Genghis Khan was a name that brought fear to the spine of millions of people during his reign. Died nearly 800 years ago yet we all still know his name.
From 1190 to 1227, Genghis Khan ruled an empire that eventually stretched from Russia to China. He is responsible for millions of deaths, destruction of villages, but he also unified warring factions and brought peace and security to 5000 miles of trade routes. At the height of their power, the Mongol Empire stretched from Russia, down through Turkey and Iran and all the way across China and Korea to the Pacific Ocean. The complicated legacy of his Mongol conquest spans the globe and continues to be felt today.
Let's see how an Outcast tribal boy ruled almost half of the world and Wrote his name in history to be remembered for eternity.
A Rough Childhood:
“Genghis Khan” wasn’t his real name.
The man who would become the “Great Khan” of the Mongols was born along the banks of the Onon River(in modern day Northern Mongolia) sometime around 1162 and originally named "Temujin", which means “of iron” or “blacksmith.” He didn’t get the honorific name “Genghis Kahn” until 1206. He was named after a rival tribal chief, whom his father had just captured.
He was born grasping a blood clot in his fist, a traditional sign that he was destined to be a great leader. He lived a very difficult early life. At the age of nine, his father arranged his marriage and delivered him to his In-laws. Temujin was to live there serving the head of the family.
While returning from his In-laws, his father ran into enemy Tribe, who offered him food that was poisoned. His father died. Upon learning this, temujin returned to his home in order to claim his father's position as chief. As he and his brothers were too young to succeed him, the tribe denied it, abandoning their family to live in Jungle without protection, in order to avoid burden of feeding their family.
For the next several years, the family lived in poverty, surviving mostly on wild fruits, ox carcasses, marmots, and other small game killed by Temujin and his brothers. Temujin's older half-brother Begter began to exercise power as the eldest male in the family and would eventually have the right to claim Hoelun (who was not his own mother but temujin's) as wife. Temujin's resentment erupted during one hunting excursion when Temujin and his brother Khasar killed his half brother Begter.
In a raid around 1177, Temujin was captured by his father's former allies, and enslaved. With the help of a sympathetic guard, he escaped at night by hiding in a river crevice. The escape earned him a reputation. Soon,people joined forces with him. They and the guard's son eventually became generals of Genghis Khan.
At this time, none of the tribes of Mongolia were united politically, and arranged marriages were often used to solidify temporary alliances. Temujin grew up observing the tough political climate, which included tibal warfare thievery, raids corruption and revenge between confederations, compounded by interference from abroad such as from China to the south. Temüjin's mother Hoelun taught him many lessons, especially the need for strong alliance to ensure stability in Mongolia.
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The rest of the part about Genghis Khan conquests and How he ruled the world, will be told in next part.
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