Genghis Khan (Temujin) - the greatest conqueror in the history of mankind, founder and great khan Mongolian state.
The fate of Temujin, or Temujin, was rather difficult. He was from a noble Mongolian family, who roamed with their herds along the banks of the Onon River (the territory of modern Mongolia). Born around 1155
When he was 9 years old, during the steppe civil strife, his father Yesugeybahadur was killed (poisoned). The family, having lost their protector and almost all their livestock, had to flee from the nomads. They With with great difficulty endured a harsh winter in a wooded area.
Troubles did not cease to haunt Temujin - new enemies from the Taijiut tribe attacked the orphaned family and took the little Mongol into captivity, putting on him a wooden slave collar.
The boy showed the firmness of his character, hardened by the hardships of childhood. Having broken the collar, Temujin was able to escape and return to his native tribe, which could not protect his family a few years ago. The teenager became a zealous warrior: few of his relatives knew how to manage the steppe horse so deftly and shoot accurately from a bow, throw a lasso at full gallop and cut with a saber.
But the warriors of his tribe were struck by something else in Temujin - imperiousness, the desire to subjugate others. From those who fell under his banner, the young Mongol commander demanded complete and unquestioning obedience to his will. Disobedience was punishable only by death. To the disobedient, he was as ruthless as to his natural enemies among the Mongols. Temujin was soon able to take revenge on all the offenders of his family.
He was not yet 20 years old, when he began to unite the Mongol clans around him, gathering a small detachment of warriors under his command. It was a very difficult matter, because the Mongol tribes constantly waged armed struggle among themselves, raiding neighboring pastures in order to take possession of their herds and capture people as slaves.
Steppe clans, and then entire tribes of the Mongols, Temujin united around him by force, and sometimes with the help of diplomacy. He married the daughter of one of the powerful neighbors, hoping for the support of his father-in-law's warriors in difficult times. But so far, the young steppe leader had few allies and his own soldiers, and he had to fail.
The Merkit tribe, hostile to him, once made a successful raid on Temujin's camp and was able to kidnap his wife. This was a great insult to the dignity of the Mongol commander. He redoubled his efforts to gather nomadic families around him, and in just a year he was already in command of a significant cavalry army. With him, the future Genghis Khan inflicted a complete defeat on the numerous Merkit tribe, exterminating most of it and capturing their herds, freeing his wife, who knew the fate of a captive.
Temujin's military successes in the war against the Merkits attracted other Mongol tribes under his banner. Now they resignedly gave their soldiers to the military leader. His army grew all the time, and the territories of the vast Mongolian steppe expanded, where now the nomads were subject to his authority.
Temujin was constantly at war with the Mongol tribes who refused to recognize his supreme power. At the same time, he was distinguished by perseverance and cruelty. So, he almost completely exterminated the tribe of Tatars (the Mongols were already called by this name in Europe, although as such the Tatars were destroyed by Genghis Khan in an internecine war).
Temujin was remarkably versed in the tactics of war in the steppes. He unexpectedly attacked neighboring nomadic tribes and inevitably won. He offered the survivors the right to choose: either become his ally, or die.
The leader Temujin fought his first big battle in 1193 in the Mongolian steppes near Germany. At the head of 6,000 warriors, he defeated the 10,000-strong army of his father-in-law Ung Khan, who began to argue with his son-in-law. The Khan's army was commanded by the commander Sanguk, who, apparently, was very confident in the superiority of the tribal army entrusted to him. And therefore he did not worry about either intelligence or military guards. Temujin took the enemy by surprise in a mountain gorge and inflicted heavy damage on him.
By 1206, Temujin had become the strongest ruler in the steppes north of the Great Wall of China. That year is remarkable in his life in that at the kurultai (congress) of the Mongol feudal lords, he was proclaimed the “Great Khan” over all the Mongol tribes with the title “Genghis Khan” (from the Turkic “tengiz” - ocean, sea).
Under the name of Genghis Khan, Temujin entered world history. For the Mongols of the steppes, his title sounded like "universal ruler", "real ruler", "precious ruler".
The first thing the great khan took care of was the Mongol army. Genghis Khan demanded that the leaders of the tribes, who recognized his supremacy, maintain permanent military detachments to protect the lands of the Mongols with their nomad camps and for campaigns against their neighbors. The former slave no longer had open enemies among the Mongol tribes, and he began to prepare for wars of conquest.
To assert personal power and suppress any discontent in the country, Genghis Khan created a horse guard of 10,000 people. The best warriors were recruited from the Mongol tribes, and they enjoyed great privileges in the army of Genghis Khan. The guards were his bodyguards. From among them, the ruler of the Mongolian state appointed military leaders to the troops.
The army of Genghis Khan was built according to decimal system: tens, hundreds, thousands and tumens (they consisted of 10,000 warriors). These military units were not only accounting units. A hundred and a thousand could perform independent combat missions. Tumen acted in the war already at the tactical level.
According to the decimal system, the command of the Mongolian army was also built: ten's manager, centurion, thousand's manager, temnik. Genghis Khan appointed his sons and representatives of the tribal nobility to the highest positions - temniks - from among those military leaders who, by deed, proved to him their devotion and experience in military affairs. In the army of the Mongols, the strictest discipline was maintained along the entire command hierarchical ladder. Any violation was severely punished.
The main branch of the army in the army of Genghis Khan was the heavily armed cavalry of the Mongols proper. Her main weapons were a sword or saber, a pike and a bow with arrows. Initially, the Mongols protected their chest and head in battle with strong leather breastplates and helmets. Over time, they developed good protective equipment in the form of a variety of metal armor. Each Mongol warrior had at least two well-trained horses for the campaign and a large supply of arrows and arrowheads for them.
Light cavalry, and these were usually horse archers, consisted of warriors from conquered steppe tribes. It was they who started the battles, bombarding the enemy with clouds of arrows and bringing confusion into his ranks. After that, the heavily armed cavalry of the Mongols themselves went on the attack in a dense mass. Their attack was more like a ramming blow than a dashing raid by the Mongol cavalry.
Genghis Khan entered military history as a great strategist and tactician of that time. For his temnik commanders and other military leaders, he developed the rules for conducting war and organizing the entire military service. These rules, in the conditions of strict centralization of military and state administration, were strictly enforced.
Genghis Khan's strategy and tactics were characterized by: careful close and long-range reconnaissance, a surprise attack on any enemy, even noticeably inferior to him in strength, the desire to dismember the enemy forces in order to destroy them in parts later. Ambushes and luring the enemy in them were widely and skillfully used. Genghis Khan and his commanders skillfully maneuvered large masses of cavalry on the battlefield. The pursuit of the fleeing enemy was carried out not with the aim of capturing more military booty, but with the aim of destroying it.
At the very beginning of his conquests, Genghis Khan did not always gather a general Mongol cavalry army. Scouts and spies brought him information about a new enemy, about the number, location and routes of movement of his troops. This made it possible for Genghis Khan to determine the number of troops needed to defeat the enemy and quickly respond to all his offensive actions.
But the greatness of the military art of Genghis Khan was also in something else: he was able to quickly respond to the actions of the opposite side, changing his tactics depending on the circumstances. Thus, having encountered strong fortresses in China for the first time, Genghis Khan began to use various types of throwing and siege machines of the same Chinese in the war. They were taken disassembled for the army and quickly assembled during the siege of a new city. When he needed mechanics or doctors, who were not among the Mongols, Genghis Khan ordered them from other countries or took them prisoner. In the latter case, military specialists became khan's slaves, who were kept in very good conditions.
Until the last days of his life, Genghis Khan sought to maximize his truly vast possessions. Therefore, every time the Mongol army went farther and farther from the steppes of Mongolia.
First, the great conqueror of the Middle Ages decided to annex other nomadic peoples to his state. 1207 - he conquered vast areas north of the Selenga River and in the upper reaches of the Yenisei. The military forces (cavalry) of the conquered tribes were included in the general Mongol army.
Then it was the turn of the large Uighur state in East Turkestan. 1209 - a huge army of the Great Khan invaded its territory and, capturing cities and flowering oases one after another, won a complete victory over the Uighurs. After this invasion, only heaps of ruins remained from many trading cities and villages of farmers.
The destruction of settlements on the occupied lands, the wholesale extermination of recalcitrant tribes and fortified cities that tried to defend themselves with weapons in their hands were characteristic features conquests of Genghis Khan. The strategy of intimidation made it possible for him to successfully solve military problems and keep the conquered peoples in obedience.
1211 - Genghis Khan's cavalry attacked northern China. The Great Wall of China - the most grandiose defensive structure in the history of human civilization - did not become an obstacle for the conquerors. The Mongolian cavalry defeated the troops of a new enemy that stood in its way. 1215 - the city of Beijing (Yanjing) was captured by cunning, which the Mongols subjected to a long siege.
In northern China, the Mongols destroyed about 90 cities, the population of which resisted the army of the great Mongol Khan. In this campaign, Genghis Khan adopted the engineering military equipment of the Chinese into service with his cavalry troops - various throwing machines and battering rams. Chinese engineers trained the Mongols to use them and deliver them to the besieged cities and fortresses.
1218 - The Mongols, continuing their conquests, captured the Korean Peninsula.
After campaigns in Northern China and Korea, Genghis Khan turned his attention further to the west - towards the sunset. 1218 - The Mongol army invaded Central Asia and captured Khorezm. This time, Genghis Khan found a plausible pretext for the invasion - several Mongol merchants were killed in the border city of Khorezm. And therefore it was necessary to punish the country where the Mongols were treated "badly."
With the advent of the enemy on the borders of Khorezm, Khorezmshah Muhammad, at the head of a large army (figures up to 200,000 people are called), set out on a campaign. A great battle took place at Karaku, which was distinguished by such persistence that by the evening there was no winner on the battlefield. With the onset of darkness, the commanders took their armies to their camps.
The next day, Khorezmshah Mohammed refused to continue the battle due to heavy losses, which amounted to almost half of the troops he had gathered. Genghis Khan, for his part, also suffered heavy losses, retreated. But it was a military trick of the great commander.
The conquest of the huge Central Asian state of Khorezm continued. 1219 - the Mongol army of 200,000 people under the command of the sons of Genghis Khan, Oktay and Zagatai, besieged the city of Otrar (the territory of modern Uzbekistan). The city was defended by a 60,000-strong garrison under the command of the brave Khorezm commander Gazer Khan.
The siege of Otrar with frequent attacks was carried out for four months. During this time, the number of its defenders was reduced by three times. Famine and disease began in the camp of the besieged, since it was especially bad with drinking water. In the end, the Mongols broke into the city, but they could not take possession of the fortress citadel. Gazer Khan with the remnants of his soldiers was able to hold out in it for another month. By order of the Great Khan, Otrar was destroyed, most of the inhabitants were killed, and some - artisans and young people - were taken into slavery.
1220, March - the Mongol army, led by the great Mongol Khan himself, laid siege to one of the largest Central Asian cities - Bukhara. The 20,000-strong army of the Khorezmshah stood in it, which, together with its commander, fled when the Mongols approached. The townspeople, not having the strength to fight, opened the fortress gates to the conquerors. Only the local ruler decided to defend himself, hiding in the fortress, which was set on fire and destroyed by the Mongols.
1220, June - the Mongols, led by Genghis Khan, besieged another major Khorezm city - Samarkand. The city was defended by a garrison of 110,000 (the figure is greatly inflated) under the command of the governor Alub Khan. His warriors made frequent sorties outside the city walls, preventing the enemy from conducting siege work. However, there were citizens who, wanting to save their property and life, opened the gates of Samarkand to the Mongols.
The army of the great khan broke into the city, and on its streets and squares heated battles began with the defenders of Samarkand. But the forces were unequal, and besides, Genghis Khan brought more and more detachments into battle to replace those who were tired of fighting. Seeing that he could not hold Samarkand, Alub Khan, at the head of 1000 horsemen, was able to escape from the city and break through the blockade ring of the invaders. The surviving 30,000 Khorezmian soldiers were killed by the Mongols.
The conquerors also met stubborn resistance during the siege of the city of Khujand (modern Tajikistan). It was defended by a garrison led by one of the best Khwarezmian commanders, the fearless Timur-Melik. When he realized that the garrison was no longer able to repel the attacks, he, with part of the soldiers, embarked on ships and sailed down the Jaksart River, pursued along the shore by the Mongol cavalry. However, after a fierce battle, Timur-Melik was able to break away from his pursuers. After his departure, the city of Khojent surrendered to the mercy of the winner the next day.
The army of Genghis Khan continued to capture the Khwarezmian cities one after another: Merv, Urgench ... 1221 - they besieged the city of Bamiyan and, after many months of struggle, took it by storm. Genghis Khan, whose beloved grandson was killed during the siege, ordered that neither women nor children be spared. Therefore, the city with the entire population was completely destroyed.
After the fall of Khorezm and the conquest of Central Asia, Genghis Khan made a campaign in North-Western India, capturing this large area. But he did not go further to the south of Hindustan: he was always attracted by unknown countries at sunset.
The Great Khan, as usual, thoroughly worked out the route of a new campaign and sent far to the west his best commanders Jebe and Subedei at the head of their tumens and auxiliary troops of the conquered peoples. Their path passed through Iran, Transcaucasia and the North Caucasus. So the Mongols ended up on the southern approaches to Russia, in the Don steppes.
In those days, Polovtsian towers roamed in the Wild Field, which had long lost their military strength. The Mongols defeated the Polovtsy without much difficulty, and they fled to the borderlands of Russian lands. 1223 - the generals Jebe and Subedei defeated the united army of several Russian princes and Polovtsian khans in the battle on the Kalka River. After the victory, the vanguard of the Mongol army turned back.
In 1226-1227, Genghis Khan made a trip to the country of the Tangut Xi-Xia. He instructed one of his sons to continue the conquest of Chinese lands. The anti-Mongol uprising that began in the conquered Northern China caused great concern to the great khan.
Genghis Khan died during his last campaign against the Tanguts, in 1227. The Mongols gave him a magnificent funeral and, having destroyed all the participants in these sad celebrations, were able to keep the location of Genghis Khan's grave a complete secret to this day ...
Compared to him, Napoleon, Hitler and Stalin seem like inexperienced beginners.
Genghis Khan was the founder Mongol Empire and one of the most brutal people in human history. Compared to him, Napoleon, Hitler and Stalin seem like inexperienced beginners.
Today, we rarely hear anything about Mongolia, except that Russia is conducting nuclear tests in the steppes there. If Genghis Khan were alive, he would never allow this!
And in general, he would not give anyone peace, because most of all he loved to fight.
Historians estimate that Genghis Khan was responsible for 40 million deaths. For you to understand, this is 11% of the total population of the planet at that time.
For comparison: the second World War sent to the other world "only" 3% of the world's population (60-80 million).
The adventures of Genghis Khan thus contributed to the cooling of the climate in the 13th century, as they removed more than 700 million tons of carbon dioxide from the Earth.
Genghis Khan had a difficult childhood. His father was killed by warriors of a warring tribe when Genghis Khan was only 9.
Then his mother was expelled from the tribe, so she had to raise seven children alone - in Mongolia of the 13th century it was not easy!
When Genghis Khan was 10 years old, he killed his half-brother Bekter because he did not want to share food with him!
The real name of the man known to us as Genghis Khan is Temujin, which means "iron" or "blacksmith".
The name is not bad, but clearly not worthy of a great warrior and emperor. Therefore, in 1206, Temujin called himself Genghis Khan.
"Khan"- this, of course, "ruler", but about the meaning of the word "Genghis" scientists are still arguing. The most common version says that this is a distorted Chinese "zheng" - "equitable". So that - this, oddly enough, "just ruler".
Under Genghis Khan, the Mongols were famous terrible torture. One of the most popular was to pour molten silver down the throat and ears of the victim.
Genghis Khan himself loved this method of execution: the enemy was bent back until his spine broke.
And Genghis Khan and his squad celebrated the victory over the Russians in the following way: they threw all the surviving Russian soldiers to the ground, and huge wooden gates were placed on top of them. Then a feast was held at the gates, flattening the suffocating prisoners.
Having captured a new land, Genghis Khan ordered to kill or enslave all men, and gave women to his soldiers. He even arranged beauty contests among captives to choose the most beautiful for himself.
The winner became one of his numerous harem, and the rest of the participants went to the soldiers to be insulted.
The size of the Mongol Empire testifies that Genghis Khan was a truly great commander.
At the same time, he repeatedly won victories over superior enemy forces. For example, he defeated a million soldiers of the Jin Dynasty with an army of 90,000 Mongols.
In the course of his conquest of China, Genghis Khan destroyed 500,000 Chinese soldiers before the rest surrendered to the mercy of the conqueror!
In 1201, Genghis Khan was wounded in battle by an enemy archer. The Mongol army won the battle, after which Genghis Khan ordered to find the very archer who shot at him.
He said that the arrow hit his horse and not himself, so that the archer would not be afraid to confess. And when the archer was found, Genghis Khan acted unexpectedly: instead of killing the enemy on the spot, he invited him to join the Mongol army.
Such military cunning and foresight is one of the reasons for the unprecedented military successes of Genghis Khan.
There are tons of images of Genghis Khan on the internet and history books, but we really have no idea what he looked like.
How is this possible? The fact is that Genghis Khan forbade himself to portray. Therefore, there are no paintings, no statues, not even written descriptions of his appearance.
But after his death, people immediately rushed to portray the late tyrant from memory, so we have a rough idea of \u200b\u200bwhat he might have looked like. However, some historians say that he had red hair!
Every time Genghis Khan conquered new country, he took one of the local women as his wife. All of them eventually became pregnant and gave birth to his descendants.
Genghis Khan believed that by populating all of Asia with his offspring, he would guarantee the stability of the empire.
How many children did he have?
It is impossible to say for sure, but, according to historians, about 8% of all Asians are his descendants!
The portrait of Genghis Khan adorns the tugriks, the Mongolian currency. In Mongolia, he is considered a hero for creating the great Mongol Empire.
It is not customary to talk about the cruelty of Genghis Khan there - he is a hero.
When Mongolia was socialist, that is, ruled from Moscow, any mention of Genghis Khan was forbidden. But since 1990, the cult of the ancient ruler has flourished with renewed vigor.
The Iranians hate Genghis Khan as much as the Mongols adore him. And there is a reason for that.
The Khorezm Empire, located on the territory of modern Iran, was a powerful power until the Mongols attacked it. For several years, the Mongol army completely destroyed Khorezm.
According to historians, the troops of Genghis Khan slaughtered ¾ of the entire population of Khorezm. It took Iranians 700 years to restore the population!
Despite his cruelty, Genghis Khan was quite tolerant in matters of religion. He studied Islam, Buddhism, Taoism and Christianity and dreamed of the Mongol Empire as a place where there would be no religious strife.
Once, Genghis Khan even held a debate between Christians, Muslims and Buddhists to determine which religion was the best. However, the participants got very drunk, so the winner was not determined.
Genghis Khan allowed the inhabitants of the Mongol Empire to live for their own pleasure, if they did not violate the rules he set. But any violation of these rules was punished in the most severe way.
For example, when the ruler of a Khorezm city attacked a Mongolian trade caravan and killed all the merchants, Genghis Khan became furious. He sent 100,000 soldiers to Khorezm, who killed thousands of people.
The unlucky ruler himself paid a severe price: his mouth and eyes were poured with molten silver. It was a clear sign that any attack against the Mongol Empire would be punished disproportionately.
Genghis Khan died in 1227 at the age of 65. To this day, his death is surrounded by a halo of mystery.
It is not known from what he died, nor where is his grave. Of course, this gave rise to many legends.
The most popular version says that he was killed by a captive Chinese princess. There are also versions that he fell off his horse - either just like that, or because an enemy arrow hit him.
It is unlikely that we will ever know the truth about what happened 800 years ago. After all, even the burial place of the Mongol emperor was never found!
The Mongol Empire created by Genghis Khan will forever remain the largest uninterrupted empire in human history.
It occupied 16.11% of all land, and its area was 24 million square kilometers!
According to the historical chronicles that have come down to us, the Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, Genghis Khan, made incredible conquests around the world. No one before or after him has been able to compare with this ruler in the grandeur of his conquests. The years of Genghis Khan's life - 1155/1162 to 1227. As you can see, there is no exact date of birth, but the day of death is very well known - August 18th.
In a short time, he managed to create a huge Mongol empire, stretching from the shores of the Black Sea to the Pacific Ocean. Wild nomads from Central Asia, who were armed with nothing more than bows and arrows, managed to conquer civilized and much better armed empires. The conquests of Genghis Khan were accompanied by unthinkable atrocities, massacres civilian population. Cities that came across in the path of the horde of the great Mongol emperor were often leveled to the ground in case of disobedience. It also happened that, at the behest of Genghis Khan, it was necessary to change the channels of the rivers, blooming gardens turned into piles of ashes, and agricultural land into pastures for the horses of his warriors.
What is the phenomenal success of the Mongolian army? This question continues to excite historians today. In the past, the personality of Genghis Khan was endowed with supernatural abilities, and it was believed that otherworldly forces helped him in everything, with which he made a deal. But, apparently, he had a very strong character, charisma, a remarkable mind, as well as incredible cruelty, which helped him subjugate the peoples. He was also an excellent strategist and tactician. He, like the Goth Attila, was called the "scourge of God."
Few people knew that the great Mongol ruler had green eyes and red hair. Such features of appearance have nothing to do with the Mongoloid race. This suggests that mixed blood flows in his veins. There is a version that he is 50% of the European race.
The year of birth of Genghis Khan, who was named Temujin when he was born, is approximate, since it is marked differently in different sources. It is preferable to assume that he was born in 1155, on the banks of the Onon River, which flows through the territory of Mongolia. Genghis Khan's great-grandfather was called Khabul Khan. He was a noble and rich leader and ruled over all the Mongol tribes and successfully fought with his neighbors. Temujin's father was Yesugei-bagatur. Unlike his grandfather, he was the leader of not all, but most of the Mongol tribes with a total population of 40 thousand yurts. His people were full masters of the fertile valleys between Kerulen and Onon. Yesugei-bagatur was a magnificent warrior, he fought, subjugating the tribes of the Tatars.
There is a certain tale of cruelty, the main character of which is Genghis Khan. From childhood, his biography is a chain of inhuman deeds. So, at the age of 9, having returned from hunting with a lot of booty, he killed his brother, who wanted to snatch a piece from his share. He often flew into a rage when they wanted to deal with him unfairly. After this incident, the rest of the family began to be afraid of him. Probably, it was since then that he realized that he could keep people in fear, but for this he needed to show himself cruelly and show everyone his true essence.
When Temujin was 13 years old, he lost his father, who was poisoned by the Tatars. The leaders of the Mongol tribes did not want to obey the young son of Yesugei Khan and took their peoples under the protection of another ruler. As a result, their large family, headed by the future Genghis Khan, was left completely alone, wandering through the forests and fields, eating the gifts of nature. Their property consisted of 8 horses. In addition, Temujin sacredly kept the tribal "bunchuk" - a white banner with the tails of 9 yaks, which symbolized 4 large and 5 small yurts belonging to his family. A hawk was depicted on the banner. After some time, he learned that Targutai had become his father's successor and that he wanted to find and destroy the son of the deceased Yesugei-bagatur, as he saw him as a threat to his power. Temujin was forced to hide from the persecution of the new leader of the Mongol tribes, but he was captured and taken prisoner. Nevertheless, the brave young man managed to escape from captivity, find his family and hide with her for another 4 years in the forests from his pursuers.
When Temujin was 9 years old, his father chose a bride for him - a girl from their tribe named Borte. And at the age of 17, he, taking with him one of his friends, Belgutai, left the hiding place and went to the camp of the father of his bride, reminded him of the word given to Yesugei Khan and took the beautiful Borte as his wife. It was she who accompanied him everywhere, bore him 9 children and adorned the years of Genghis Khan's life with her presence. According to the information that has come down to us, in the future he had a giant harem, which consisted of five hundred wives and concubines, whom he brought from various campaigns. Of these, five were the main wives, but only Borte Fujin bore the title of empress and remained his most respected and eldest wife all her life.
The annals contain information that after Temujin married Bort, she was kidnapped by the Merkits, wanting to avenge the theft of the beautiful Hoelun, the mother of Genghis Khan, which his father committed 18 years ago. The Merkites kidnapped Borte and gave her to Hoelun's relatives. Temujin was furious, but he did not have any opportunity to attack the Merkit tribe alone and recapture his beloved. And then he turned to the Keraite Khan Toghrul - the named brother of his father - with a request to help him. To the joy of the young man, the khan decides to help him and attacks the tribe of kidnappers. Soon Borte returns to his beloved husband.
When did Genghis Khan manage to gather around him the first warriors? The biography includes information that his first adherents were from the steppe aristocracy. Christian Keraites and the Chinese government also joined him in order to fight against the Tatars who had strengthened their positions from the shores of Lake Buir-nor, and then against the former friend of Khan Chzhamukh, who became the head of the democratic movement. In 1201, the khan was defeated. However, after that, a quarrel broke out between Temujin and the Keraite Khan, since he began to support their common enemy and attracted some part of Temujin's adherents to his side. Of course, Genghis Khan (then he did not yet bear this title) could not leave the traitor unpunished and killed him. After that, he managed to master the whole of Eastern Mongolia. And when Jamukha restored against Temujin Western Mongols, called the Naimans, he defeated them too, and united the whole of Mongolia under his rule.
In 1206, he proclaimed himself emperor of all Mongolia and assumed the title of Genghis Khan. From this date, his biography begins to tell about a series of great conquests, brutal and bloody reprisals against recalcitrant peoples, which led to the expansion of the country's borders to unprecedented proportions. Soon, more than 100 thousand warriors gathered under the banner of Temujin. The title of Genghis Kha-Khan meant that he was the greatest of the rulers, that is, the ruler of everyone and everything. Many years later, historians called the years of Genghis Khan's reign the bloodiest in the history of mankind, and he himself - the great "conqueror of the world" and "conqueror of the universe", "king of kings".
Mongolia has become the most powerful military country in Central Asia. Since then, the word “Mongols” has come to mean “victorious”. The rest of the peoples who did not want to obey him were ruthlessly exterminated. For him they were like weeds. Moreover, he believed that best method get rich are war and robbery, and sacredly followed this principle. The conquests of Genghis Khan indeed increased the power of the country at times. His work was continued by his sons and grandsons, and as a result, the Great Mongol Empire began to include the countries of Central Asia, Northern and Southern parts of China, Afghanistan and Iran. The campaigns of Genghis Khan were directed towards Russia, Hungary, Poland, Moravia, Syria, Georgia and Armenia, the territory of Azerbaijan, which did not exist in those years as a state. The chroniclers of these countries talk about terrible barbaric plunders, beatings and rapes. Wherever the Mongol army went, the campaigns of Genghis Khan brought devastation with them.
Genghis Khan, after he became the emperor of Mongolia, the first thing he carried out was a military reform. The commanders who participated in the campaigns began to receive awards, the amount of which corresponded to their merits, while before him the award was given by birthright. The soldiers in the army were divided into dozens, which united into hundreds, and those into thousands. Boys and men from fourteen to seventy years old were considered liable for military service.
A police guard was created to keep order, out of 100,000 soldiers. In addition to her, there was a guard of ten thousand personal bodyguards of the emperor "keshiktash" and his yurt. It consisted of noble warriors devoted to Genghis Khan. 1000 keshiktashevs were bagaturs - the warriors closest to the khan.
Some of the reforms of Genghis Khan, committed in the Mongol army in the 13th century, were later used by all the armies of the world even today. In addition, by order of Genghis Khan, a military charter was created, for the violation of which two types of punishments were supposed: execution and exile to the north of Mongolia. The punishment, by the way, was due to the warrior who did not provide assistance to a needy comrade.
The laws in the charter were called “Yasa”, and their keepers were the descendants of Genghis Khan. In the horde, the great kagan had two guards - day and night, and the soldiers included in them were completely devoted to him and submitted exclusively to him alone. They stood above the command staff of the Mongolian army.
The clan of Genghis Khan is called Genghisides. They are direct descendants of Genghis Khan. From his first wife Borte, he had 9 children, of which four sons, that is, the successors of the family. Their names are Jochi, Ogedei, Chagatai and Tolui. Only these sons and their offspring (male) had the right to inherit the highest power in the Mongolian state and bear the clan title of Genghisides. In addition to Borte, Genghis Khan, as already noted, had about 500 wives and concubines, and each of them had children from their master. This meant that their number could exceed 1000. The most famous of the descendants of Genghis Khan was his great grandson - Khan Batu, or Batu. According to genetic studies, in the modern world, several million men are carriers of the genes of the great Mongolian Kagan. Some of the government dynasties of Asia descended from Genghis Khan, for example, the Chinese Yuan clan, Kazakh, North Caucasian, South Ukrainian, Persian and even Russian Genghisides.
Since ancient times, the Mongols kept family lists ( urgiin beachig) of their ancestors. The genealogy of Genghis Khan, the founder of the Mongol Empire, was and remains connected with the history of the Mongols themselves.
Five children of Alan-goa gave rise to five Mongolian clans - from Belgunotai the clan Belgunot was born, from Bugunotai - Bugunot, from Buhu-Khadaki - Khadakin, from Bukhatu-Salji - Saldzhiut. The fifth - Bodonchar, was a brave warrior and ruler, the Borjigin family descended from him.
From the four children of Duva-Sohor - Donoi, Dogshin, Emneg and Erkhekh - four tribes of Oirats originated. Already at that time, the first Mongolian state, Khamag Mongol Ulus, was formed, the existence of which dates back to the middle of the 12th century.
Temuchin was born in the Delyun-Boldok tract on the banks of the Onon River (near Lake Baikal) in the family of one of the leaders of the Mongolian Taichiut tribe Yesugei-bagatura (“Bagatur” - hero) from the Borjigin clan and his wife Hoelun from the Ungirat tribe, whom Yesugei recaptured from merkita Eke-Chiledu. It was named after the captured Tatar leader Temuchin-Uge, whom Yesugei defeated on the eve of the birth of his son. The year of Temujin's birth remains not fully clarified, since the main sources indicate different dates. According to Rashid ad-Din, Temujin was born in 1155. "History of the Yuan Dynasty" names 1162 as the date of birth. A number of scientists (for example, G.V. Vernadsky), based on an analysis of sources, points to the year 1167.
At the age of 9, Yesugei-bagatur betrothed his son Borte, a 10-year-old girl from the Ungirat family. Leaving his son in the bride's family until the age of majority, in order to get to know each other better, he went home. According to the Secret History, on the way back, Yesugei stopped at the Tatars' parking lot, where he was poisoned. Upon returning to his native ulus, he fell ill and took to his bed, and died three days later.
After the death of Temujin's father, his adherents left Yesugei's widows (Yesugei had 2 wives) and Yesugei's children (Temuchin and his younger brother Khasar, and from his second wife - Bekter and Belgutai): the head of the Taichiut clan drove the family out of their homes, stealing everything that belonged to her cattle. For several years, widows with children lived in complete poverty, wandering in the steppes, eating roots, game and fish. Even in summer, the family lived from hand to mouth, making provisions for the winter.
The leader of the Taichiuts, Targutai (a distant relative of Temujin), who declared himself the ruler of the lands once occupied by Yesugei, fearing the revenge of a growing rival, began to pursue Temujin. Once an armed detachment attacked the camp of Yesugei's family. Temujin managed to escape, but he was overtaken and taken prisoner. They put a block on him - two wooden planks with a hole for the neck, which were pulled together. The block was a painful punishment: the person himself did not have the opportunity to eat, drink, or even drive away the fly that sat on his face.
He found a way to slip away and hide in a small lake, plunging into the water with the stock and sticking out of the water with one nostril. The Taichiuts searched for him in this place, but could not find him. He was noticed by a laborer from the tribe of the Selduz Sorgan-Shire, who was among them, and decided to save him. He pulled young Temujin out of the water, freed him from the block and led him to his dwelling, where he hid him in a cart with wool. After the departure of the Taichiuts, Sorgan-Shire put Temuchin on a mare, provided him with weapons and sent him home. (Subsequently, Chilaun, the son of Sorgan-Shire, became one of the four close nukers of Genghis Khan).
After some time, Temujin found his family. The Borjigins immediately migrated to another place, and the Taichiuts could no longer find them. At the age of 11, Temujin made friends with his peer of noble origin from the Jardaran tribe - Jamukha, who later became the leader of this tribe. With him in his childhood, Temujin became twin brother (Anda) twice.
A few years later, Temuchin married his betrothed Borte (by this time, Boorchu appeared in the service of Temuchin, who was also among the four closest nukers). Borte's dowry was a luxurious sable coat. Temujin soon went to the most powerful of the then steppe leaders - Tooril, the khan of the Kerait tribe. Tooril was a brother-in-law (anda) of Temuchin's father, and he managed to enlist the support of the leader of the Keraites, recalling this friendship and offering a sable fur coat to Borte. Upon returning from Tooril Khan, an old Mongol gave his son Jelme, who became one of the generals of Genghis Khan, into the service.
With the support of Tooril Khan, Temujin's forces began to gradually grow. Nukers began to flock to him; he raided his neighbors, multiplying his possessions and herds (enriching his possessions). He differed from the rest of the conquerors in that during the battles he tried to keep alive as many people from the enemy’s ulus as possible in order to further attract them to his service. In the absence of Temujin, they attacked the camp of the Borjigins and captured Borte (according to the assumption, she was already pregnant and was expecting the first son of Jochi) and Yesugei's second wife, Sochikhel, Belgutai's mother. In 1184 (according to rough estimates, based on the date of birth of Ogedei), Temuchin, with the help of Tooril Khan and the Keraites, as well as his anda (named brother) Jamukha (invited by Temuchin at the insistence of Tooril Khan) from the Jajirat clan defeated the Merkits and returned Borte, and Belgutai's mother, Sochikhel, refused to return.
After the victory, Tooril Khan went to his horde, and Temujin and his Anda Jamukha remained to live together in the same horde, where they again entered into an alliance of brotherhood, exchanging golden belts and horses. After some time (from six months to one and a half), they went their separate ways, while many noyons and nukers of Jamukha joined Temuchin (which was one of the reasons for Jamukha's dislike for Temuchin). Having separated, Temujin set about organizing his ulus, creating an apparatus for managing the horde. The first two nukers - Boorchu and Dzhelme, were appointed senior in the khan's headquarters, Subetai-bagatur received the command post, in the future famous commander Genghis Khan. In the same period, Temujin has a second son, Chagatai ( exact date his birth is not known) and the third son of Ogedei (October 1186). Temujin created his first small ulus in 1186 (the years 1189/90 are also probable), and had 3 darkness (30 thousand people) troops.
In the ascent of Temujin as khan of the ulus, Jamukha did not see anything good and was looking for an open quarrel with his anda. The reason was the murder of Jamukha's younger brother, Taychar, while trying to drive away a herd of horses from Temujin's possessions. Under the pretext of revenge, Jamukha with his army moved to Temujin in 3 darkness. The battle took place near the Gulegu Mountains, between the sources of the Sengur River and the upper course of the Onon. In this first big battle(according to the main source "The Secret Legend of the Mongols") Temujin was defeated. This defeat unsettled him for a while and he had to gather his strength to continue the fight.
The first major military enterprise of Temujin after the defeat from Jamukha was the war against the Tatars, together with Tooril Khan. The Tatars at that time hardly repulsed the attacks of the Jin troops who entered their possession. The combined troops of Tooril Khan and Temujin, having joined the Jin troops, moved against the Tatars, the battle took place in 1196. They inflicted a number of strong blows on the Tatars and captured rich booty. The government of the Jurchen Jin, as a reward for the defeat of the Tatars, awarded high titles to the steppe leaders. Temujin received the title of "Jauthuri" (military commissar), and Tooril - "Van" (prince), from that time he became known as Van Khan. Temujin became a vassal of Wang Khan, whom Jin saw as the most powerful of the rulers of Eastern Mongolia.
In 1197-1198. Wang Khan, without Temuchin, made a campaign against the Merkits, plundered and gave nothing to his named "son" and vassal Temuchin. This marked the beginning of a new cooling. After 1198, when the Jin ruined the Kungirats and other tribes, the influence of the Jin in Eastern Mongolia began to weaken, which allowed Temuchin to take possession of the eastern regions of Mongolia. At this time, Inanch Khan dies and the Naiman state breaks up into two uluses, led by Buyruk Khan in Altai and Taian Khan on the Black Irtysh. In 1199 Temujin, together with Wang Khan and Jamukha, joint forces attacked Buyruk Khan and he was defeated. Upon returning home, the Naiman detachment blocked the way. It was decided to fight in the morning, but at night Van Khan and Jamukha fled, leaving Temujin alone in the hope that the Naimans would finish him off. But by morning, Temujin realizes their plan and retreats without engaging in battle. The Naimans began to pursue not Temujin, but Wang Khan. The Kereites entered into a heavy battle with the Naimans, and in the evidence of death, Van-Khan sends messengers to Temuchin with a request for help. Temujin sent his nukers, among whom Boorchu, Mukhali, Borokhul and Chilaun distinguished themselves in battle. For his salvation, Wang Khan bequeathed his ulus to Temuchin after his death (but after recent events he did not believe in this). In 1200, Wang Khan and Temujin launched a joint campaign against the Taichiuts. The Merkits came to the aid of the Taichiuts. In this battle, Temujin was wounded by an arrow, after which Chjelme took care of him all the following night. By morning, the Taichiuts had fled, leaving many people behind. Among them was Sorgan-Shira, who had once saved Temujin, and accurate shooter Jebe, who confessed that it was he who shot at Temujin, for which he was forgiven. A chase was organized for the taichuts. Many were killed, some surrendered to the service. This was the first defeat inflicted on the Taichiut.
Genghis Khan elevated the written law to a cult, was a supporter of a firm rule of law. He created a network of communication lines in his empire, courier communications on a large scale for military and administrative purposes, organized intelligence, including economic intelligence.
Genghis Khan divided the country into two "wings". At the head of the right wing, he placed Boorcha, at the head of the left - Mukhali, two of his most faithful and experienced companions. The position and titles of senior and senior military leaders - centurions, thousands and temniks - he made hereditary in the family of those who, with their faithful service, helped him seize the khan's throne.
In 1207-1211, the Mongols conquered the land of the Kirghiz, Khankhas (Khalkha), Oirats and other forest peoples, that is, they subjugated almost all the main tribes and peoples of Siberia, imposing tribute on them. In 1209, Genghis Khan conquered Central Asia and turned his gaze to the south.
Before the conquest of China, Genghis Khan decided to secure the eastern border by seizing in 1207 the state of the Tanguts Xi-Xia, who had previously conquered Northern China from the dynasty of Chinese emperors Song and created their own state, which was located between his possessions and the state of Jin. Having captured several fortified cities, in the summer the "True Sovereign" withdrew to Longjin, waiting out the unbearable heat that fell that year.
Mongolian archers on horseback
Meanwhile, news reaches him that his old enemies Tokhta-beki and Kuchluk are preparing for a new war with him. Preventing their invasion and carefully preparing, Genghis Khan defeated them utterly in a battle on the banks of the Irtysh. Tokhta-beki was among the dead, and Kuchluk fled and found shelter with the Karakitays.
Satisfied with the victory, Temujin again sends his troops against Xi-Xia. After defeating an army of Chinese Tatars, he captured a fortress and a passage in the Great Wall of China and in 1213 invaded the Chinese Empire itself, the State of Jin, and marched as far as Nianxi in the province of Hanshu. With increasing persistence, Genghis Khan led his troops deep into the continent and established his power over the province of Liaodong, the central province of the empire. Several Chinese commanders defected to his side. The garrisons surrendered without a fight.
Having established its position along the entire Great Chinese wall, in the fall of 1213, Temujin sends three armies to different parts of the Chinese empire. One of them, under the command of the three sons of Genghis Khan - Jochi, Chagatai and Ogedei, headed south. The other, led by the brothers and commanders of Genghis Khan, moved east to the sea. Genghis Khan himself and his youngest son Tolui at the head of the main forces set out in a southeasterly direction. The first army advanced all the way to Honan and, after capturing twenty-eight cities, joined Genghis Khan on the Great Western Road. The army under the command of the brothers and commanders of Temujin captured the province of Liao-si, and Genghis Khan himself ended his triumphal campaign only after he reached the sea rocky cape in the province of Shandong. But either fearing civil strife, or due to other reasons, he decides to return to Mongolia in the spring of 1214 and concludes peace with the Chinese emperor, leaving Beijing to him. However, the leader of the Mongols did not have time to leave the Great Wall of China, as chinese emperor moved his court further away to Kaifeng. This move was perceived by Temujin as a manifestation of hostility, and he again brought troops into the empire, now doomed to death. The war continued.
The Jurchen troops in China, replenished by the natives, fought the Mongols until 1235. own initiative, but were defeated and exterminated by Genghis Khan's successor Ogedei.
Following China, Genghis Khan was preparing for a campaign in Kazakhstan and Central Asia. He was especially attracted by the flourishing cities of South Kazakhstan and Zhetysu. He decided to carry out his plan through the valley of the Ili River, where rich cities were located and they were ruled by an old enemy of Genghis Khan - Khan of the Naimans Kuchluk.
Campaigns of Genghis Khan and his generals
While Genghis Khan was conquering more and more new cities and provinces of China, the fugitive Naiman Khan Kuchluk asked the gurkhan who had given him shelter to help gather the remnants of the army defeated at the Irtysh. Having got a rather strong army under his hand, Kuchluk entered into an alliance against his overlord with the Shah of Khorezm Muhammad, who had previously paid tribute to the Kara-Kitays. After a short but decisive military campaign, the allies were left with a big win, and the gurkhan was forced to give up power in favor of an uninvited guest. In 1213, the gurkhan Zhilugu died, and the Naiman khan became the sovereign ruler of Semirechye. Sairam, Tashkent, the northern part of Fergana came under his authority. Having become an implacable opponent of Khorezm, Kuchluk began to persecute Muslims in his possessions, which aroused the hatred of the settled population of Zhetysu. The ruler of Koilyk (in the valley of the Ili River) Arslan Khan, and then the ruler of Almalyk (to the north-west of modern Kulja) Buzar moved away from the Naimans and declared themselves subjects of Genghis Khan.
Empire of Genghis Khan at the time of his death
Upon his return from Central Asia, Genghis Khan again led his army through Western China. According to Rashid-ad-din in the autumn, having migrated to the borders of Xi Xia, during the hunt, Genghis Khan fell from his horse and badly hurt himself. By evening, Genghis Khan developed a strong fever. As a result, a council was held in the morning, at which the question was "to postpone or not the war with the Tanguts." The council was not attended by the eldest son of Genghis Khan Jochi, to whom there was already a strong distrust, due to his constant deviations from his father's orders. Genghis Khan ordered the army to march to Jochi and put an end to him, but the campaign did not take place, as the news of his death came. Genghis Khan fell ill throughout the winter of 1225-1226.
The main sources by which we can judge the life and personality of Genghis Khan were compiled after his death (the Secret History is especially important among them). From these sources we obtain quite detailed information both about Genghis' appearance (tall stature, strong build, broad forehead, long beard) and about his character traits. Coming from a people who apparently did not have a written language and developed state institutions before him, Genghis Khan was deprived of a book education. With the talents of the commander, he combined organizational skills, inflexible will and self-control. Generosity and affability he possessed to a sufficient degree to retain the affection of his companions. Without denying himself the joys of life, he remained a stranger to excesses incompatible with the activities of a ruler and commander, and lived to an advanced age, retaining his mental abilities in full force.
But unlike other conquerors for hundreds of years before the Mongols who dominated Eurasia, only Genghis Khan managed to organize a stable state system and make Asia appear before Europe not just as an unexplored steppe and mountainous expanse, but as a consolidated civilization. It was within its borders that the Turkic revival of the Islamic world then began, with its second onslaught (after the Arabs) almost finished off Europe.
The Mongols revere Genghis Khan as greatest hero and reformer, almost like the incarnation of a deity. In European (including Russian) memory, he remained something like a pre-storm crimson cloud that appears before a terrible, all-cleansing storm.
Temujin and his beloved wife Borte had four sons: Jochi, Chagatai, Ogedei, Tolui. Only they and their descendants could claim the highest power in the state. Temujin and Borte also had daughters:
Temujin and his second wife, Khulan-khatun, daughter of Dair-usun, had sons Kulkhan (Khulugen, Kulkan) and Kharachar; and from the Tatar Yesugen (Esukat), the daughter of Charu-noyon, the sons Chakhur (Dzhaur) and Harkhad.
The sons of Genghis Khan continued the work of the Golden Dynasty and ruled the Mongols, as well as the conquered lands, based on the Great Yasa of Genghis Khan until the 20s of the XX century. Even the Manchurian emperors who ruled Mongolia and China from the 16th to the 19th centuries were descendants of Genghis Khan, as for their legitimacy they married Mongol princesses from the golden family dynasty of Genghis Khan. The first prime minister of Mongolia in the 20th century, Chin Van Khanddorj (1911-1919), as well as the rulers of Inner Mongolia (until 1954), were direct descendants of Genghis Khan.
The family vault of Genghis Khan is maintained until the 20th century; in 1918, the religious head of Mongolia, Bogdo-gegen, issued an order to preserve Urgiin beachig(family list) of Mongolian princes. This monument is kept in the museum and is called "Shastra of the state of Mongolia" ( Mongol Ulsyn Shastir). Many direct descendants of Genghis Khan from his Golden Family live in Mongolia and Inner Mongolia (PRC), as well as in other countries.
According to Y-chromosome studies, about 16 million men living in Central Asia descend strictly in the male line from one ancestor who lived 1000 ± 300 years ago. Obviously, this man could only be Genghis Khan or one of his immediate ancestors.
Name: Genghis Khan (Temujin Borjigin)
Date of Birth: 1162
Age: 65 years old
Activity: founder and first great khan of the Mongol Empire
Family status: was married
The commander, known to us as Genghis Khan, was born in Mongolia in 1155 or 1162 (according to various sources). This man's real name is Temujin. He was born in the tract Delyun-Boldok, Yesugei-bagatura became his father, and Hoelun became his mother. It is noteworthy that Hoelun was betrothed to another man, but Yesugei-bagatura recaptured her beloved from his rival.
Temujin got his name in honor of the Tatar Temujin-Uge. Yesugei defeated this leader shortly before his son uttered his first cry.
Temujin lost his father early enough. At the age of nine, he was betrothed to eleven-year-old Borte from another family. Yesugei decided to leave his son in the bride's house until they both reached the age of majority, so that the future spouses would get to know each other better. On the way back, Genghis Khan's father lingered at the Tatar camp, where he was poisoned. Yesugei died three days later.
After that, dark times fell for Temujin, his mother, the second wife of Yesugei, as well as the brothers of the future great commander. The head of the clan drove the family from their usual place and took away all the cattle belonging to it. For several years, widows and their sons had to live in absolute poverty and wander around the steppes.
After some time, the leader of the Taichiuts, who drove away Temujin's family and proclaimed himself the owner of all the lands conquered by Yesugei, began to fear revenge from the grown-up son of Yesugei. He unleashed an armed detachment on the camp of the family. The guy escaped, but soon they caught up with him, captured him and placed him in a wooden block in which he could neither drink nor eat.
Genghis Khan was saved by his own ingenuity and the intercession of several representatives of another tribe. One night, he managed to escape and hide in the lake, almost completely going under the water. Then several locals hid Temujin in a wool cart, and then gave him a mare and weapons so that he could get home. Some time after the successful release, the young warrior married Bort.
Temujin, as the son of a leader, strove for power. At first, he needed support, and he turned to Tooril, the Kereit Khan. He was brother of Yesugei and agreed to unite with him. Thus began the story that led Temujin to the title of Genghis Khan. He raided neighboring settlements, multiplying his possessions and, oddly enough, his army. Other Mongols during the battles sought to kill as many opponents as possible. Temujin, on the contrary, sought to leave as many warriors as possible alive in order to lure them to him.
The first serious battle of the young commander took place against the Merkit tribe, who were allied with the same Taichiuts. They even kidnapped Temujin's wife, but he, along with Tooril and another ally - Jamuhi from another tribe - defeated opponents and returned his wife. After a glorious victory, Tooril decided to return to his own horde, while Temujin and Jamukha, having concluded an alliance of brotherhood, remained in the same horde. At the same time, Temujin was more popular, and Jamukha eventually began to dislike him.
He was looking for a reason for an open quarrel with his brother and found it: the younger brother of Jamukha died when he tried to steal the horses that belonged to Temujin. Allegedly with the aim of revenge, Jamukha attacked the enemy with his army, and in the first battle he won. But the fate of Genghis Khan would not attract so much attention if he could be so easily broken. He quickly recovered from the defeat, and new wars began to occupy his mind: together with Tooril he defeated the Tatars and received not only excellent booty, but also the honorary title of military commissar (“Jauthuri”).
This was followed by other successful and not very successful campaigns and regular competitions with Jamukha, as well as with the leader of another tribe, Van Khan. Wang Khan was not categorically opposed to Temujin, but was an ally of Jamukha and was forced to act accordingly.
On the eve of the decisive battle with the joint troops of Jamukha and Van Khan in 1202, the commander independently made another raid on the Tatars. At the same time, he again decided to act differently from the way it was customary to carry out conquests in those days. Temujin declared that during the battle his Mongols should not capture booty, since all of it would be divided between them only after the battle was over. In this battle, the future great ruler won, after which he ordered the execution of all the Tatars as retribution for the Mongols, whom they killed. Only small children were left alive.
In 1203, Temujin and Jamukha with Van Khan met face to face again. At first, the ulus of the future Genghis Khan suffered losses, but due to the wounding of Van Khan's son, the opponents retreated. In order to disunite his enemies, during this forced pause, Temujin sent them diplomatic messages. At the same time, several tribes united to fight against both Temujin and Wang Khan. The latter defeated them first and began to celebrate a glorious victory: it was then that Temujin's troops overtook him, taking the soldiers by surprise.
Jamukha was left with only part of the army and decided to cooperate with another leader - Tayan Khan. The latter wanted to fight Temujin, since at that time only he seemed to him a dangerous rival in a desperate struggle for absolute power in the steppes of Mongolia. The victory in the battle, which took place in 1204, was again won by the army of Temujin, who demonstrated himself as a gifted commander.
In 1206, Temujin received the title of Great Khan over all the Mongol tribes and adopted the well-known name Chingiz, which translates as "lord of the boundless in the sea." It was obvious that his role in the history of the Mongolian steppes was huge, like his army, and no one else dared to challenge him. This benefited Mongolia: if earlier local tribes were constantly at war with each other and raided neighboring settlements, now they have become like a full-fledged state. If before that the Mongolian nationality was invariably associated with strife and blood loss, now it is with unity and power.
Genghis Khan - Great Khan Genghis Khan wanted to leave behind a worthy legacy not only as a conqueror, but also as a wise ruler. He introduced his own law, which, among other things, spoke of mutual assistance in the campaign and forbade deceiving those who trusted. These moral principles were required to be strictly observed, otherwise the offender could face execution. The commander mixed various tribes and peoples, and no matter what tribe the family belonged to earlier, its adult men were considered warriors of Genghis Khan's detachment.
Numerous films and books have been written about Genghis Khan, not only because he brought order to the lands of his people. He is also widely known for his successful conquests of neighboring lands. So, in the period from 1207 to 1211, his army subjugated almost all the peoples of Siberia to the great ruler and forced them to pay tribute to Genghis Khan. But the commander was not going to stop there: he wanted to conquer China.
In 1213, he invaded the Chinese state of Jin, establishing power over the local province of Liaodong. Throughout the route of Genghis Khan and his army, Chinese troops surrendered to him without a fight, and some even went over to his side. By the autumn of 1213, the Mongol ruler had strengthened his position along the entire Great Wall of China. Then he sent three powerful armies, led by his sons and brothers, to different regions of the Jin Empire. Some settlements surrendered to him almost immediately, others fought until 1235. However, in the end, the Tatar-Mongol yoke spread to the whole of China at that time.
Even China could not force Genghis Khan to stop his invasion. Having achieved success in battles with his closest neighbors, he became interested in Central Asia and, especially, in the fertile Semirechye. In 1213, the fugitive Naiman Khan Kuchluk became the ruler of this region, who made a political miscalculation by starting a persecution of the followers of Islam. As a result, the rulers of several settled tribes of Semirechye voluntarily announced that they agreed to be subjects of Genghis Khan. Subsequently, the Mongol troops conquered other regions of Semirechie, allowing Muslims to perform their services and, thereby, arousing sympathy among the local population.
The commander died shortly before the surrender of Zhongxing, the capital of one of those very Chinese settlements that, to the last, tried to resist the Mongol army. The cause of Genghis Khan's death is called different: he fell off a horse, suddenly fell ill, could not adapt to the difficult climate of another country. Where the grave of the great conqueror is located is still not known exactly.
Death of Genghis Khan. Drawing from the travel book of Marco Polo, 1410 - 1412 Numerous descendants of Genghis Khan, his brothers, children and grandchildren tried to preserve and increase his conquests and were major statesmen of Mongolia. So, his grandson became the eldest among the Genghisides of the second generation after the death of his grandfather. In the life of Genghis Khan there were three women: the previously mentioned Borte, as well as his second wife Khulan Khatun and the third wife of the Tatar Yesugen. In total, they bore him sixteen children.
