His name struck anguish in the hearts across Asia, yet he remains an icon to the people of Mongolia. He could slay thousands without flinching. He was considered one of the most barbaric people ever, yet he ruled fairly. He gave his enemies one simple choice: surrender and be enslaved, or die. By consistently enforcing discipline, rewarding skill and allegiance, and punishing those who opposed him, he established a vast empire. His empire was far greater than Alexander the Great. Meet the man behind the myths, the incomparable Genghis Khan. Yisugei was relived after his son, Temujin was born.
The chief thought that the boy was going to be a worthy successor to his throne. Temujin had a fire in his eye according to the people of the town. By the time he was four, he was already using a bow and arrow set. He was very good because he practiced for hours everyday. By the time he was seven he was excellent in battle skills. However tragedy struck that year. Yisugei was murdered by a local tribe. His family tried to overcome it but the people left the tribe and joined other tribes. A few people stayed but they also left after a while. Temujin and his family lived off berries, animals, and plants.
Temujin started working harder on his archery. He was one of the best in the land by the time he was eleven. By eleven seventy-three, Temujin had risen, he became chief of a tribe. People noted how fierce he was and how he had no mercy. He was engaged to Botei in eleven seventy-five. They were married in eleven seventy-eight. After the marriage, a tribe kidnapped Botei. Temujin was outraged. He attacked the tribe and slaughtered them all. This was the first time when Temujin killed everyone in a tribe. He showed the world his bad side. He rescued Botei in eleven-eighty and she never fell under any more harm again.
Following the massacre of the tribe, Temujin killed his half-brother. He found out that his brother was a spy for a local tribe. With the massacre and the murder of his brother, people knew that Temujin was not joking around. People started getting scared of Temujin. The fear that they had would not disappear until they died. Temujin kept on conquering local lands. He was enthroned Genghis Khan is 1206. Genghis Khan means “strong ruler. ” His first invasion as Genghis Khan was against Xi Xia. The trip to the battle site was horrendous. The men had to walk across deserts for weeks.
They survived the trip by drinking blood and milk from their horses. Genghis defeated the Xi Xia Empire very easily. Genghis was the only person who ever broke through the Great Wall of China. He arrived at the wall in late 1214. He surveyed the wall and found a weak spot. He broke through the wall in 1215. The emperor realized that there was no escape and offered gold, silver, slaves, horses, and a woman. Genghis agreed to retreat. Xuanzong and his officials fled the city. Genghis got very mad. He stormed into the city and let all the people starve. His men looted the city and completely destroyed it.
He conquered the city, which is now Beijing. His domination began in 1216. He beheaded the King of the Qin Empire. In doing so, he was the leader of two kingdoms. People realize that he had a lot of power. Leaders rushed out to make peace treaties. Shah Muhammad was the first man to ever test Genghis. Genghis was happy that the head of the Khwarizm Empire signed a peace treaty. Shah Muhammad broke the treaty when he killed a Mongolian ambassador. He sent the head to Genghis. Muhammad is killed by Genghis in less then two days. Everyone in the city is enslaved. This is where Khan says; “I am the punishment of God”.
Ratchnevsky, 168) Genghis had one last empire to conquer. The Na-Chung Empire was the last empire that he wanted to conquer. This empire was much harder to conquer. It was a very ambitious project. It took his army three years to conquer the empire. Over sixty thousand men were killed. This is not a lot by todays standard but it is a tremendous amount back in Genghiss time. With the defeat of the Na-Chung Empire, the Khan ruled all of Asia. He was nearly invulnerable. His empire stretched from Hungary to Korea and from Tibet to Russia. There were over seven hundred tribes under his control.
His empire was considered one of the safest. It was said that a person could walk from one side of the empire to the other without ever having the fear of being attacked. His road system was one of the best ever. It was more complex than the Roman….. s. He had the biggest empire that ever existed. The most incredible achievement is that all his people loved him. Other great leaders had their own people turn against them or had many enemies. For the Khan all his people loved him. His enemies respected him and his citizens never tried to kill him. Although his enemies were scared of him, there were some rebels.
The remains of the Na-Chung and Qin Empire decided to join so that they could overthrow Genghis. Genghis and his men crushed the two empires. On the ride home Genghis fell off his horse. He suffered injuries that he would never recover from. Genghis Khan died on August 21, 1227. His people did not know of this death until September. No one knows where the body is located but it is rumored that it is near the Mongolian Border. Temujin was a very important man. He made the first set of laws in Mongolia. They are called the Yasa. This was good in two senses. First it pacified the Mongolians.
Since they had official laws, they were much calmer. There was not as much fighting because people knew that there would be punishment. The Khan also judged people on their achievements. Officers were chosen by their achievements not by family ties. Genghis stressed the importance of charity. He gave out a lot food and money to his people. He also encouraged his people to share with others. Genghis was one of the best leaders of all time. He took a bunch of tribes and turned them into a massive army. His army contained some of the most disciplined and loyal soldiers ever. His men never abandoned him.
With the help of his men, he created the largest empire. Other leaders have dreamed of this, but none have ever come close. He also kept his entire empire under control. Other leaders who didnt even have empires half as big couldnt keep control. Since his empire was so safe many people came to visit. Marco Polo loved the empire. He wrote many things about the emperor and his land. “He (Genghis) was a man of great steadfastness and sense, also a heroic figure; I tell you that when he was elected King he ruled with such moderation and justice that he was loved and revered by all, almost as a god rather than a ruler.
The last part of the sentence sums it all up, “almost as a god rather than a ruler. ” His people were very loyal and Polo noticed that. Genghis Khan was significant for many reasons. The first thing is that he brought together Mongolia. He unified the entire country. He made the laws for the country. Making these laws made sure that Mongolians would not run wild and do anything they please. He rewarded the good and punished the bad. This made Mongolians one of the hardest workers on the planet. Even today they are known for their hard work and their dedication.
Genghis also created the largest empire. He unified it very well. No human has ever maintained peace in an area so big. Leaders after him tried to use his tactics but they never worked because no leader ever brought the fear that Genghis Khan did. Since his empire consisted of so many fallen empires, the people really saw other cultures within their own empire. The reason why Genghis Khan has such a significance is because he let people experience other cultures. Cultures, customs, and traditions blended together. Many people dont like how Genghis Khan treated people.
Historians argue that he ruled because he was feared so much and it is not good if a leader is feared. People were initially scared of the Khan but after time the loyal people were not scared. The Khan was very easy to get along with only if a person was loyal to his cause. All though he was a fierce man with strict rules, he was very loving. He cared for his people. He helped everyone he could. He would let himself starve if another person needed food. If a disaster struck he rushed supplies to the area. He gave many people, food and money.
Temujin is not known as much as other leaders. When people think of leaders, Temujin usually doesnt appear in their minds. He was one of the greatest leaders of all time, if not the greatest. He unified all of Asia, with his massive empire. He punished those who disobeyed him and rewarded the highly skilled. He shared his things with the common people. His legend is still intact. The Mongolians are full of pride when someone mentions Genghis Khan. “Eternal Heaven chose Genghis Khan and his descendants and made us a gift of the whole Earth, from east to west. “
