founder and first great khan of the Mongol Empire

short biography

Genghis Khan (Mong. Chinggis khan, ᠴᠢᠩᠭᠢᠰ ᠬᠠᠭᠠᠨ), proper name - Temujin, Temuchin, Temujin (Mong. Temuzhin, ᠲᠡᠮᠦᠵᠢᠨ) (c. 1155 or 1162 - August 25, 1227) - the founder and the first great khan of the Mongol Empire, who united the scattered Mongol and Turkic tribes; commander who organized the Mongol conquest campaigns in China, Central Asia, the Caucasus and Eastern Europe. Founder of the largest continental empire in human history.

After his death in 1227, the heirs of the empire were his direct descendants from his first wife Borte in the male line, the so-called Chingizids.

Pedigree

According to the "Secret Legend", the ancestor of Genghis Khan was Borte-Chino, who intermarried with Goa-Maral and settled in Khentei (central-eastern Mongolia) near Mount Burkhan Khaldun. According to the assumption of Rashid ad-Din, this event took place in the middle of the VIII century. Bata-Tsagaan, Tamachi, Horichar, Uudzhim Buural, Sali-Khadzhau, Eke Nyuden, Sim-Sochi, Kharchu were born from Borte-Chino in 2-9 generations.

Borzhigidai-Mergen was born in the 10th tribe, married to Mongolzhin-goa. From them, in the 11th generation, the family tree was continued by Torokoldzhin-bagatur, who married Borochin-goa, from them Dobun-Mergen and Duva-Sokhor were born. Dobun-Mergen's wife was Alan-goa - the daughter of Horilardai-Mergen from his one of the three wives Barguzhin-Goa. Thus, the foremother of Chinggis Khan is from the Khori-tumats, one of the Buryat branches. (Secret legend. § 8. Rashid ad-Din. T. 1. Book. 2. P. 10)

The three youngest sons of Alan-goa, who were born after the death of her husband, were considered the ancestors of the Nirun Mongols ("the Mongols proper"). The Borjigins originated from the fifth, youngest son of Alan-goa Bodonchar.

Birth and adolescence

Temujin was born in the Delyun-Boldok tract on the banks of the Onon River in the family of Yesugei-bagatur from the Borjigin clan and his wife Oelun from the Olkhonut clan, whom Yesugei recaptured from the Merkit Eke-Chiledu. The boy was named after the Tatar leader Temujin-Uge, who was captured by Yesugei, whom Yesugei defeated on the eve of his son's birth.

Temujin's year of birth remains unclear, as the main sources point to different dates. According to the only source in Genghis Khan's lifetime Meng-da bey-lu (1221) and according to the calculations of Rashid ad-Din, made by him on the basis of original documents from the archives of the Mongol khans, Temujin was born in 1155. The "History of the Yuan Dynasty" does not give an exact date of birth, but only calls the life span of Genghis Khan as "66 years" (taking into account the conditional year of intrauterine life, taken into account in the Chinese and Mongolian traditions of calculating life expectancy, and taking into account the fact that the "accrual" of the next year of life occurred simultaneously for all Mongols with the celebration of the Eastern New Year, that is, in reality, more likely about 65 years), which, when counted from the known date of his death, gives 1162 as the date of birth. However, this date is not supported by earlier authentic documents from the Mongol-Chinese chancellery of the 13th century. A number of scientists (for example, P. Pelliot or G.V. Vernadsky) point to the year 1167, but this date remains the most vulnerable to criticism hypothesis. The newborn, as they say, squeezed a blood clot in his palm, which foreshadowed him a glorious future ruler of the world.

When his son was 9 years old, Yesugei-Bagatur married him to Borte, a 10-year-old girl from the Ungirat clan. Leaving his son in the bride's family until he comes of age, so that they get to know each other better, he went home. According to the "Secret Legend", on the way back, Yesugei stayed at the Tatars' camp, where he was poisoned. Upon returning to his native ulus, he fell ill and died three days later.

After the death of Temujin's father, his adherents left the widows (Yesugei had 2 wives) and Yesugei's children (Temujin and his brothers Hasara, Khachiun, Temuge and from his second wife - Bekter and Belgutai): the head of the Taichiut clan drove the family out of their homes, driving the entire her cattle. For several years, the widows with their children lived in complete poverty, wandered in the steppes, feeding on roots, game and fish. Even in the summer, the family lived from hand to mouth, making provisions for the winter.

The leader of the Taichiuts, Targutai-Kiriltukh (a distant relative of Temujin), who declared himself the ruler of the lands once occupied by Yesugei, fearing revenge from a growing rival, began to pursue Temujin. Once an armed detachment attacked the camp of the Yesugei family. Temujin managed to escape, but he was overtaken and taken prisoner. A block was put on it - two wooden boards with a hole for the neck, which were pulled together. The block was a painful punishment: a person himself had no opportunity to eat or drink, or even drive away a fly that landed on his face.

One night, he found a way to escape and hide in a small lake, plunging into the water with the block and sticking out only his nostrils. The Taichiuts searched for him in this place, but could not find him. He was noticed by a farm laborer from the Suldus tribe of Sorgan-Shira, who was among them, but did not betray Temujin. He several times passed by the escaped prisoner, calming him down and for others pretending to be looking for him. When the night search was over, Temujin got out of the water and went to the dwelling of Sorgan-Shira, hoping that he, saving one time, would help again. However, Sorgan-Shira did not want to hide him and was about to drive Temujin away, when suddenly the sons of Sorgan interceded for the fugitive, who was then hidden in a cart with wool. When the opportunity arose to send Temujin home, Sorgan-Shira put him on a mare, supplied him with weapons and took him on the road (later Chilown, the son of Sorgan-Shira, became one of the four nukers of Genghis Khan). After some time, Temujin found his family. The Borjigins immediately migrated to another place, and the Taichiuts could not find them. At the age of 11, Temujin became friends with his peer of noble birth from the Jadaran (Jajirat) tribe, Jamuha, who later became the leader of this tribe. With him in his childhood, Temujin twice became a twin brother (anda).

A few years later, Temujin married his betrothed Borte (by this time Boorchu appeared in Temujin's service, who was also one of the four close nukers). Borte's dowry was a luxurious sable fur coat. Temujin soon went to the most powerful of the then steppe leaders - Tooril, the Khan of the Kereite tribe. Tooril was a twin brother (anda) of Temujin's father, and he managed to enlist the support of the Kereite leader, recalling this friendship and offering Borte a sable coat. Upon Temujin's return from Togoril Khan, one old Mongol man gave him his son Dzhelme, who became one of his commanders, to serve him.

Fight for hegemony in the steppe

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 holdings and herds. He differed from the rest of the conquerors in that during the battles he tried to keep as many people from the enemy's ulus alive as possible in order to further attract them to his service.

The first serious opponents of Temujin were the Merkits, who acted in alliance with the Taichiuts. In the absence of Temujin, they attacked the Borjigin camp and captured Borte (presumably, she was already pregnant and was expecting the first son of Jochi) and Yesugei's second wife, Sochihel, Belgutai's mother. In 1184 (according to rough estimates, based on the date of birth of Ogedei), Temujin, with the help of Tooril Khan and his Kereites, as well as Jamukha from the Jajirat clan (invited by Temujin at the insistence of Tooril Khan) defeated the Merkits in the first battle in his life in the interfluve the confluence of the Chikoy and Khilok rivers with the Selenga on the territory of present-day Buryatia and returned to Borte. Belgutai's mother, Sochihel, refused to go back.

After the victory, Tooril Khan went to his horde, and Temujin and Jamuqa remained to live together in the same horde, where they again entered into an alliance of twinning, exchanging gold belts and horses. After some time (from six months to one and a half), they dispersed, while many noyons and nukers of Jamuqa joined Temujin (which was one of the reasons for Jamuqa's dislike for Temujin). Having separated, Temujin proceeded to set up his ulus, creating an apparatus for managing the horde. The first two nukers, Boorchu and Dzhelme, were appointed senior in the khan's headquarters, the command post was given to Subadei-bagatur, in the future the famous commander of Genghis Khan. In the same period, Temujin had a second son, Chagatai (the exact date of his birth is unknown) and a third son, Ogedei (October 1186). Temujin created his first small ulus in 1186 (1189/90 is also probable) and had 3 tumen (30,000 people) troops.

Jamukha was looking for an open quarrel with his anda. The reason was the death of Jamuha Taichar's younger brother while trying to steal a herd of horses from Temujin's possessions. Under the pretext of revenge, Jamukha with his army in 3 darkness moved to Temujin. The battle took place near the Gulegu mountains, between the headwaters 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.

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 with difficulty repulsed the attacks of the Jin troops that had come into their possession. The combined troops of Tooril Khan and Temujin, joining the troops of Jin, moved on the Tatars. The battle took place in 1196. They inflicted a series of strong blows on the Tatars and seized rich booty. The government of the Jurchen Jin conferred high titles on the steppe leaders as a reward for the defeat of the Tatars. Temujin received the title "Jautkhuri" (military commissar), and Tooril - "Wan" (prince), from that time he became known as Wang 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 Temujin, made a campaign against the Merkits, plundered and did not pay anything to his named "son" and vassal Temujin. This marked the beginning of a new cooling. After 1198, when Jin devastated the Kungirats and other tribes, Jin's influence in eastern Mongolia began to weaken, which allowed Temujin to take possession of the eastern regions of Mongolia. At this time, Inanch-khan dies and the Naiman state breaks up into two ulus at the head of Buyruk-khan in Altai and Tayan-khan on the Black Irtysh. In 1199, Temujin, together with Wang Khan and Jamukha, attacked Buiruk Khan with joint forces and he was defeated. Upon returning home, the Naiman detachment blocked the way. It was decided to fight in the morning, but at night Wan Khan and Jamuqa disappeared, leaving Temujin alone in the hope that the Naimans would end him. But by the morning, Temujin learned about this and retreated without engaging in battle. The Naimans began to pursue not Temujin, but Wang Khan. The Kereits entered into a difficult battle with the Naimans, and, in the evidence of death, Wang-Khan sent messengers to Temujin with a request for help. Temujin sent his nukers, among whom Boorchu, Mukhali, Borokhul and Chilown distinguished themselves in battle. For his salvation, Wang Khan bequeathed his ulus to Temujin after his death.

Joint campaign of Wang Khan and Temujin against the Taijiuts

In 1200, Wan Khan and Temujin launched a joint campaign against the Taijiuts. The Merkits came to the aid of the taiichiuts. In this battle, Temujin was wounded by an arrow, after which Jelme took care of him all the following night. By morning the Taichiuts disappeared, leaving many people behind. Among them were Sorgan-Shira, who once saved Temujin, and the well-aimed shooter Jirgoadai, who confessed that he was the one who shot Temujin. He was accepted into Temujin's army and received the nickname Jebe (arrowhead). A pursuit was organized for the taiichiuts. Many were killed, some surrendered to the service. This was the first major victory won by Temujin.

In 1201, some Mongol forces (including Tatars, Taichiuts, Merkits, Oirats and other tribes) decided to unite in the fight against Temujin. They took the oath of allegiance to Jamukha and elevated him to the throne with the title gurkhan... Upon learning of this, Temujin contacted Wang Khan, who immediately raised an army and arrived at him.

Speech against the Tatars

In 1202, Temujin independently opposed the Tatars. Before this campaign, he gave an order, according to which, under the threat of death, it was strictly forbidden to seize prey during a battle and pursue the enemy without an order: the commanders were to divide the seized property between the soldiers only at the end of the battle. A fierce battle was won, and on the advice gathered by Temujin after the battle, it was decided to destroy all Tatars, except for the children below the cart wheel, as revenge for the Mongol ancestors they killed (in particular, for Temujin's father).

Battle of Khalakhaljin-Elete and the fall of the Kereite ulus

In the spring of 1203, at Khalakhaljin-Elat, Temujin's troops fought with the combined forces of Jamuqa and Wan Khan (although Wang Khan did not want war with Temujin, but he was persuaded by his son Nilha-Sangum, who hated Temujin for what Wang Khan gave to him preference over his son and thought to give him the Kereite throne, and Jamuqa, who claimed that Temujin was uniting with the Naiman Tayan Khan). In this battle, Temujin's ulus suffered heavy losses. But the son of Wang Khan was wounded, because of which the Kereites left the battlefield. To gain time, Temujin began to send diplomatic messages, the purpose of which was to separate both Jamukha and Wang Khan, and Wang Khan from his son. At the same time, a number of tribes that did not join either side formed a coalition against both Wang Khan and Temujin. Upon learning of this, Wang Khan attacked first and defeated them, after which he began to feast. When it was reported to Temujin, it was decided to attack with lightning speed and take the enemy by surprise. Without even stopping at night, Temujin's army overtook the Kereites and utterly defeated them in the fall of 1203. The Kereit ulus ceased to exist. Wang Khan and his son managed to escape, but ran into a guard of Naimans, and Wang Khan died. Nilha-Sangum was able to escape, but was later killed by the Uighurs.

With the fall of the Kereites in 1204, Jamukha with the remaining army joined the Naimans in the hope of Temujin's death at the hands of Tayan Khan or vice versa. Tayan Khan saw Temujin as the only rival in the struggle for power in the Mongol steppes. Learning that the Naimans think about the attack, Temujin decided to march against Tayan Khan. But before the campaign, he began to reorganize the management of the army and the ulus. In the early summer of 1204, Temujin's army - about 45,000 horsemen - set out on a campaign against the Naimans. Tayan Khan's army at first retreated in order to lure Temujin's army into a trap, but then, at the insistence of Tayan Khan's son, Kuchluk, entered the battle. The Naimans were defeated, only Kuchluk with a small detachment managed to go to Altai to his uncle Buyuruk. Tayan Khan died, and Jamukha disappeared even before the start of the fierce battle, realizing that the Naimans could not win. In the battles with the Naimans, Khubilai, Jebe, Jelme and Subadei especially distinguished themselves.

Hike against the Merkits

Temujin, building on his success, opposed the Merkits, and the Merkit people fell. Tohtoa-beki, the ruler of the Merkits, fled to Altai, where he united with Kuchluk. In the spring of 1205, Temujin's army attacked Tokhtoa-beki and Kuchluk in the area of \u200b\u200bthe Bukhtarma river. Tokhtoa-beks died, and his army and most of the Naimans of Kuchluk, pursued by the Mongols, drowned while crossing the Irtysh. Kuchluk with his people fled to the Kara-Kitays (southwest of Lake Balkhash). There Kuchluk managed to gather scattered detachments of Naimans and Kerait, enter into a disposition to the gurkhan and become a fairly significant political figure. The sons of Tokhtoa-beki fled to the Kypchaks, taking with them the severed head of their father. Subedei was sent to chase them.

After the defeat of the Naimans, most of the Mongols of Jamukha went over to the side of Temujin. At the end of 1205, Jamukha himself was handed over to Temujin alive by his own nukers, hoping by this to save their lives and curry favor, for which they were executed by Temujin as traitors. Temujin offered his friend complete forgiveness and renewal of the old friendship, but Jamuqa refused, saying:

"As in the sky there is only room for one sun, so in Mongolia there should be only one sovereign."

He asked only for a dignified death (without bloodshed). His wish was granted - Temujin's warriors broke Jamukha's back. Rashid ad-Din attributed the execution of Jamuqa to Elchidai-noyon, who cut Jamukha into pieces.

Reforms of the Great Khan

Mongol Empire around 1207

In the spring of 1206, at the source of the Onon River at the kurultai, Temujin was proclaimed a great khan over all the tribes and received the title "kagan", taking the name Chingiz (Chingiz is literally "the lord of water" or, more precisely, "the ruler of the boundless as the sea"). Mongolia has transformed: the scattered and warring Mongol nomadic tribes united into a single state.

A new law came into force - Yasa Genghis Khan. In Yasa, the main place was occupied by articles about mutual assistance in the campaign and the prohibition of deceiving those who confided in them. Anyone who violated these regulations was executed, and the enemy of the Mongols, who remained loyal to their ruler, was spared and accepted into their army. Faithfulness and courage were considered good, and cowardice and betrayal were considered evil.

Genghis Khan divided the entire population into tens, hundreds, thousands and tumens (ten thousand), thereby mixing tribes and clans and appointing commanders over them specially selected people from close associates and nukers. All adult and healthy men were considered warriors who ran their household in peacetime, and took up arms in wartime. The armed forces of Genghis Khan, formed in this way, numbered about 95 thousand soldiers.

Individual hundreds, thousands, and tumens, together with the territory for nomadism, were given into the possession of one or another noyon. The Great Khan, the owner of all the land in the state, distributed land and arats in the possession of the noyons, on the condition that they would regularly perform certain duties for this. The most important duty was military service. Each noyon was obliged, at the first request of the overlord, to put the required number of soldiers in the field. Noyon in his lot could exploit the labor of the arats, distributing his livestock to them for pasture or involving them directly to work on his farm. Small noyons served large ones.

Under Genghis Khan, the enslavement of the arats was legalized, and the unauthorized transition from one dozen, hundreds, thousands or tumen to others was prohibited. This prohibition meant the formal attachment of the arat to the land of noyons - for disobeying the arat, the death penalty was threatened.

An armed detachment of personal bodyguards, called keshik, enjoyed exclusive privileges and was intended to fight against the khan's internal enemies. The Keshikten were selected from the Noyon youth and were under the personal command of the khan himself, being essentially the khan's guard. At first, the detachment consisted of 150 keshikten. In addition, a special detachment was created, which was to always be in the vanguard and be the first to engage in battle with the enemy. It was named a group of heroes.

Genghis Khan created a network of communication lines, courier communications on a large scale for military and administrative purposes, organized intelligence, including economic.

Genghis Khan divided the country into two "wings". At the head of the right wing, he put Boorcha, at the head of the left - Mukhali, two of his most faithful and tried companions. The position and titles of senior and high military leaders - centurions, thousanders and temniks - he made hereditary in the family of those who, with their faithful service, helped him to seize the khan throne.

Conquest of North China

In 1207-1211, the Mongols conquered the land of the forest tribes, that is, they subjugated almost all the main tribes and peoples of Siberia, imposing tribute on them.

Before conquering China, Genghis Khan decided to secure the border by capturing the Xi-Xia Tangut state in 1207, which was located between his possessions and the Jin state. Having captured several fortified cities, in the summer of 1208, Genghis Khan withdrew to Longjin, waiting out the intolerable heat that fell that year.

He captured the fortress and the passage in the Great Wall of China and in 1213 invaded directly into the Chinese state of Jin, going as far as Nianxi in the Hanshu province. Genghis Khan led his troops inland and established his rule over the province of Liaodong, central to the empire. Several Chinese generals went over to his side. The garrisons surrendered without a fight.

Having established his position along the entire Great Wall of China, in the fall of 1213, Genghis Khan sent three armies to different parts of the Jin Empire. One of them, under the command of the three sons of Genghis Khan - Jochi, Chagatai and Ogedei, headed south. Another, led by the brothers and generals of Genghis Khan, moved east to the sea. Genghis Khan himself and his younger son Tolui headed the main forces in a southeast direction. The first army advanced as far as Honan and, capturing twenty-eight cities, joined Genghis Khan on the Great Western Road. The army under the command of the brothers and generals of Genghis Khan captured the province of Liao-si, and Genghis Khan himself ended his triumphant campaign only after he reached the sea rocky promontory in Shandong province. In the spring of 1214, he returned to Mongolia and made peace with the Chinese emperor, leaving him Beijing. However, the leader of the Mongols did not have time to leave behind the Great Wall of China, as the Chinese emperor moved his court further away, to Kaifeng. This step was perceived by Genghis Khan 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 at the expense of the aborigines, fought with the Mongols until 1235 on their own initiative, but were defeated and exterminated by Genghis Khan's successor Ogedei.

Struggle against the Naiman and Kara-Khitan khanates

Following China, Genghis Khan was preparing for a campaign in Central Asia. He was especially attracted by the flourishing cities of Semirechye. He decided to carry out his plan through the valley of the Ili River, where the rich cities were located and ruled by the old enemy of Genghis Khan, the Naiman Khan Kuchluk.

While Genghis Khan was conquering all the new cities and provinces of China, the fugitive Naiman khan Kuchluk asked the gurkhan who gave him refuge to help collect the remnants of the army defeated at the Irtysh. Having obtained a rather strong army under his arm, Kuchluk concluded an alliance against his suzerain with the Shah of Khorezm Mohammed, who had previously paid tribute to the Karakitai. After a short but decisive military campaign, the allies were left in a big win, and the gurkhan was forced to relinquish power in favor of an intruder. In 1213, the gurkhan Chzhilugu 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 enemy of Khorezm, Kuchluk began persecuting Muslims in his possessions, which aroused the hatred of the sedentary population of Zhetysu. The ruler of Koilyk (in the valley of the Ili river) Arslan khan, and then the ruler of Almalyk (north-west of modern Kulja) Bu-zar departed from the Naimans and declared themselves subjects of Genghis Khan.

In 1218, Jebe's detachments, together with the troops of the rulers of Koilyk and Almalyk, invaded the lands of the Karakitai. The Mongols conquered Semirechye and East Turkestan, which Kuchluk possessed. In the first battle, Jebe defeated the Naimans. The Mongols allowed Muslims to worship in public, which was previously prohibited by the Naimans, which contributed to the transition of the entire sedentary population to the side of the Mongols. Kuchluk, unable to organize resistance, fled to Afghanistan, where he was caught and killed. Residents of Balasagun opened the gates to the Mongols, for which the city was named Gobalyk - "a good city". The road to Khorezm was opened before Genghis Khan.

Conquest of Central Asia

To the west

After the capture of Samarkand (spring 1220), Genghis Khan sent troops to capture the Khorezmshah Muhammad, who fled beyond the Amu Darya. The Tumens of Jebe and Subedei passed through northern Iran and invaded the South Caucasus, bringing the cities into submission by negotiation or force and collecting tribute. Having learned about the death of the Khorezmshah, the noyons continued their march to the west. Through the Derbent passage they penetrated the North Caucasus, defeated the Alans, and then the Polovtsians. In the spring of 1223, the Mongols defeated the combined forces of the Russians and Polovtsians on Kalka, but when retreating to the east, they were defeated in the Volga Bulgaria. The remnants of the Mongol troops in 1224 returned to Genghis Khan, who was in Central Asia.

Death

Upon his return from Central Asia, Genghis Khan once again led his army through Western China. According to Rashid ad-din, in the fall of 1225, having migrated to the borders of Xi Xia, while hunting, Genghis Khan fell from his horse and was badly hurt. By evening, Genghis Khan began to have a strong fever. As a result, the next morning a council was assembled, 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 evasion of his father's orders. Genghis Khan ordered the army to march against Jochi and put an end to him, but the campaign did not take place, as news of his death came. Genghis Khan fell ill throughout the winter of 1225-1226.

In the spring of 1226, Genghis Khan again led the army, and the Mongols crossed the Xi-Xia border in the lower reaches of the Edzin-Gol River. The Tanguts and some allied tribes were defeated and lost several tens of thousands killed. Genghis Khan gave the civilian population to the stream and plundered the army. This was the beginning of Genghis Khan's last war. In December, the Mongols crossed the Yellow River and entered the eastern regions of Xi-Xia. Near Lingzhou there was a clash of a hundred thousand army of the Tanguts with the Mongols. The Tangut army was completely defeated. The way to the capital of the Tangut kingdom was now open.

In the winter of 1226-1227. the last siege of Zhongxing began. In the spring and summer of 1227, the Tangut state was destroyed, and the capital was doomed. The fall of the capital of the Tangut kingdom is directly related to the death of Genghis Khan, who died under its walls. According to Rashid ad-din, he died before the fall of the Tangut capital. According to Yuan-shih, Genghis Khan died when the capital's residents began to surrender. The "Secret Legend" tells that Genghis Khan received the Tangut ruler with gifts, but, feeling bad, ordered him to be killed. And then he ordered to take the capital and put an end to the Tangut state, after which he died. Sources name different causes of death - a sudden illness, illness from the unhealthy climate of the Tangut state, a consequence of a fall from a horse. It is established with confidence that he died in early autumn (or late summer) of 1227 on the territory of the Tangut state immediately after the fall of the capital Zhongxing (the modern city of Yinchuan) and the destruction of the Tangust state.

There is a version that Genghis Khan was stabbed to death by a young wife at night, whom he forcibly took away from her husband. Fearing for what she had done, she drowned herself in the river that night.

According to the will, Genghis Khan was succeeded by his third son Ogedei.

Tomb of Genghis Khan

Where Genghis Khan was buried, it has not yet been precisely established, sources cite different places and methods of burial. According to the 17th century chronicler Sagan-Setsen, “his real corpse, as some say, was buried on Burkhan-Khaldun. Others say that they buried him on the northern slope of Altai Khan, or on the southern slope of Kentai Khan, or in the area called Yehe-Utek. "

Genghis Khan's personality

The main sources by which we can judge the life and personality of Genghis Khan were compiled after his death (the "Secret Legend" is especially important among them). From these sources we get information about both the appearance of Chinggis (tall, strong constitution, wide 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 book education. With the talents of a commander, he combined organizational skills, unyielding will and self-control. Generosity and friendliness he possessed enough to maintain the affection of his companions. Without denying himself the joys of life, he remained a stranger to excesses incompatible with the activities of the ruler and commander, and lived to old years, retaining his mental abilities in full force.

Descendants

Temujin and his first wife Borte had four sons: Jochi, Chagatai, Ogedei, Tolui. Only they and their descendants inherited the supreme power in the state. Temujin and Borte also had daughters:

• Khojin-bags, wife of Butu-Gurgen from the Ikires family.
• Tsetseihen (Chichigan), wife of Inalchi, the youngest son of the head of the Oirats, Khuduha-beki.
• Alangaa (Alagai, Alakha), who married the Noyon of the Onguts Buyanbald (in 1219, when Genghis Khan went to war with Khorezm, he entrusted her with state affairs in his absence, therefore she is also called Tooru dzasagchi gunji (princess-ruler).
• Temulen, wife of Shiku-Gurgen, son of Alchi-noyon from the Ungirates, the tribe of her mother Borte.
• Alduun (Altalun), who married Zavtar-Setsen, noyon khongirads.

Temujin and his second wife, the Merkitka Khulan-Khatun, the daughter of Dair-usun, had sons Kulkhan (Khulugen, Kulkan) and Kharachar; and from the Tatar woman Yesugen (Esukat), the daughter of Charu-noyon, the sons of Chakhur (Jaur) and Kharhad.

The sons of Genghis Khan continued the work of their father and ruled over the Mongols, as well as the conquered lands, based on the Great Yasa of Genghis Khan until the 20s of the XX century. The Manchu emperors, who ruled Mongolia and China from the 16th to the 19th century, were descendants of Genghis Khan in the female line, as they married Mongol princesses from the clan of Genghis Khan. The first Prime Minister of Mongolia of the XX century, Sain-Noyon-khan Namnansuren (1911-1919), as well as the rulers of Inner Mongolia (until 1954) were the direct descendants of Genghis Khan.

Genghis Khan's combined genealogy was maintained until the 20th century; in 1918, the religious head of Mongolia, Bogdo-gegen, issued an order to preserve Urgiin Bichig (family list) of Mongol princes. This monument is kept in the museum and is called "Shastra of the State of Mongolia" ( Mongol Ulsyn Shastir). Today, many direct descendants of Genghis Khan live in Mongolia and Inner Mongolia (PRC), as well as in other countries.

Board results

During the conquest of the Naimans, Genghis Khan got acquainted with the beginnings of writing, some of the Uyghurs who were in the service of the Naimans entered the service of Genghis Khan and were the first officials in the Mongol state and the first teachers of the Mongols. Apparently, Genghis Khan hoped to subsequently replace the Uyghurs with ethnic Mongols, as he ordered the noble Mongolian youths, including his sons, to learn the Uyghur language and writing. After the spread of Mongol rule, even during the life of Genghis Khan, the Mongols also used the services of officials and priests of the conquered peoples, primarily the Chinese and Persians. In Mongolia, the Uyghur alphabet is still used. In the field of foreign policy, Genghis Khan sought to maximize the limits of his territory. The strategy and tactics of Genghis Khan were characterized by careful reconnaissance, suddenness of the attack, the desire to dismember the enemy's forces, the arrangement of ambushes with the use of special detachments to lure the enemy, the maneuvering of large masses of cavalry, etc.

Temujin and his descendants swept off the face of the earth great and ancient states: the state of the Khorezmshahs, the Chinese Empire, the Baghdad Caliphate, the Volga Bulgaria, and most of the Russian principalities were conquered. Vast territories were put under the control of the steppe law - "Yasy".

In 1220, Genghis Khan founded Karakorum, the capital of the Mongol Empire.

Chronology of major events

• 1155 year - Birth of Temujin (dates are also used in literature - 1162 and 1167).
• 1184 year (approximate date) - Capture of Temujin's wife - Borte by the Merkits.
• 1184/85 year (approximate date) - Liberation of Borte with the support of Jamukha and Togrul. The birth of the eldest son - Jochi.
• 1185/86 year (approximate date) - Birth of Temujin's second son - Chagatai.
• October 1186 - Birth of Temujin's third son, Ogedei.
• 1186 year - The first ulus of Temujin (also probable dates - 1189/90), as well as defeat from Jamukha.
• 1190 year (approximate date) - Birth of the fourth son of Genghis Khan - Tolui.
• 1196 year - The combined forces of Temujin, Togoril Khan and Jin's troops attack the Tatar tribe.
• 1199 year - The victory of the combined forces of Temujin, Wan Khan and Jamukha over the Naiman tribe led by Buyruk Khan.
• 1200 year - Victory of the joint forces of Temujin and Wang Khan over the Taichiut tribe.
• 1202 year - Defeat of the Tatar tribes by Temujin.
• 1203 year - Battle with the Kereites at Khalakhaldzhin-Elet. Baljun Treaty.
• Autumn 1203 - Victory over the kereites.
• Summer of 1204 - Victory over the Naiman tribe led by Tayan Khan.
• Autumn 1204 - Victory over the Merkit tribe.
• Spring 1205 - Attack and victory over the united forces of the remnants of the tribe of the Merkit and Naiman.
• 1205 year - Betrayal and surrender of Jamukha by his nukers to Temujin; execution of Jamukha.
• 1206 year - At the kurultai Temujin is given the title "Genghis Khan".
• 1207 - 1210 - Genghis Khan's attacks on the Tangut state of Xi Xia.
• 1215 year - The fall of Beijing.
• 1219-1223 years - The conquest of Central Asia by Genghis Khan.
• 1223 year - The victory of the Mongols, led by Subedei and Jebe, on the Kalka River over the Russian-Polovtsian army.
• Spring 1226 - Attack on the Tangut state of Xi Xia.
• Autumn 1227 - The fall of the capital and state of Xi Xia. Death of Genghis Khan.

Tribute

• In 1962, in honor of the 800th anniversary of the birth of Genghis Khan, a memorial stele with his portrait was erected in the Dadal somon of the Khentei aimag by the sculptor L. Makhval.
• Since 1991, the image of Genghis Khan has been placed on banknotes in denominations of 500, 1000, 5000, 10,000 and 20,000 Mongolian tugriks.
• In 2000, the New York magazine "Time" declared Genghis Khan "the man of the millennium."
• In 2002, by decree of the Mongolian State Art Museum, the Order of Genghis Khan was established ( "Chinggis khan" odon) - the new highest award of the country. The Democratic Party of Mongolia has as the highest party award an order with a similar name - the Order of Chinggis ( Chinggisiin odon). Genghis Khan Square was built in Hailar (PRC).
• In 2005, the Buyant-Ukha International Airport in Ulaanbaatar was renamed the Genghis Khan Airport. A monument is erected on the Hailar square of Genghis Khan.
• In 2006, a monument to Genghis Khan and his two commanders, Mukhali and Boorch, was erected in front of the Palace of the Government of Mongolia on the central square of the capital.
• In 2008, a monument was erected at a crossroads near Ulaanbaatar International Airport. An equestrian statue of Genghis Khan was completed in the Tsongzhin-Boldog area of \u200b\u200bthe Tuve aimag.
• In 2011, Chinggis Airways was founded in Mongolia.
• In 2012, an equestrian statue of Genghis Khan by the Russian sculptor D. B. Namdakov was installed in London. The first day of the first winter month according to the lunar calendar (November 14 in 2012) has been officially declared the birthday of Genghis Khan in Mongolia, which has become a public holiday and a day off - the Day of Pride of Mongolia. The celebration program includes a ceremony to honor his statue in the central square of the capital.
• In 2013, the name of Genghis Khan was given to the main square of the capital of Mongolia. The decision was reversed in 2016.

In popular culture of the XX-XXI centuries

Film incarnations

• Manuel Conde and Salvador Lu "Genghis Khan" (Philippines, 1950)
• Marvin Miller "Golden Horde" (USA, 1951)
• Raymond Bromley "You Are There" (TV series, USA, 1954)
• John Wayne "The Conqueror" (USA, 1956)
• Roldano Lupi "I mongoli" (Italy, 1961); Maciste nell'inferno di Gengis Khan (1964)
• Omar Sharif "Genghis Khan" (Great Britain, Germany, Italy, USA, 1965)
• Tom Reed “Permette? Rocco Papaleo "(Italy, 1971)
• Mondo "Shanks" (USA, 1974)
• Paul Chung, The Tale of Heroes Shooting Eagles (Hong Kong, 1982)
• Gel Delhi "Genghis Khan" (China, 1986)
• Bolot Beishenaliev "Death of Otrar" (USSR, Kazakhfilm, 1991)
• Richard Tyson "Genghis Khan" (USA, 1992); Chinggis Khan: A Story of Life (2010)
• Batdorzhiin Baasanjav "Equal to the sky of Genghis Khan" (1997); "Genghis Khan" (China, 2004)
• Tumen "Genghis Khan" (Mongolia, 2000)
• Bogdan Stupka "The Secret of Genghis Khan" (Ukraine, 2002)
• Orzhil Makhan "Genghis Khan" (Mongolia, 2005)
• Douglas Kim "Chingis" (USA, 2007)
• Takashi Sorimati “Genghis Khan. To the end of the earth and the sea "(Japan-Mongolia, 2007)
• Tadanobu Asano "Mongol" (Kazakhstan-Russia, 2007)
• Edward Ondar "The Secret of Chinggis Khaan" (Russia-Mongolia-USA, 2009)

Documentaries

• Secrets of Antiquity. Barbarians. Part 2. Mongols (USA; 2003)

Literature

• "Young hero Temujin" (Mong. Baatar hөvgүүn Temuzhin) - play by S. Buyannemekh (1927)
• "White Cloud of Genghis Khan" - a story included in the novel by Chingiz Aitmatov "And the day lasts longer than a century"
• "Raisud" - a grotesque fantasy story by O. E. Khafizov
• "The Cruel Age" - a historical novel by I.K. Kalashnikov (1978)
• "Genghis Khan" - the first novel from the trilogy of the Soviet writer V. G. Yan (1939)
• "At the behest of Genghis Khan" - a trilogy of the Yakut writer N. A. Luginov (1998)
• "Genghis Khan" - trilogy by S. Yu. Volkov (project "Ethnogenesis")
• "The first nuker of Genghis Khan" and "Temujin" - books by A. S. Gatapov
• "Lord of War" - book by I. I. Petrov
• "Genghis Khan" - a dilogy of the German writer Kurt David ("Black Wolf" (1966), "Tengeri, son of the Black Wolf" (1968))
• "The Way to the Other End of Infinity" - Arvo Walton
• The Will of Heaven - Historical Novel by Arthur Lundqvist
• Mongol is a novel by American writer Taylor Caldwell
• "Genghis Khan" - a drama by the Belgian writer Henri Boschot (1960)
• "Master of the Universe" - novel by American writer Pamela Sargent (1993)
• "Bones of the Hills" - a novel by the English writer Egullden Conn

Music

• "Dschinghis Khan" is the name of a German musical group that recorded the album and song of the same name.
• "Genghis Khan" - instrumental composition of the British rock band Iron Maiden (album "Killers", 1981)

Temuchin - this was the initial name of the founder of the Mongol Empire, one of the largest and bloodiest conquerors in world history. Everyone better known under the name of Genghis Khan.

We can say about this man that he was born with a weapon in his hands. A skilful warrior, a talented commander, a competent ruler who managed to assemble a powerful state from a handful of disunited tribes. His fate was so filled with events that were important not only for him, but also for a whole part of the world, that it is rather problematic to compose a short biography of Genghis Khan. We can say that his whole life was one, almost continuous war.

The beginning of the path of the great warrior

Scientists have not been able to find out the exact date when Temuchin was born, it is only known that this happened in the period from 1155 to 1162. But the place of birth is considered to be the Delyun-Baldok tract on the bank of the river. Onona (near Lake Baikal).

Temuchin's father, Yesugei Bugator, the leader of the Taichiuts (one of the many Mongol tribes), raised his son as a warrior from an early age. As soon as the boy turned nine, ten-year-old Borte, a girl from the Urgenat clan, was married to him. Moreover, according to the Mongolian tradition, after the ritual, the groom had to live with the bride's family until his majority. Which was done. The father, leaving his son, went back, but soon after arriving home, he died unexpectedly. According to legend, he was poisoned, and his family, both wives and six children were expelled from the tribe, forced to wander the steppe.

Having learned about what had happened, Temuchin decided to share the troubles of his relatives by joining her.

The first battles and the first ulus

After several years of wandering, the future ruler of Mongolia married Borte, receiving as a dowry a rich sable fur coat, which he presented in the future as a gift to Khan Tooril, one of the most influential leaders of the steppe, thus endearing the latter to himself. As a result, Tooril became his patron.

Gradually, largely thanks to the “guardian”, Temuchin's influence began to grow. Starting literally from scratch, he managed to create a good and strong army. With each new day, more and more soldiers joined him. With his army, he constantly raided neighboring tribes, increasing the holdings and the number of livestock. And even then, by his actions, he differed from other steppe conquerors: attacking the uluses (hordes), he tried not to destroy the enemy, but to attract them to his army.



But his enemies did not sleep either: once, during Temuchin's absence, the Merkits attacked his camp, capturing his pregnant wife. But retribution was not long in coming. In 1184 Temuchin, together with Tooril Khan and Jamukha (the leader of the Jadaran tribe), returned it, defeating the Merkits.

By 1186, the future ruler of all Mongolia created his first full-fledged horde (ulus), numbering about 30 thousand soldiers. Now Genghis Khan decided to act independently, emerging from the care of his patron.

The title of Genghis Khan and a single state - Mongolia

To oppose the Tatars, Temuchin again united with Tooril Khan. The decisive battle took place in 1196 and ended in a crushing defeat for the enemy. In addition to the fact that the Mongols received good booty, Temuchin acquired the title of jautkhuri (corresponding to the military commissar), and Tooril Khan became a Mongolian van (prince).

From 1200 to 1204, Temuchin continued to fight the Tatars and the Mongol tribes that had not yet submitted, but already independently, gaining victories and following his tactics - increasing the number of troops at the expense of the enemy's forces.

In 1205, more and more soldiers join the new ruler, and as a result, in the spring of 1206, he was proclaimed the khan of all Mongols, giving him the appropriate title - Genghis Khan. Mongolia became a single state with a powerful, well-trained army and its own laws, according to which the conquered tribes became part of the army, and the resisting enemies were subject to destruction.



Genghis Khan practically eradicated the tribal system, mixing the tribes, instead dividing the entire horde into tumens (1 tumen \u003d 10 thousand people), and those, in turn, into thousands, hundreds and even tens. As a result, his army reached the number of 10 tumens.

Subsequently, Mongolia was divided into two separate wings, at the head of which Genghis Khan put his most faithful and experienced companions: Boorchu and Mukhali. In addition, military positions could now be inherited.

Death of Genghis Khan

In 1209, Central Asia conquered the Mongols, and until 1211 - almost all of Siberia, the peoples of which were taxed.

In 1213 the Mongols invaded China. Having reached its central part, Genghis Khan stopped, and a year later he returned the troops back to Mongolia, concluding a peace treaty with the emperor of China and forcing them to leave Beijing. But as soon as the ruling court left the capital, Genghis Khan returned the army, continuing the war.

Having defeated the Chinese army, the Mongol conqueror decided to go to Semirechye, and in 1218 it was captured, and at the same time the entire eastern part of Turkestan.

In 1220, the Mongol empire found its capital - Karakorum, and meanwhile, the troops of Genghis Khan, divided into two streams, continued their aggressive campaigns: the first part invaded the South Caucasus through Northern Iran, the second rushed to the Amu Darya.

Crossing through the Derbent passage in the North Caucasus, Genghis Khan's troops defeated first the Alans, and then the Polovtsians. The latter, having united with the squads of the Russian princes, attacked the Mongols on Kalka, but here too they were defeated. But in the Volga Bulgaria, the Mongol army received a serious blow and retreated to Central Asia.

Returning to Mongolia, Genghis Khan made a trip along the western side of China. At the end of 1226, having forced the river. Huanghe, the Mongols moved east. The hundred thousandth army of the Tanguts (the people who in 982 created an entire state in China, called Xi Xia) was defeated, and by the summer of 1227 the Tangut kingdom had ceased to exist. Ironically, Genghis Khan died along with the state of Xi Xia.



The heirs of Genghis Khan must be told separately, since each of them deserves special attention.

The ruler of Mongolia had many wives, and even more offspring. Despite the fact that all the children of the emperor were considered legitimate, only four of them could become his true heirs, namely those who were born by the first and beloved wife of Genghis Khan, Borte. Their names were Jochi, Chagatai, Ogedei and Tolui, and only one could take the place of his father. All of them, although they were born from the same mother, were very different from each other in character and inclinations.

Firstborn

The eldest son of Genghis Khan, Jochi, was very different in character from his father. If the ruler was inherent in cruelty (he, without a drop of pity, destroyed all the defeated, who did not submit and did not want to enter his service), then the distinguishing feature of Jochi was kindness and humanity. Between father and son, misunderstandings constantly arose, which eventually grew into Genghis Khan's distrust of his firstborn.



The ruler decided that by his actions his son was trying to achieve popularity among the conquered peoples, and then, leading them, to oppose his father and separate from Mongolia. Most likely, such a scenario was far-fetched, and Jochi posed no threat. Nevertheless, in the winter of 1227, he was found dead in the steppe, with a broken spine.

Genghis Khan's second son

As mentioned above, the sons of Genghis Khan were very different from each other. So, the second of them, Chagatai, was the opposite of his older brother. Severity, diligence and even cruelty were inherent in him. Thanks to these character traits, the son of Genghis Khan, Chagatai, took the post of “keeper of Yasa” (Yasa is the law of power), that is, in fact, he became both the attorney general and the supreme judge in one person. Moreover, he himself observed the provisions of the law strictly and demanded its observance from others, mercilessly punishing violators.

Another offspring of the great khan

Genghis Khan's third son, Ogedei, was similar to his brother Jochi in that he was reputed to be kind and tolerant of people. In addition, he had the ability to persuade: it was not difficult for him to win over the doubter of any dispute in which he took part to his side.

An extraordinary mind and good physical development - perhaps it was these traits inherent in Ogedei that influenced Genghis Khan when choosing a successor, which he did long before his death.

But for all his merits, Ogedei was known as an entertainment lover, devoting a lot of time to steppe hunting and drinking with friends. In addition, he was strongly influenced by Chagatai, who often forced him to change seemingly final decisions to the opposite.



Tolui, the youngest of the emperor's sons

The youngest son of Genghis Khan, who was named Tolui at birth, was born in 1193. There were rumors among the people that he was allegedly illegitimate. After all, as you know, Genghis Khan came from the Borjigin clan, a distinctive feature of which was blonde hair and green or blue eyes, but Tolui had a Mongolian, quite ordinary appearance - dark eyes and black hair. Nevertheless, the ruler, despite the slander, considered him his.

And it was the youngest son of Genghis Khan, Tolui, who possessed the greatest talents and moral dignity. An excellent commander and a good administrator, Tolui retained nobility and boundless love for his wife, daughter of the head of the Kerait who served Wang Khan. He not only organized a "church" yurt for her, since she professed Christianity, but even allowed her to hold ceremonies there, for which she was allowed to invite priests and monks. Tolui himself remained faithful to the gods of his ancestors.

Even the death that the youngest son of the Mongol ruler took says a lot about him: when Ogedei was overtaken by a serious illness, in order to take his ailment on himself, he voluntarily drank a strong potion prepared by the shaman and died, in fact, giving his life for the chance of his brother's recovery ...

Transfer of power

As mentioned above, the sons of Genghis Khan had equal rights to inherit everything that their father left them. After the mysterious death of Jochi, there were fewer applicants for the throne, and when Genghis Khan died and the new ruler had not yet been formally elected, Tolui replaced his father. But already in 1229, Ogedei became the great khan, as Genghis himself wanted.

However, as mentioned above, Ogedei had a rather kind and gentle character, that is, not the most good and necessary traits for the sovereign. Under him, the management of the ulus was greatly weakened and kept "afloat" thanks to the other sons of Genghis Khan, more precisely, the administrative and diplomatic abilities of Tolui and the strict character of Chagatai. The emperor himself preferred to spend time in wanderings in Western Mongolia, which were certainly accompanied by hunting and feasts.



Chinggis's grandchildren

The children of Genghis Khan also had their own sons, who were entitled to a share of the conquests of the great grandfather and fathers. Each of them received either part of the ulus or a high position.

Despite the fact that Jochi was dead, his sons were not left out. So, the eldest of them, Horde-Icheng, inherited the White Horde, which was located between the Irtysh and Tarbagatay. Another son, Sheibani, got the Blue Horde, which roamed from Tyumen to the Aral Sea. From Jochi, the son of Genghis Khan, Batu - perhaps the most famous khan in Russia - received the Golden, or Big Horde. In addition, each brother from the Mongol army was assigned 1-2 thousand fighters.

The children of Chagatai received the same number of soldiers, but the offspring of Tuluy, being almost inseparable at the court, ruled the grandfather's ulus.

Guyuk, the son of Ogedei, did not remain deprived. In 1246 he was elected a great khan, and it is believed that from that moment the decline of the Mongol Empire began. There was a split between the descendants of the sons of Genghis Khan. It got to the point that Guyuk organized a military campaign against Batu. But the unexpected happened: in 1248 Guyuk died. One of the versions says that Batu himself had a hand in his death, sending his people to poison the great khan.

Descendant of Jochi, son of Genghis Khan - Batu (Batu)

It was this Mongol ruler who "inherited" more than others in the history of Rus. His name was Batu, but in Russian sources he is more often referred to as Batu Khan.

After the death of his father, who three years before his death received into his possession the Kipchat steppe, Russia with the Crimea, the share of the Caucasus and Khorezm, and by the time of his death had lost most of them (his possessions were reduced to the Asian part of the steppe and Khorezm), the heirs were especially divided there was nothing. But this did not bother Batu, and in 1236, under his leadership, a general Mongol campaign to the West began.



Judging by the nickname given to the commander-ruler - "Sain-khan", meaning "good-natured" - he had some character traits for which his father was famous, only Batu Khan was not prevented from conquering: by 1243 Mongolia received the western side Polovtsian steppe, the peoples of the Volga region and the North Caucasus, and in addition, Volga Bulgaria. Several times Khan Byty made raids on Russia. And in the end, the Mongol army reached Central Europe. Batu, approaching Rome, demanded obedience from its emperor, Frederick II. At first, he was going to resist the Mongols, but changed his mind, resigned to his fate. Fighting clashes between the troops never happened.

After some time, Khan Batu decided to settle on the coast of the Volga, and he no longer conducted military campaigns to the West.

Batu died in 1256 at the age of 48. The Golden Horde was headed by the son of Batu - Saratak.

(Temujin, Temujin)


(1155 -1227 )


Great conqueror. Founder and Great Khan of the Mongol Empire.


The fate of Temujin, or Temujin, was very difficult. He came from a noble Mongolian family that roamed with their herds along the banks of the Onon River in the territory of modern Mongolia. When he was nine years old, during the steppe civil strife, his father, Yesugei-bahadur, was killed. The family, which lost its protector and almost all livestock, had to flee from the nomads. With great difficulty she managed to endure the harsh winter in the wooded area. Troubles continued to haunt the little Mongol - new enemies from the Taijiut tribe attacked the orphaned family and took Temujin prisoner, wearing a slave's wooden collar.

However, he showed the firmness of his character, tempered by the adversity of childhood. Having broken the collar, he escaped and returned to his native tribe, which could not protect his family several years ago. The teenager became a zealous warrior: few of his relatives knew how to deftly control a steppe horse and shoot a bow accurately, throw a lasso at full gallop and cut with a saber.

But the warriors of his tribe were struck by something else in Temujin - authority, the desire to subjugate others. From those who stood under his banner, the young Mongolian commander demanded full and unquestioning obedience to his will. Disobedience was punishable only by death. To the disobedient he was as merciless as to his blood enemies among the Mongols. Temujin pretty soon managed 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, having gathered under his command a small detachment of soldiers. It was very difficult - after all, the Mongol tribes constantly waged an armed struggle among themselves, raiding neighboring nomad camps in order to take possession of their herds and capture people into slavery.

Steppe clans, and then entire tribes of Mongols, he united around himself, sometimes by force, and sometimes by diplomacy. Temujin married the daughter of one of the most powerful neighbors, hoping for the support of his father-in-law's warriors in difficult times. However, while the young military leader had few allies and his own soldiers, he had to endure failures.
The steppe tribe of the Merkits, hostile to him, once made a successful raid on his camp and kidnapped his wife. This was a great insult to the dignity of the Mongol commander. He redoubled his efforts to gather nomadic families under his rule, and just a year later he commanded a whole cavalry army. With him, he inflicted complete defeat on the numerous tribe of the Merkits, exterminating most of it and capturing their flocks, and freed his wife, who knew the fate of the captive.

The military successes of Temujin in the war against the Merkits attracted other Mongol tribes to his side, now they meekly gave their warriors to the military leader. His army was constantly growing, and the territories of the vast Mongolian steppe, which were now subject to his rule, also expanded.
Temujin tirelessly waged war with all 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 Tatars, who refused to subjugate him (this name in Europe was already called the Mongol, although as such the Tatars were destroyed by Genghis Khan in an internecine war). Temujin had an excellent command of the tactics of war in the steppe. He suddenly attacked neighboring nomadic tribes and invariably won victory. To the survivors, he offered the right to choose: either become his ally, or perish.

The leader Temujin fought his first big battle in 1193 near Germany in the Mongol steppes. At the head of 6 thousand soldiers, he defeated the 10-thousand-strong army of his father-in-law Ung Khan, who began to contradict 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 did not bother about reconnaissance or military outposts. Temujin caught the enemy off guard 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 Mongolian feudal lords he was proclaimed a “great khan” over all Mongolian tribes with the title “Genghis Khan” (from the Turkic “tengiz” - ocean, sea). Under the name of Genghis Khan, Temujin entered world history. For the Mongol steppe dwellers, the title sounded like "general ruler", "real master", "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 nomads and for campaigns of conquest against their neighbors. The former slave no longer had open enemies among the Mongol nomads, and he began to prepare for wars of conquest.

To establish personal power and suppress any discontent in the country, Genghis Khan created a horse guard of 10 thousand people. The best warriors from the Mongol tribes were recruited into her, and she enjoyed great privileges in the army of Genghis Khan. The guardsmen 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 the decimal system: tens, hundreds, thousands and tumens (they consisted of 10 thousand soldiers). These military units were not only accounting units. A hundred and a thousand could carry out an independent combat mission. Tumen acted in the war already at the tactical level.

The command of the Mongolian army was also built according to the decimal system: a foreman, a centurion, a thousand's manager, a temnik. For the highest positions, temniks, Genghis Khan appointed his sons and representatives of the tribal nobility from among those military leaders who by deed proved to him their loyalty and experience in military affairs. In the Mongol army, the strictest discipline was maintained along the entire command hierarchy, and any violation was severely punished.
The main branch of the army in Genghis Khan's army 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 bibs and helmets. Subsequently, they had good protective equipment in the form of various 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.

The light cavalry, and these were mainly horse archers, were the warriors of the conquered steppe tribes.



It was they who began the battles, bombarding the enemy with clouds of arrows and causing confusion in his ranks, and then the heavily-armed cavalry of the Mongols themselves went into the attack in a dense mass. Their attack was more like a ramming blow than a dashing raid of horse nomads.

Genghis Khan went down in military history as a great strategist and tactician of his era. For his commanders, temniks and other military leaders, he developed the rules for waging war and organizing all military service. These rules were strictly followed in the context of the brutal centralization of military and state administration.

The strategy and tactics of the great conqueror of the Ancient World were characterized by careful conduct of long-range and short-range reconnaissance, a sudden attack on any enemy, even noticeably inferior to him in strength, the desire to dismember the enemy forces in order to destroy them piece by piece. Ambushes and luring the enemy into them were widely and skillfully used. Genghis Khan and his generals skillfully maneuvered large masses of cavalry on the battlefield. The pursuit of the fleeing enemy was conducted not with the aim of seizing more military booty, but with the aim of destroying it.

At the very beginning of his conquests, Genghis Khan did not always assemble an all-Mongolian cavalry army. Scouts and spies provided him with information about the new enemy, the number, deployment and routes of movement of his troops. This allowed Genghis Khan to determine the number of troops needed to defeat the enemy and quickly respond to all his offensive actions.

However, the greatness of Genghis Khan's military leadership lay in something else: he was able to react quickly, changing his tactics depending on the circumstances. So, faced for the first time with strong fortifications in China, Genghis Khan began to use all kinds of throwing and siege machines in the war. They were taken for the army disassembled and quickly assembled during the siege of a new city. When he needed mechanics or doctors who were not among the Mongols, the khan ordered them from other countries or captured them. In this case, military specialists became khan's slaves, but they were kept in fairly good conditions.
Until the last day of his life, Genghis Khan strove to expand his truly enormous possessions to the maximum. Therefore, each time the Mongol army went further and further from Mongolia.

First, the great khan decided to annex other nomadic peoples to his power. In 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 all-Mongolian army.

Then came the turn of the Uyghur state, large at that time, in East Turkestan. In 1209, a huge army of Genghis Khan invaded their territory and, seizing their cities and blooming oases one after another, won a complete victory. After this invasion, only heaps of ruins remained from many trading cities and villages.

The destruction of settlements in the occupied territory, the total extermination of recalcitrant tribes and fortified cities, which decided to defend themselves with weapons in their hands, were a characteristic feature of the conquests of the great mongol khan... The strategy of intimidation allowed him to successfully solve military problems and keep the conquered peoples in obedience.

In 1211, Genghis Khan's cavalry army attacked northern China. The Great Wall of China - this is the most grandiose defensive structure in the history of mankind - did not become an obstacle for the conquerors. The Mongol cavalry defeated the troops that stood in its way. In 1215, the city of Beijing (Yanjing) was seized by cunning, which the Mongols subjected to a long siege.

In North China, the Mongols destroyed about 90 cities, the population of which resisted the Mongol army. In this campaign, Genghis Khan adopted the engineering combat equipment of the Chinese - various throwing machines and battering rams - into service with his mounted troops. Chinese engineers trained the Mongols to use them and deliver them to besieged cities and fortresses.

In 1218, the Mongols conquered the Korean Peninsula. After hiking in North China and Korea, Genghis Khan turned his gaze further to the West - towards the sunset. In 1218, the Mongol army invaded Central Asia and captured Khorezm. This time the great conqueror found a plausible excuse - several Mongolian merchants were killed in the border town of Khorezm, and therefore the country should have been punished, where the Mongols were treated badly.

With the appearance of the enemy on the borders of Khorezm, Shah Mohammed, at the head of a large army (numbers up to 200 thousand people are called), set out on a campaign. A big battle took place near Karaku, which was distinguished by such persistence that by evening there was no winner on the battlefield. With the onset of darkness, the generals took their armies to the marching camps. The next day, Muhammad refused to continue the battle due to heavy losses, which amounted to almost half of the army he had assembled. Genghis Khan, for his part, also suffered heavy losses, retreated, but this was his military cunning.

The conquest of the huge Central Asian state of Khorezm continued. In 1219, the Mongol army of 200 thousand people under the command of the sons of Genghis Khan, Oktay and Zagatay, laid siege to the city of Otrar, located on the territory of modern Uzbekistan. The city was defended by a 60-thousandth garrison under the command of the brave Khorezm commander Gazer Khan.

The siege of Otrar with frequent attacks lasted four months. During this time, the number of defenders has decreased three times. Famine and disease began in the city, since it was especially bad with drinking water. In the end, the Mongol army broke into the city, but could not take possession of the fortress citadel. Gazer Khan with the remnants of the defenders of Otrar held out for another month. By order of the great khan, the city was destroyed, most of the inhabitants were destroyed, and some - artisans and young people - were taken into slavery.

In March 1220, the Mongol army led by Genghis Khan himself laid siege to one of the largest Central Asian cities, Bukhara. In it stood a 20-thousand army of the Khorezmshah, which, together with its commander, fled when the Mongols approached. The townspeople, not having the strength to fight, opened the city gates to the conquerors. Only the local ruler decided to defend himself by hiding in a fortress, which was set on fire and destroyed by the Mongols.

In June of the same 1220, the Mongols, led by Genghis Khan, laid siege to another large city of Khorezm - Samarkand. The city was defended by a garrison of 110 thousand (the numbers are greatly overestimated) under the command of the governor Alub Khan. The Khorezm warriors made frequent forays beyond the city walls, preventing the Mongols from carrying out siege work. However, there were townspeople who, wishing to save their property and lives, opened the gates of Samarkand to the enemy.

The Mongols rushed into the city, and hot battles with its defenders began on the streets and squares. However, the forces turned out to be unequal, and besides, Genghis Khan introduced more and more new forces into battle to replace the tired soldiers. Seeing that it would not be possible to defend Samarkand, the heroically fighting Alub Khan, at the head of a thousand Khorezm horsemen, managed to escape from the city and break through the enemy's blockade ring. The surviving 30 thousand defenders of Samarkand were killed by the Mongols.

The conquerors also met staunch resistance during the siege of the city of Khojent (modern Tajikistan). The city was defended by a garrison headed by one of the best Khorezm commanders, the fearless Timur-Melik. When he realized that the garrison was no longer able to resist the assault, he and some of his soldiers embarked on ships and sailed down the Yaksart River, pursued along the coast by the Mongol cavalry. However, after a fierce battle, Timur-Melik managed to break away from his pursuers. After his departure, the city of Khujand surrendered the next day at the mercy of the victors.

The Mongols continued to seize the Khorezm cities one after another: Merv, Urgench ... In 1221
After the fall of Khorezm and the conquest of Central Asia, Genghis Khan made a campaign in North-West India, capturing this large territory. However, Genghis Khan did not go further to the south of Hindustan: all the time he was attracted by unknown countries at sunset.
As usual, he thoroughly worked out the route of the new campaign and sent his best generals Jebe and Subeday far to the west, at the head of their tumens and auxiliary troops of the conquered peoples. Their path lay through Iran, Transcaucasia and the North Caucasus. So the Mongols found themselves on the southern approaches to Russia, in the Don steppes.

At that time, the Polovtsian vezhes, which had long lost their military strength, roamed in the Wild Field. The Mongols defeated the Polovtsians without much difficulty, and they fled to the borderlands of the Russian lands. In 1223, the commanders Jebe and Subedey defeated the united army of several Russian princes and Polovtsian khans in a battle on the Kalka River. After the victory won, the vanguard of the Mongolian army turned back.

In 1226-1227, Genghis Khan made a trip to the land of the Tanguts Si-Xia. He commissioned one of his sons to continue the conquest of China. The anti-Mongol uprisings that began in the North China he had conquered caused great concern in Genghis Khan.

The great commander died during his last campaign against the Tanguts. The Mongols arranged a magnificent funeral for him and, having destroyed all the participants in these sad celebrations, managed to keep the location of Genghis Khan's grave in complete secrecy.

The Arab chronicler Rashid ad-Din in his work "Chronicles" detailed the history of the formation of the Mongol state and the campaigns of conquest of the Mongols. Here is what he wrote about Genghis Khan, who became for world history a symbol of the striving for world domination and military power: “After his victorious speech, the inhabitants of the world saw with their own eyes that he was marked by all kinds of heavenly support. Thanks to the extreme limit of (his) power and might, he conquered all the Turkic and Mongol tribes and other categories (of the human race), introducing them into the ranks of his slaves ...

Thanks to the nobility of his personality and the subtlety of his inner qualities, he stood out from all those nations, like a rare pearl from the environment of precious stones, and drew them into the circle of possession and into the hand of the supreme government ...

Despite the plight and abundance of difficulties, troubles and all kinds of misfortunes, he was an extremely brave and courageous man, very clever and gifted, reasonable and knowledgeable ... "

For a year they laid siege to the city of Bamiyan and, after months of defense, took it by storm. Genghis Khan, whose beloved grandson was killed during the siege, ordered not to spare either women or children. Therefore, the city with its entire population was completely destroyed.


Genghis Khan (1167-1227) - Pioneer of the Mongol nation and founder of one of the most extensive empires the world has ever seen.

Temujin (Temuchin) - this is the name of Genghis Khan, given to him at birth, was born on the banks of the Onon River, in the extreme north-east of modern Mongolia. At the age of 9, the boy was left an orphan - his father, the nephew of the last khan of the Mongols, died at the hands of the Tatars - enemies of the Temuchin tribe, who came to these lands in the second half of the 12th century, significantly pushing the Mongols. Temujin's mother was left by her husband's followers to fend for themselves, as the leaders of the rival Mongol clan of the Taijiyuds desired independence. Thus, Temujin's mother raised her sons in very difficult conditions.

Temujin's rise to power

When Temujin became a teenager, he was taken prisoner by the Taijiyud tribe. However, he managed to escape and enlist the support of Togoril, the ruler of the Kereite Christian tribe who roamed around Central Mongolia. It was with the help of Togoril and the young leader of a small Mongol tribe named Jamukha (named brother Temujin) that the future great khan was able to save his bride, who was kidnapped by the Merkits, a tribe that inhabited modern Buryatia. Temujin and Jamuqa remained friends from childhood, but then, for unknown reasons, a split occurred between the named brothers. Most researchers agree that the reason for the cooling and even the beginning of enmity between the two friends was the selfishness and power ambitions of Jamukha, because it was during this period that the Mongol tribes one by one recognize the supreme power of Temujin, after some time proclaimed by Genghis Khan - the Great ruler of the steppe.

1198 is the first exact date in the career of Genghis Khan. Genghis Khan and Togoril unite with the rulers of North China in a campaign against the Tatars.

In 1199, Genghis Khan's allies organized a campaign against the Naimans, the most powerful tribe in western Mongolia, but the campaign was not crowned with success.

In 1200-1202, the allies won several victories over the troops of the confederation of tribes led by Genghis Khan's former friend Jamukha, and in 1202, Genghis Khan finally settled with the Tatars.

Now Genghis Khan was faced with the task of defeating his enemies in Western Mongolia: the Naimans in alliance with Jamukha and the remnants of the Merkits. The Naimans were defeated in 1204, and Kuchluk, the son of their ruler, fled west to find refuge with the Karakitai. Jamukha also took to flight, but was betrayed by his own associates, caught and sentenced to death. Having destroyed his former friend and main enemy, Genghis Khan gained complete control over all of Mongolia. In 1206, at the kurultai of the Mongol princes, held at the origins of Onon, he was proclaimed the supreme ruler of the Mongol tribes, and was now ready to start expanding the empire through the conquest of neighboring countries.



Conquest of China

Already in 1205, Genghis Khan attacked the Tanguts, a people of Tibetan origin who inhabited the Chinese provinces of Gansu and Ordos. In 1207 and 1209, as a result of repeated attacks in the direction of North China, the way for a massive offensive deep into Chinese territory was opened.

In 1211, the Mongols invaded Chinese lands and took over the territories north of the Great Wall of China. In 1213, the wall was broken, and hordes of Mongol nomads poured into the Chinese plains. Many Chinese generals went over to the side of the Mongols, and the cities often surrendered without a fight at all. In the summer of 1215, Beijing was captured and plundered, and the Qin Emperor fled to Kaifeng, on the southern bank of the Yellow River. Leaving one of his generals in China, entrusting him with further operations in North China, Genghis Khan returned to Mongolia to concentrate on the Central Asian campaign.

Campaign in the West

Genghis Khan set out from Mongolia in the spring of 1219, reaching the border Otrar by the fall, and, leaving sufficient forces for his siege, moved on to Bukhara, which fell already in March 1220, as well as to Samarkand, which surrendered only a month later. The besieged Otrar also fell. From Samarkand, Genghis Khan sent his two best generals Jebe and Subeday in pursuit of the Khorezmshah Muhammad, who met his death on one of the islands in the Caspian Sea. Continuing their way to the west, Genghis Khan's generals invaded the Caucasus and, having defeated the Alans, turned north, where they faced a clash with the united Russian-Polovtsian army on the Kalka River. Having won a victory on Kalka, the Mongols turned to the east, to the lands of the Volga Bulgars, lying on the way back to Central Asia, where an unpleasant defeat awaited them. In the battle at the Samara Luke Jebe and Subedei suffered a crushing defeat from the Bulgars. During the march through the territory of Bulgaria, only a small part of the huge Mongol army remained - about 4000 people.

At this time, Genghis Khan attacked and captured Termez, and spent the autumn and winter of 1220-1221 on the territory of modern Tajikistan. At the beginning of 1221, he set out to the ancient city of Balkh, which was part of the Persian province of Khorasan, and sent his youngest son Tolui (Thule), father of the Great Khan Mengu (Mongke) and Kublai, to complete the conquest of this province. In the late summer of the same year, Genghis Khan undertook a march south through Afghanistan against Sultan Jalal al-Din, the son of Sultan Muhammad. Genghis Khan and Jalal al-Din met on the banks of the Indus. The Sultan was defeated, but escaped capture by swimming across the river.

With the defeat of Jalal al-Din, Genghis Khan's campaign in the West was almost over, and he returned to Mongolia.

Death and burial of Genghis Khan

About the death of Genghis Khan, it is reliably known only that the great conqueror died in 1227 during the next campaign. Returning from Central Asia, Genghis Khan began a war against the Tangut state. Historians cite a variety of versions of his death: from being wounded by an arrow during a battle, to a prolonged illness as a result of falling from a horse. There is a version according to which Genghis Khan died from a lightning strike (this man did too much evil, and the sky punished him). Not without assumptions in the spirit of "look for a woman": a number of researchers suggest that the great conqueror fell at the hands of a captive Tangut khansha in the heat of the first wedding night.
The burial place of Genghis Khan is still unknown. According to legend, the Khan's grave is filled to the brim with countless riches, and Genghis Khan himself sits on a golden throne.



Genghis Khan's legacy in the field of law and rules of war

Historians claim that Mongolian society became truly democratic during the reign of Genghis Khan. Contrary to his reputation as a ruthless barbarian in the West, Genghis Khan pursued such an enlightened policy that no European ruler at that time was pursuing.

A humble slave could well have risen to the rank of commander of an army if he displayed sufficient military prowess.

The spoils of war were divided equally among all the soldiers who took part in the battle, regardless of their social status.

Unlike most rulers of that time, Genghis Khan trusted his loyal followers more than members of his own family.

The Great Khan forbade the kidnapping of women, probably in part due to his own experience with his wife, whom he had to rescue from captivity. In addition, this practice led to wars between various groups of Mongols.

He guaranteed freedom of religion, protection of the rights of Buddhists, Muslims, Christians and Hindus. Genghis Khan himself, worshiping the sky, forbade the killing of priests, monks and mullahs.

The Great Khan also defended the inviolability of envoys and ambassadors, including those of the enemy, no matter what message they brought.

Unlike most of the conquered peoples, the Mongols did not practice torturing prisoners.

Finally, the laws in force in the Mongol Empire also applied to the khan himself - all Mongols were equal before the law, regardless of their material and social status, this principle was implemented very rigidly.

- Genghis Khan was born in 1155 on the Onon coast. During this period, his father, the leader Yesugei, fought with the Tatars under the leadership of Temuchin. Upon arrival home, the victorious Yesugei was awaited by pleasant news - the birth of an heir. Admiring his son, the leader noticed a tiny speck of dried blood on his palm and connected this phenomenon with the victory over Temuchin. As a result, he decided to give this name to his born son. At the age of thirteen after the death of his father, the young man becomes the leader of the Mongols. But some tribes rebel against him and decide to leave his power. Seeing the disintegration of the once powerful Mongol horde, his mother Hoelun sends the troops that remain loyal to her son to suppress the revolt. As a result of hostilities, most of the betrayed tribes returned to Temuchin's rule.

Over the next period, Genghis Khan continued to wage incessant wars with neighboring tribes, especially with the Naimans, Merkits and Kerait. In 1206, having strengthened enough, Temuchin decided to declare himself the supreme ruler of all the tribes of Mongolia. At the congress of leaders - kurultai, he was proclaimed a great khan and took a new name for himself - Genghis Khan, which means the true ruler. Against his only enemy, the Naiman khan Kuchluk, he sends his troops for the final victory over him.

Having defeated the enemy, he forces him, together with his ally Tokhta-Bek, to flee to the Irtysh. The further plans of the Mongol ruler included the conquest of China. Initially, he conquered the western parts of the Xi-Xia Tangut country. Having conquered several cities, Genghis Khan begins military operations against his old enemies Tokhta-Bek and Kuchluk. The battle on the banks of the Irtysh ended in victory for the Mongol leader. Tokhta-Bek died, and Kuchluk took refuge with the Khitan Tatars. After the victory won, Genghis Khan again sent his horde to Xi-Xia. Having captured the fortress and the passage in the Great Wall of China, he begins military operations in China. Having conquered the state of Jin, he penetrated into the very center of the Chinese Empire. As a result of the invasion, many Chinese commanders went over to the side of Genghis Khan. Having asserted his power along the entire territory of the Chinese Wall, the Mongol leader sends part of the army under the leadership of his three sons - Ogedei, Jochi and Chagatai to the southern territories, while the other part, led by brothers and generals, directs to the east to the sea coast. Genghis Khan and his son Tuli are advancing their forces to the southeastern lands.

Having captured 28 cities, the first army will unite with Genghis Khan. Reaching a rocky promontory in Shandong, the Mongol ruler ends his campaign by conquering China. But before leaving foreign territories, he announces to the Chinese emperor about his power over the lands in Shandong and north of the Yellow River, leaving him the capital of Yenping. In addition, the great Mongol conqueror forces the Chinese emperor to present expensive gifts to his wars.

As a result, the daughter of the emperor, as well as other princesses, was presented to Genghis Khan. Three thousand horses, five hundred girls and boys were given to the Mongol conquerors. But after the Chinese emperor moved his court to Kaifeng, Genghis Khan again invaded China, conquering and destroying city after city. After the Mongols conquered Bukhara, the ancient city was plundered and destroyed to the ground. All residents were brutally killed. After Bukhara, Genghis Khan sent his troops to Samarkand and Balkha. Having surrendered the cities without a fight, the inhabitants did not escape the robbery and plunder of the conquerors. After the astrologers of Genghis Khan announced to him about the unfavorable location of the five planets, the Mongol ruler decided that he was in danger of imminent death and went home. But on the way, he suddenly fell ill. His illness ended tragically. In 1227, Genghis Khan died. Even before his death, he proclaimed his third son Ogedei as his heir. The great Mongol conqueror was buried in the Kerulin valley.