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Early Mongolia was divided into several
tribal regions. The tribes of each region
were nomadic horsemen who traveled around
the land grazing their animals.
Genghis Khan was born on the banks of
the River Onon near the border of
Northern Mongolia and Russia. His
original name was Temutin. His father,
Yesugei, was a local chieftain and nephew
of a former Khan (ruler) who lead a
Mongol tribe that played a leading role
in Eastern Mongolia.
After defeat by a rival tribe, the
Tartar, Yesugei lost his authority and
became the leader of an ordinary tribe.
At the age of nine, Temutin was taken by
his father to visit his mothers tribe,
the Konkirat, in the east of Mongolia.
When they arrived, Temutin was besotted
with the chieftains ten year old daughter
Borte. His father left him at that time
to be raised by the Konkirat.
On his return home, Yesugei
encountered a party of Tartars who
invited him to share a feast. As the
Tartars soon realized they were feasting
with an old enemy, they poisoned his
food. Yesugei lived long enough to return
home and send for his son to succeed him
as chieftain.
After his fathers death, a clan named
Taich’ut, took control of the
tribe, expelling Yesugei's wife and young
children, leaving them to fend for
themselves.
When Temutin was a young man, he was
captured by the Taich’ut. His
escaped from the Taich’ut saw him
visit the Konkirat to claim his bride
Borte.
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Toghril, a chieftain of a tribe
from Central Mongolia, who had been
a friend of his father, offered to
help protect Temutin and his
bride.
After a series of tribal wars
that saw Temutin show extraordinary
bravery, the Mongol leaders
acclaimed him, Genghis Khan, that
name meaning Universal Monarch.
From then on, he played a major
role in the tribal wars.
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In 1202, he led a campaign against the
Tartars that ended with the total
destruction of the Tartar people. By
1206, he had taken control of all
Mongolia, with which he was awarded the
title, Great Khan. He then began to
organize his military forces from his
empire so he could embark on foreign
conquests.
In 1211, he began attacking China, and
by 1215, had captured Beijing. In 1216,
he returned to Mongolia to concentrate on
the events of Central Asia. At that time,
to the west of Mongolia, was the vast
empire of Sultan Muhammad. That empire
covered Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan,
Tajikistan, Afghanistan and most of
Iran.
In 1219, Genghis set out to conquer
the empire of the Sultan. By 1221, he had
conquered the cities of Otrar and
Bukhara. When he captured Samarqand, the
Sultan fled west. Genghis then sent two
of his generals after him. The Generals
caught up with, and killed the Sultan, on
an island in the Caspian Sea. At that
time, he had also sent his eldest sons
north to Khwarism to destroy the Sultans
capital.
In 1220, Genghis captured Amu Darya,
and in 1221, crossed into Afghanistan
where he captured Balkh. He then sent his
youngest son to destroy the cities of
Mary in Turkmenistan, and, Neyshabur in
Iran. At that time, the Sultans son had
made his way into Afghanistan where he
defeated Genghis in battle at Parvan,
north of Kabul.
Once Genghis was rejoined by his sons
and generals, he defeated the Sultans son
on the banks of the Indus River. With the
conquest of Central Asia complete,
Genghis returned to Mongolia to continue
the war with China.
In august 1227, Genghis Khan died in
his summer quarters in the district of
Qingshui, south of the Liupan Mountains
in China.
His sons and grandsons extended the
Mongol empire into Russia, Eastern
Europe, the Middle East and China.
The Mongolian Empire, and the Genghis
Khan descendants, came to an end in 1368
when the Chinese, Ming Dynasty (1368 -
1644) came to power.
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