Genghis
Khan founded the Mongol Empire and became one of the most feared
conquerors of all time.Genghis Khan is considered to be one of the greatest rulers to walk on the face of Earth. Under him, great alliances were forged and many territories captured. He was a universal leader sometimes considered to be in the same league as Alexander or even greater.
In North Central Mongolia in 1162, a boy by the name of Temujin was born in a Borjigin tribe with a blood clot in his hand. During that time, the Mongols believed that it was a good omen and that he was destined to be a great leader.
Temujin saw blood and war in his early years and had to kill his half-brother in order to establish himself as the head of the family even before he turned sixteen. His first brush with diplomacy was seen when he strategically married the daughter of Konkirat tribe’s chief and forged a strong alliance between Borjigin and Konkirat tribes, thus establishing himself as a power-player in the tribal community.
Temujin
was given the title of Genghis Khan after he adapted very quickly to
assemble a strong army of 80,000 men who were swift and learnt new
technologies of the time, including new warfare techniques. Genghis
Khan avenged the murder of his father by decimating the Tatar Army,
and by 1206, he had defeated the powerful Naiman tribe, thus gaining
control of central and eastern Mongolia.
The
Mongol leader, now buoyed by the success in Central Asia, moved east
to conquer the Jin Dynasty in China. Genghis was not concerned with
the scientific and artistic wonders of the Jin dynasty but was
attracted by the endless rice fields and interested in wealth
accumulation.
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| Genghis Khan |
He didn’t get the honorific name “Genghis Kahn” until 1206, when he was proclaimed leader of the Mongols at a tribal meeting known as a “kurultai.” While “Khan” is a traditional title meaning “leader” or “ruler,” historians are still unsure of the origins of “Genghis.” It may have may have meant “ocean” or “just,” but in context it is usually translated as “supreme ruler” or “universal ruler.”
Mongol
leader Genghis Khan never allowed anyone to paint his portrait,
sculpt his image or engrave his likeness on a coin. The first images
of him appeared after his death.
Genghis
Khan, now seemingly unstoppable, demanded control of the trade
relations with the Khwarizm dynasty which controlled Turkestan,
Persian and Afghanistan. When Shah Muhammad refused and instead sent
the head of a Mongol diplomat in defiance, ‘The Great Khan’ swore
vengeance.
Two
lakh Mongol soldiers raided each and every city through Central Asia
and into Eastern Europe, and by 1221, there was no trace left of the
Khwarizm dynasty. The Tangut lineage faced the same fate and many
other dynasties thereafter too. The Mongol leader was one of the most
feared and capable leaders of the world at that time.
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| Genghis Khan at War |
He
created one of the first international postal systems.
Along
with the bow and the horse, the Mongols most potent weapon may have
been their vast communication network. One of his earliest decrees as
Khan involved the formation of a mounted courier service known as the
“Yam.” This medieval express consisted of a well-organized series
of post houses and way stations strung out across the whole of the
Empire. By stopping to rest or take on a fresh mount every few miles,
official riders could often travel as far as 200 miles a day. The
system allowed goods and information to travel with unprecedented
speed, but it also acted as the eyes and ears of the Khan. Thanks to
the Yam, he could easily keep abreast of military and political
developments and maintain contact with his extensive network of spies
and scouts. The Yam also helped protect foreign dignitaries and
merchants during their travels. In later years, the service was
famously used by the likes of Marco Polo and John of Plano Carpini.
The supreme leader died after falling from a horse at the age of 62, and fifty years after his death, the Mongolian empire covered most of Eurasia. The universal leader’s diplomatic strategies and warfare techniques are a case study for even the most modern armies in the world today.