled the fear in his enemies. This was the main reason why Mongols followed him, he created fear and brought people prosperity.

“Perhaps my children will live ins stone houses and walled towns-not I”

-Genghis Khan

“They rode over vast tracts of the world, sacking the armies of their enemies, without caring much what the cities were called, or what king they were defeating”

-R. P. Lister, historian, Genghis army

“They eat the flesh of no matter what animal, even dogs and swine. They open a vein in their horses, and drink the blood. They cross every ravine and swim their horses over the rivers”

-Anonymous Reporter

“Death does not appear among them, for they survive for 300 years”

-Armenian monk Grigor of Akanc on the Mongols

His empire was built on the fall or conquest of at least twenty (20) kingdoms: the Tartars, the Merkits, the Keraïts, the Naïmans, the Ouighours, the Tangout (Si-Hia), Northern China (Kin), Southern China (Sung), the Khitans, the Kara Khitaï, the Kharesmian empire, the Russian principalities, Armenia, Georgia, Korea, etc…

“A man’s greatest work is to break his enemies, to drive them before him, to take from them all the thing that have been theirs, to hear the weeping of those who cherished them”

-Genghis Khan

“Despite all expectations, the time of my last campaign and of my passing is near. I wish to die at home. Let not my end disarm you, and on no account weep for me, lest the enemy be warned of my death”

-Genghis Khan, Last words to his commanders

“With heaven’s aid I have conquered for you a huge empire. But my life was too shot to achieve the conquest of the World. The task is left to you.”

-Genghis Khan, Last words to his sons

Solely raised by his mother when his father died while he was at a young age, he not only survived the harsh surrounding, but also grew up to united all of the nomadic tribes, setting the stage for world conquest. He and his descendents would continue his conquests, and within a space of 80 years carve out the largest continuous land Empire that the world would know to this day. They developed a reputation for ruthlessness and brutality. Indeed whenever their enemies did not capitulate to them, they did not hesitate to conduct wholesale massacres upon the population. To the Europeans, the stereotype of them being barbaric plunderers intent merely to maim, slaughter, and destroy, earned them the moniker “The Devil’s Horsemen”. However, this ignores the fact that in the lands that they conquered, they instituted many reforms to facilitate mercantile trade and established a vast postal network that stretched throughout their Empire. Creating the first direct link between Europe and the Far East, inspiring not only a trade in goods, but peoples and ideas. Indeed this contact would lead to the Age of Exploration in Europe, as people sought faster and safer routes to China, as the Mongol Empire began to decline. Vestiges of Mongol authority would continue for several hundred years, but indeed their Empire disintegrated almost as quickly as it had started. With those who kept to their nomadic ways returning or being driven back to the steppe lands from where they came, or being absorbed by the native population that they had once ruled. As the Chinese explained it to Genghis Khan, “what you conquer by horseback you cannot govern by horseback.” In essence it is what happened to the Mongols.

Reference Sources:

*      Life in Genghis Khan’s Mongolia by Robert Taylor

*       Genghis Khan by Judy Humphrey

*       http://franklaughter.tripod.com/cgi-bin/histprof/misc/genghis.html

*       Genghis Khan: His Life and Legacy by Paul Ratchnevsky

*       Conqueror of the World by Rene Grousset

*       http://ron.heavengames.com/gameinfo/nations/mongol/mongol.shtml

*       http://www.occultopedia.com/g/genghis_khan.htm

*       http://www.csuchico.edu/~cheinz/syllabi/fall99/kong/Index1.htm

*       Genghis Khan: Life, Death, and Resurrection by John Man

*       Secret History of the Mongols: The origin of Chingis Khan by Paul Kahn