Genghis Khan and The Mongol Empire

Mongolian leader Genghis Khan (1162-1227) rose from kind initials to build the enormous land empire in history. So, after combining the nomadic tribes of the Mongolian plateau, he fought against the large chunks of central Asia and China. His descendants spread the empire even further, advancing to such stretching locations as Poland, Vietnam, Syria, and Korea. At their peak, the Mongols managed between 11 and 12 million contiguous square miles, an area approximately the size of Africa. 

Also, numerous people were slaughtered in the route of Genghis Khan’s invasions, however, he additionally granted religious freedom to his subjects, abolished torture, endorsed trade, and created the primary international postal system In 1227, he died during a military campaign against the Chinese kingdom of Xi Xia. But, his final resting place still remains mysterious.

On this page, we will understand all about Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire and the history of the Mongolian Empire in detail. Also, we will understand how Tejumin got the name of Genghis Khan and how he established his empire. 

Besides all this, we will get to learn about the amazing facts that distinguish Tejumin from other empires of that time. 

Genghis Khan: History and Significance

Genghis Khan was also called Changez Khan. The name Genghis Khan is a distinction title possibly taken from the Turkic tengiz – sea, which means "the oceanic ruler or the universal ruler". His birth name was Temüjin, and he was the founder and first Great Khan Mongol Empire, After the demise of Genghis Khan on 18 August 1227, the Mongol Empire became the largest bordering empire in history. 

He gained power by uniting various nomadic tribes of Northeast Asia. Following this, he set up various Mongol invasions that made him win most of Eurasia, reaching as far west as Poland in Europe and the Levant in the Middle East. In his lifetime, he led various campaigns against the following people:

• Qara Khitai, 

• Khwarezmia, and 

• The Western Xia and Jin dynasties

He also raided into medieval Georgia, the Kievan Rus', and Volga Bulgaria. 

Now, let us understand how Temujin exactly got the title of Genghis Khan?

How Temujin Got the Title of Genghis Khan?

In opposition to custom, Temujin put competent allies rather than relatives in major positions and executed the leaders of enemy tribes while including the remaining members into his clan. 

He ordered that everyone looting waits until after he attains a complete victory, and he organized his warriors into units of 10 without regard to kin. Though Temujin was polytheistic, his followers included Christians, Muslims, and Buddhists. 

However, by 1205 he had vanquished all rivals, including his former best friend Jamuka. The subsequent year, he was conferred as representative of assemblies from each part of the territory and established a nation similar in size to modern Mongolia. He was additionally named Chinggis Khan (Changez Khan), which roughly translates to “Universal Ruler,” a name that became known in the West as Genghis Khan.

Early Life of Temujin (Genghis Khan)

Limited is known about Genghis Khan's early life, because of the shortage of contemporary written records. The few assets that give perception into this period frequently contradict.

Temüjin means "blacksmith". According to Rashid al-Din Hamadani, Chinos constituted that branch of the Mongols which existed from Ergenekon via melting the iron mountainside. There existed a tradition that considered Genghis Khan as a blacksmith. Genghis's given title Temüjin was equivalent to Turco-Mongol temürči(n), "blacksmith". Paul Pelliot noticed that the tradition as per which Genghis was a blacksmith was undiscovered even though well set up by the mid-thirteenth century.

How Genghis Khan Unites Mongols?

Genghis Khan was most likely born in 1162 in Delüün Boldog, close to the mountain Burkhan Khaldun and the rivers Onon and Kherlen in present day  northern Mongolia, near the current capital Ulaanbaatar. 

However, the Secret History’s reports of the Mongols suggest that Temujin (Genghis) was born grasping with a blood clot in his fist, a conventional sign that he was destined to become an outstanding leader. 

He was the first son of Hoelun, the second spouse of his father Yesügei, who was a Kiyad chief prominent in the Khamag Mongol confederation, and a best friend of Toghrul of the Keraite tribe. As per the Secret History, Temüjin was titled as the Tatar leader Temüjin-üge whom his father had just captured.

Yesukhei's extended family was Borjigin, where Hoelun belonged to the Olkhunut sub-lineage of the Khongirad tribe. Like different tribes, they were nomads. Temüjin's noble background made it less complicated for him to solicit help from and subsequently consolidate the other Mongol tribes.

Now, the time arrived when Genghis established his empire with the ideology of Unity is Strength.

How Genghis Khan Established His Empire?

• First: Unity of Tribes By Tejumin

Having united the steppe tribes, Genghis Khan dominated over a few 1 million people. In order to subdue the conventional causes of tribal warfare, he abolished inherited aristocratic titles. Additionally, he stopped the practise of selling and kidnapping women, banned the enslavement of any Mongol, and made livestock robbery punishable by death. 

Moreover, he ordered the adoption of a writing system, performed a daily census, granted diplomatic immunity to foreign ambassadors, and allowed freedom of religion well before that idea caught on elsewhere.

• Second: Genghis Khan’s First Campaign Out of Mongolia

His first campaign was held outside of Mongolia against the Xi Xia kingdom of northwestern China. After a sequence of raids, the Mongols released a premier initiative in 1209 that added them to the step of Yinchuan, the Xi Xia capital. Unlike other armies, the Mongols traveled without a supply train other than a massive reserve of horses. The army was mostly cavalrymen, who were expert riders and deadly with a bow and arrows. At Yinchuan, the Mongols deployed a fake withdrawal—one of their signature tactics—and then initiated a siege. Though their attempt to flood the city was unsuccessful, the Xi Xia ruler submitted and presented tribute.

• Third: Mongols Attack Over China

The Mongols continuously bombarded the Jin Dynasty of northern China, whose ruler had committed the mistake of desiring Genghis Khan’s submission. From 1211 to 1214, the exceeded Mongols destroyed the countryside and despatched refugees pouring into the cities. 

By the coming time, food shortages posed a problem, and the Jin army ended up killing tens of hundreds of its own peasants. In 1214 the Mongols seized the capital of Zhongdu (currently Beijing), and the Jin ruler settled to hand over massive amounts of silk, silver, gold, and horses. When the Jin ruler continuously moved his court south to the city of Kaifeng, Genghis Khan took this as a violation in their settlement and, with the help of Jin deserters, sacked Zhongdu to the ground.

Genghis Khan’s Terror Image 

In 1219 Genghis Khan initiated a war against the Khwarezm Empire, currently Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Iran. The sultan accepted a trade treaty, however, when the first caravan arrived its goods were stolen and its traders were killed. The sultan then killed numerous Genghis Khan ambassadors. Instead of being outnumbered, the Mongol horde swept via one Khwarezm city after another, including Bukhara, Samarkand, and Urgench. 

Skilled workers like carpenters and jewelers were saved, at the same time as aristocrats and resisting soldiers were brutally killed. Unskilled workers, meanwhile, were frequently used as human shields during the subsequent assault. No one knows with any actuality what number of people died during Genghis Khan’s wars, in part because the Mongols propagated their vicious picture as a way of spreading terror.

Did You Know?

• The Mongolian empire Genghis Khan didn’t allow anyone to make his portrait, sculpt his image or inscribe his likeness on a coin. The first image of him was released after his death, which you can see below:

• Genghis Khan won over more than twice as much land as any other individual in history, bringing Eastern and Western civilizations into contact in the process. His descendants, such as Ogodei and Khubilai, were additionally prolific conquerors, taking control of Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and the rest of China, among other places.

• The Mongols even invaded Japan and Java earlier than their empire broke apart in the 14th century. Genghis Khan’s final ruling descendant was in the end deposed in 1920.

Conclusion

So, from our context, we understand the Mongols were ferocious warriors whom Genghis Khan united to establish his empire. Their migrations made them difficult. Herding excelled their riding skills, and hunting made them amazing archers. However, they needed an impactful leader so that they could dilate to be an empire. 

Also, for Genghis,  Terror was a major weapon, which he used effectively as a tool of psychological warfare. It also functioned as a tool to demoralize the opposing armies even if they thought to attack the Mongols as the news of the latter's savagery, fierceness, and murderous reached them beforehand.