Genghis Khan- Great Khan and founder of the Mongol Empire during the 13th century (from 1206 to 1227). This man was not just a khan; among his talents there was also a military leader, a state administrator, and a fair commander.

Genghis Khan owns the organization of the largest state (empire) at all times!

History of Genghis Khan

Genghis Khan's proper name is Temujin (Temujin). This man with a difficult but great destiny was born during the 1155 year to 1162 year – exact date unknown.

Temujin's fate was very difficult. He came from a noble Mongolian family, which wandered with its herds along the banks of the Onon River in the territory of modern Mongolia. When he was 9 years old, his father was killed during the steppe civil strife. Yesugei-bahadur.

Genghis Khan is a slave

The family, which lost its protector and almost all its livestock, had to flee from the nomads. With great difficulty she managed to endure the harsh winter in a wooded area. Troubles continued to haunt the little Mongol - new enemies from the tribe taijiut attacked an orphaned family and captured the boy as a slave.

However, he showed strength of character, hardened by the adversities 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 could so deftly control a steppe horse and shoot accurately with a bow, throw a lasso at full gallop and cut with a saber.

Revenge for the family

Temujin quite soon managed to take revenge on all the offenders of his family. He has not yet turned 20 years, how he began to unite the Mongol clans around himself, gathering a small detachment of warriors under his command.

This was very difficult - after all, the Mongol tribes constantly waged armed struggle among themselves, raiding neighboring nomadic camps in order to take possession of their herds and seize people into slavery.

A steppe tribe hostile to him Merkits once made a successful raid on his camp and kidnapped his wife Borte. This was a great insult to the dignity of the Mongol military leader. He redoubled his efforts to bring the nomadic clans under his rule, and just a year later he commanded an entire cavalry army.

With him, he inflicted complete defeat on a large tribe of Merkits, destroying most of them and capturing their herds, and freed his wife, who had suffered the fate of a captive.

Genghis Khan - aspiring commander

Genghis Khan had excellent command of war tactics in the steppe. He suddenly attacked neighboring nomadic tribes and invariably won. He offered the survivors right to choose: either become his ally or die.

First big battle

Leader Temujin fought his first big battle in 1193 near Germani in the Mongolian steppes. Led by 6 thousand warriors he broke 10 thousandth his father-in-law's army Ung Khan, who began to contradict his son-in-law.

The Khan's army was commanded by a military leader Sanguk, who, apparently, was very confident in the superiority of the tribal army entrusted to him and did not bother about reconnaissance or military security. Genghis Khan took the enemy by surprise in a mountain gorge and inflicted heavy damage on him.

Receiving the title of "Genghis Khan"

TO 1206 Temujin emerged as the strongest ruler in the steppes north of the Great Wall of China. That year was notable in his life for the fact that kurultai(congress) of Mongol feudal lords, he was proclaimed “Great Khan” over all Mongol tribes with the title “ Genghis Khan"(from Turkic " Tengiz" - ocean, sea).

Genghis Khan demanded that the tribal leaders who recognized his supremacy maintain permanent military detachments to protect the lands of the Mongols with their nomads and for aggressive campaigns against their neighbors.

The former slave no longer had open enemies among the Mongol nomads, and he began to prepare for wars of conquest.

Army of Genghis Khan

Genghis Khan's army was built according to decimal system: tens, hundreds, thousands and tumens(they consisted of 10 thousand warriors). These military units were not only accounting units. A hundred and a thousand could perform an independent combat mission. Tumen acted in the war already at the tactical level.

The decimal system was also used to build command of the Mongol army: foreman, centurion, thousander, temnik. To the highest positions, temniks, Genghis Khan appointed his sons and representatives of the tribal nobility from among those military leaders who had proven to him their loyalty and experience in military affairs.

The Mongol army maintained the strictest discipline throughout the command hierarchical ladder; any violation was severely punished.

History of the conquests of Genghis Khan

First of all, the Great Khan decided to annex other nomadic peoples to his power. IN 1207 year he conquered vast areas north of the Selenga River and in the upper reaches of the Yenisei. The military forces (cavalry) of the conquered tribes were included in the general Mongol army.

Then came the turn of the big one for those times Uyghur states in East Turkestan. IN 1209 year, Genghis Khan's huge army invaded their territory and, capturing their cities and blooming oases one after another, won complete victory.

The destruction of settlements in the occupied territory, the total extermination of rebellious tribes and fortified cities that 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 conquered peoples in obedience.

Conquest of Northern China

IN 1211 year, 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 to the conquerors. IN 1215 year the city was captured by cunning Beijing(Yanjing), which the Mongols subjected to a long siege.

In this campaign, Genghis Khan adopted Chinese engineering military equipment - various throwing machines And battering rams. Chinese engineers trained the Mongols to use them and deliver them to besieged cities and fortresses.

Trek to Central Asia

IN 1218 year, the Mongol army invaded Central Asia and captured Khorezm. This time, the great conqueror found a plausible excuse - several Mongol merchants were killed in the border city of Khorezm, and therefore this country should be punished.

Shah Mohammed at the head of a large army ( up to 200 thousand Human) came out to meet Genghis Khan. U Karaku A big battle took place, characterized by such tenacity that by the evening there was no winner on the battlefield.

The next day, Muhammad refused to continue the battle due to heavy losses, which amounted to almost half the army he had assembled. Genghis Khan, for his part, also suffered heavy losses and retreated, but this was his military stratagem.

The conquest of the huge Central Asian state of Khorezm continued until 1221. During this time they were conquered by Genghis Khan the following cities: Otrar (the territory of modern Uzbekistan), Bukhara, Samarkand, Khojent (modern Tajikistan), Merv, Urgench and many others.

Conquest of north-west India

IN 1221 year 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: he was constantly attracted by unknown countries at sunset.

He, as usual, thoroughly worked out the route of the new campaign and sent his best commanders far to the west Jebe And Subedea 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 Rus', in the Don steppes.

Offensive on Rus'

At that time, the Polovtsian Vezhi, who had long lost their military strength, were wandering in the Wild Field. The Mongols defeated the Polovtsians without much difficulty, and they fled to the borderlands of the Russian lands.

IN 1223 year, the commanders Jebe and Subedey defeated in the battle on Kalka River a united army of several Russian princes and Polovtsian khans. After the victory, the vanguard of the Mongol army turned back.

The last campaign and death of Genghis Khan

IN 1226–1227 years, Genghis Khan made a campaign in the country of the Tanguts Xi-Xia. He entrusted one of his sons with continuing the conquest of China. The anti-Mongol uprisings that began in Northern China, which he conquered, caused Genghis Khan great concern.

The great commander died during his last campaign against the Tanguts August 25, 1227. The Mongols gave him a magnificent funeral and, having destroyed all the participants in these sad celebrations, managed to keep the location of Genghis Khan’s grave completely secret to this day.

Genghis Khan is a great commander, founder and first great khan of the Mongol Empire. He managed to unite the fragmented Mongol and Turkic settlements.

Through many large-scale military campaigns, he was able to found the largest continental empire in human history.

Biography of Genghis Khan

Genghis Khan (proper name - Temujin, Temujin, Temujin, Temujin) was born in 1155 or 1162 in the Mongolian valley of Delyun-Boldok. His father Yesugei was the leader of many Mongol tribes. Hoelun's mother came from the Olkhonut tribe.

An interesting fact is that the boy was named Temujin in honor of a certain Tatar leader Temujin-Uge, whom Yesugei defeated shortly before his birth.

Childhood and youth

When Genghis Khan was 9 years old, his father betrothed him to a 10-year-old girl, Borte, who belonged to a different family. In this regard, he left his son in the family of his future wife, so that the children would get to know each other better as they grew up.

Then Yesugei went home, but he was not destined to get there. At one Tatar site, a man was fatally poisoned.

After this, Genghis Khan, his mother and brothers had to experience many difficulties on their life path. The new head of the clan expelled them from the ulus, and also took all the domestic animals for himself.

For several years they had to wander between degrees and live in extreme poverty. Repeatedly, mothers and children had to eat roots in order not to die of hunger.

After some time, the leader of the Taichiuts, who expelled Genghis Khan and his family from their homes, began to fear revenge for his action. In this regard, he ordered the soldiers to attack the place where the family lived and capture all the people.

Genghis Khan in his youth

Genghis Khan managed to escape, but was soon found and also captured. The young man was put in a block, which did not allow him to drink or eat. The ingenuity and help of people belonging to another tribe helped him escape from inevitable death.

When night fell, he was able to escape from the camp unnoticed and hide in the lake. Having plunged into the water along with the block, he quietly hid in the thickets, sticking out only one nostril. Thanks to this, the opponents were never able to detect the fugitive.

Then local residents hid Genghis Khan in a cart with wool, which saved his life. When everything calmed down, they gave him a horse and weapons so that the young man could ride home. After some time, he took Borte as his wife.

Empire of Genghis Khan

Since Genghis Khan was the son of a leader, he also aspired to power. At first, he teamed up with the Kereit khan Tooril, who was a friend of his father. Together with him, he raided various settlements.

An interesting fact is that, unlike others, Genghis Khan did not seek to destroy people during the attack. On the contrary, he recruited as many prisoners as possible in order to later win them over to his side. Thanks to such a wise decision, he managed not only to increase his possessions, but also to gather a large army.

Soon Genghis Khan attacked the Merkit tribe. They even kidnapped his wife Borte, whom he, together with his allies Tooril and Jamukha, was able to free from the hands of the enemy. Having defeated the Merkits, Tooril went back to the horde. As a result, Genghis Khan and Jamukha decided to remain in the same horde, concluding an alliance with each other.

Every day Genghis Khan became stronger and more popular, and therefore Jamukha began to feel envy and quiet hatred towards him. He began to look for an opportunity to quarrel with the future khan of the Mongol Empire. Soon such an incident happened.

One day Jamukha's younger brother wanted to steal Genghis Khan's horses, but was soon caught and killed. As a result, the elder brother decided to take revenge on his ally by attacking his army. In this battle, Jamukha defeated Genghis Khan. However, he won the battle, not the war.

Genghis Khan quickly emerged from defeat and, together with Tooril, defeated the Tatars. By this he further increased the territory of his possessions and received the title of “Jauthuri” (military commissar).

After this, Genghis Khan made a number of successful raids. One of the main opponents of Genghis Khan was still Jamukha and his ally Van Khan.

In 1202, Genghis Khan and his army once again attacked the Tatars. At the same time, the warriors were forbidden to divide the spoils until the battle was over. Genghis Khan again won, after which he ordered the execution of all the Tatars out of revenge for the Mongols whom they killed. As a result, only children survived.

A year later, Genghis Khan again fought with Jamukha and his ally. At the same time, several tribes went to war against Genghis Khan and Wang Khan. The latter defeated the enemy tribes and began to celebrate his victory. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Genghis Khan's army attacked the army of Wang Khan, defeating him.

The Genghis Khan Equestrian Statue is the largest of the Genghis Khan monuments in Mongolia and the largest equestrian statue in the world

Having lost an ally, Jamukha teamed up with another leader named Tayan Khan. This leader had long sought to fight Genghis Khan, because he saw him as the main competitor who prevented him from becoming an absolute ruler.

In 1204, a serious battle took place between the two armies, from which Genghis Khan emerged victorious. He once again managed to show himself as a talented commander.

Genghis Khan the Great

In 1206, Temujin Genghis Khan was proclaimed great khan over all tribes, taking the name Genghis (lord of water). Then the fragmented tribes united into one powerful empire.

Genghis Khan sought to become famous not only as a commander, but also as a wise ruler. He issued a number of laws to which all Mongol tribes were obliged to obey. It was customary to consider courage and loyalty to be good, and cowardice and betrayal to be evil.

Genghis Khan mixed up all the tribes and nations, making them essentially equal to each other. All adult men had the right to run their own households, but in wartime they had to take up arms. In addition, the commander organized courier communications and formed an effective intelligence service.

Conquests of Genghis Khan

Many consider Genghis Khan to be the greatest conqueror in human history, surpassing even. During the period of biography 1207-1211. he conquered almost all of Siberia. After this, the Great Khan went to war.

In 1213, Genghis Khan conquered the Chinese province of Liaodong. When the enemy saw a large Mongol army, he often surrendered without a fight. At the same time, many Chinese went over to Temujin’s side.

Soon Genghis Khan strengthened his positions along the entire. Some regions of the Jin Empire were immediately conquered, but in other places battles continued for decades. Over time, the entire territory of China at that time came under the rule of the Mongol-Tatars.

Then Genghis Khan turned his gaze to Central Asia. He was especially interested in the fertile Semirechye region. At that time it belonged to the Naiman Khan Kuchluk, who was persecuting Muslims.

Thus, several settlements of Semirechye voluntarily agreed to go over to the side of the Mongol commander in order to get rid of the oppression of Kuchluk.

Soon Genghis Khan conquered Semirechye, allowing its inhabitants to adhere to their religious beliefs. Thanks to such a wise decision, he was able to win over the entire people.

Death

Historians still do not have a consensus on the true cause of Genghis Khan's death. Some believe that he died from illness, others from a fall, and still others due to the fact that he could not get used to the difficult climate of another state.

Genghis Khan in old age

Where the grave of the great Genghis Khan is located is also unknown. And today archaeologists are making a lot of efforts to find the burial place of Genghis Khan. For this, the most modern technology is used, such as drones and radars penetrating deep into the earth.

Genghis Khan's descendants, many of whom later ruled the Mongol Empire, tried to preserve and increase his conquests. Thus, his grandson became the eldest among the 2nd generation Chingizids after the death of his grandfather.

In the life of Genghis Khan there were 3 spouses: Borte, Khulan-Khatun and Yesugen. In total, they gave birth to 16 boys and girls.

Now you know what is remarkable about the biography and conquests of the great Temujin Genghis Khan. If you liked the biography of Genghis Khan, share it on social networks. If you like interesting facts in general, and biographies of great people in particular, subscribe to the site.

Did you like the post? Press any button.

Genghis Khan (1167-1227) was the founder of the Mongol nation and the 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 northeast 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 Temujin tribe, who came to these lands in the second half of the 12th century, significantly displacing the Mongols. Temujin's mother was left to fend for herself by her husband's followers as the leaders of the rival Mongol Taijiud clan 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 captured by the Taijiud tribe. However, he managed to escape and enlist the support of Togoril, the ruler of the Christian Kereit tribe, which roamed Central Mongolia. It was with the help of Togoril and the young leader of a small Mongol tribe named Jamukha (Temujin's sworn brother) that the future great khan was able to save his bride, who was kidnapped by the Merkits, a tribe inhabiting modern Buryatia. Temujin and Jamukha remained friends since 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 egoism and power ambitions of Jamukha, because it was during this period that the Mongol tribes, one by one, recognized the supreme power of Temujin, who after some time was proclaimed 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 Northern China in a campaign against the Tatars.

In 1199, Genghis Khan's allies launched a campaign against the Naimans, the most powerful tribe in western Mongolia, but the campaign was unsuccessful.

In 1200-1202, the allies won several victories over the troops of a confederation of tribes led by Genghis Khan's former friend Jamukha, and in 1202 Genghis Khan finally settled accounts 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 Naiman were defeated in 1204, and Kuchluk, the son of their ruler, fled west to find refuge with the Karakitai. Jamukha also went on the run, but was betrayed by his own comrades, 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 begin the expansion of the empire by conquering 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 Northern China, the way was opened for a massive offensive deep into Chinese territory.

In 1211, the Mongols invaded Chinese lands and captured territories north of the Great Wall of China. In 1213, the wall was breached and hordes of Mongol nomads poured into the Chinese plains. Many Chinese generals went over to the side of the Mongols, and cities often surrendered without a fight. In the summer of 1215, Beijing was captured and sacked, and the Qin Emperor fled to Kaifeng, on the southern bank of the Yellow River. Leaving one of his generals in China and entrusting him with further operations in Northern 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 in the fall, and, leaving sufficient forces for its siege, moved on to Bukhara, which fell already in March 1220, as well as to Samarkand, which surrendered just a month later. The besieged Otrar also fell. From Samarkand, Genghis Khan sent his two best generals Jebe and Subedei in pursuit of the Khorezm Shah Muhammad, who met his death on one of the islands in the Caspian Sea. Continuing their journey 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 at Kalka, the Mongols turned east to the lands of the Volga Bulgars, which lay on the way back to Central Asia, where they faced an unpleasant defeat. In the Battle of Samara Luka, Jebe and Subedei suffered a crushing defeat from the Bulgars. During the campaign through the territory of Bulgaria, only a small part remained of the huge Mongol army - about 4,000 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 marched to the ancient city of Balkh, which was part of the Persian province of Khorasan, and sent his youngest son Tolui (Tule), father of the Great Khan Mengu (Mongke) and Kublai, to complete the conquest of this province. At the end of the summer of that year, Genghis Khan launched a campaign 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 virtually over, and he returned to Mongolia.

Death and burial of Genghis Khan

The only thing known for certain about the death of Genghis Khan is that the great conqueror died in 1227 during another campaign. Returning from Central Asia, Genghis Khan began a war against the Tangut state. Historians give a variety of versions of his death: from being wounded by an arrow during a battle, to a long 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). There were also some assumptions in the spirit of “look for a woman”: a number of researchers suggest that the great conqueror fell at the hands of a captured Tangut khansha in the heat of his wedding night.
The burial place of Genghis Khan is still unknown. According to legend, the khan's grave is filled to the brim with untold riches, and Genghis Khan himself sits on a golden throne.

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

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

A humble slave could easily rise to the rank of army commander if he showed sufficient military valor.

War booty was divided equally among all warriors who took part in the battle, regardless of their social status.

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

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

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

The Great Khan also protected the integrity of envoys and envoys, including those of the enemy, regardless of what message they brought.

Unlike most conquered peoples, the Mongols did not practice torture of 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 financial and social status, this principle was implemented very strictly.

Genghis Khan (Temujin) is the greatest conqueror in the history of mankind, founder and great khan of the Mongol Empire.

The fate of Temujin, or Temujin, was quite difficult. He came from a noble Mongolian family, which wandered with its herds along the banks of the Onon River (the territory of modern Mongolia). Born around 1155

When he was 9 years old, his father Yesugeybahadur was killed (poisoned) during a steppe civil strife. The family, having lost their protector and almost all their livestock, had to flee from their nomadic camps. They endured the harsh winter in the wooded area with great difficulty.

Troubles never ceased to haunt Temujin - new enemies from the Taijiut tribe attacked the orphaned family and took the little Mongol captive, putting a wooden slave collar on him.

The boy showed the strength of his character, tempered by the adversities of childhood. Having broken the collar, Temujin was able to escape and return to his native tribe, which could not protect his family several years ago. The teenager became a zealous warrior: few of his relatives could so deftly control a steppe horse and shoot accurately with a bow, throw a lasso at full gallop and cut with a saber.

But the warriors of his tribe were struck by something else about Temujin - his authority, the desire to subjugate others. From those who came under his banner, the young Mongol commander demanded complete and unquestioning submission to his will. Disobedience was punishable only by death. He was as merciless towards disobedient people as he was towards his blood enemies among the Mongols. Temujin was soon able to take revenge on all those who had wronged his family.

He was not yet 20 years old when he began to unite the Mongol clans around himself, gathering a small detachment of warriors under his command. This was a very difficult matter, because the Mongol tribes constantly waged armed struggle among themselves, raiding neighboring nomadic camps in order to take possession of their herds and capture people as slaves.

Temujin united the steppe clans, and then entire tribes of the Mongols, around himself by force, and sometimes with the help of diplomacy. He married the daughter of one of his powerful neighbors, hoping for support from his father-in-law's warriors in difficult times. But so far the young steppe leader had few allies and his own warriors, and he had to suffer failures.

The Merkit tribe, hostile to him, once made a successful raid on Temujin’s camp and was able to kidnap his wife. This was a great insult to the dignity of the Mongol military leader. He redoubled his efforts to gather the nomadic clans around him, and just a year later he already commanded a significant cavalry army. With him, the future Genghis Khan inflicted complete defeat on a large tribe of Merkits, exterminating most of them and capturing their herds, freeing his wife, who suffered the fate of a captive.

Temujin's military successes in the war against the Merkits attracted other Mongol tribes to his banner. Now they resignedly handed over their warriors to the military leader. His army was growing all the time, and the territories of the vast Mongolian steppe were expanding, where the nomads were now subject to his authority.

Temujin constantly waged wars with the Mongol tribes who refused to recognize his supreme power. At the same time, he was distinguished by his persistence and cruelty. Thus, he almost completely exterminated the Tatar tribe (the Mongols were already called by this name in Europe, although the Tatars as such were destroyed by Genghis Khan in an internecine war).

Temujin had a remarkable understanding of the tactics of war in the steppes. He unexpectedly attacked neighboring nomadic tribes and inevitably won. He offered the survivors the right to choose: either become his ally or die.

Leader Temujin fought his first big battle in 1193 in the Mongolian steppes near Germany. At the head of 6,000 warriors, he defeated the 10,000-strong army of his father-in-law Ung Khan, who began to contradict his son-in-law. The Khan's army was commanded by the military commander Sanguk, who, apparently, was very confident in the superiority of the tribal army entrusted to him. And therefore he did not worry about reconnaissance or military protection. Temujin took the enemy by surprise in a mountain gorge and inflicted heavy damage on him.

By 1206, Temujin had emerged as the strongest ruler in the steppes north of the Great Wall of China. That year was notable in his life because at the kurultai (congress) of Mongolian feudal lords he was proclaimed “Great Khan” over all Mongolian tribes with the title “Genghis Khan” (from the Turkic “tengiz” - ocean, sea).

Under the name Genghis Khan, Temujin entered world history. For the steppe Mongols, his title sounded like “universal ruler,” “real ruler,” “precious ruler.”

The first thing the Great Khan took care of was the Mongol army. Genghis Khan demanded that the leaders of the tribes, who recognized his supremacy, maintain permanent military detachments to protect the lands of the Mongols with their nomads and for campaigns against their neighbors. The former slave no longer had open enemies among the Mongol tribes, and he began to prepare for wars of conquest.

To assert personal power and suppress any discontent in the country, Genghis Khan created a horse guard of 10,000 people. The best warriors were recruited from the Mongolian tribes, and they enjoyed great privileges in the army of Genghis Khan. The guards were his bodyguards. From among them, the ruler of the Mongol state appointed military leaders to the troops.

Genghis Khan's army was built according to the decimal system: tens, hundreds, thousands and tumens (they consisted of 10,000 warriors). These military units were not only accounting units. Hundreds and thousands could perform independent combat missions. Tumen acted in the war already at the tactical level.

The command of the Mongolian army was built according to the decimal system: foreman, centurion, thousander, temnik. To the highest positions - temniks - Genghis Khan appointed his sons and representatives of the tribal nobility from among those military leaders who had proven to him their loyalty and experience in military affairs. The Mongol army maintained the strictest discipline throughout the command hierarchy. Any violation was severely punished.

The main branch of troops in Genghis Khan's army was the heavily armed cavalry of the Mongols themselves. Her main weapons were a sword or saber, a pike and a bow with arrows. Initially, the Mongols protected their chest and head in battle with strong leather breastplates and helmets. Over time, they acquired good protective equipment in the form of a variety of metal armor. Each Mongol warrior had at least two well-trained horses and a large supply of arrows and arrowheads for them.

Light cavalry, and these were usually horse archers, consisted of warriors of conquered steppe tribes. It was they who began the battles, bombarding the enemy with clouds of arrows and bringing confusion into his ranks. Then the heavily armed cavalry of the Mongols themselves went on the attack in a dense mass. Their attack looked more like a ramming attack than a dashing raid by Mongol cavalry.

Genghis Khan went down in military history as a great strategist and tactician of that time. For his Temnik commanders and other military leaders, he developed rules for waging war and organizing all military service. These rules, in conditions of strict centralization of military and government administration, were strictly followed.

Genghis Khan's strategy and tactics were characterized by: careful conduct of short- and long-range reconnaissance, a surprise attack on any enemy, even one noticeably inferior to him in strength, and the desire to dismember enemy forces in order to then destroy them piece by piece. They widely and skillfully used ambushes and luring the enemy into them. Genghis Khan and his generals skillfully maneuvered large masses of cavalry on the battlefield. The pursuit of the fleeing enemy was carried out not with the goal of capturing more military booty, but with the goal of destroying him.

At the very beginning of his conquests, Genghis Khan did not always assemble an all-Mongol cavalry army. Scouts and spies brought him information about the new enemy, the number, location and routes of movement of his troops. This made it possible for Genghis Khan to determine the number of troops needed to defeat the enemy and quickly respond to all his offensive actions.

But the greatness of Genghis Khan’s military leadership lay in another aspect: he knew how to quickly react to the actions of the opposing side, changing his tactics depending on the circumstances. Thus, encountering strong fortresses in China for the first time, Genghis Khan began to crush various types of throwing and siege engines of the same Chinese in the war. They were transported to 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, Genghis Khan ordered them from other countries or captured them. In the latter case, military specialists became the khan's slaves, who were kept in very good conditions.

Until the last days of his life, Genghis Khan sought to expand his truly enormous possessions as much as possible. Therefore, every time the Mongol army went further and further from the steppes of Mongolia.

First, the great conqueror of the Middle Ages decided to annex other nomadic peoples to his power. 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-Mongol army.

Then it was the turn of the large Uyghur state in East Turkestan. 1209 - a huge army of the Great Khan invaded his territory and, capturing cities and blooming oases one after another, won a complete victory over the Uyghurs. After this invasion, only piles of ruins remained from many trading cities and villages of farmers.

The destruction of settlements on occupied lands, the wholesale extermination of rebellious tribes and fortified cities that tried to defend themselves with weapons in their hands were characteristic features of Genghis Khan's conquests. The strategy of intimidation enabled him to successfully solve military problems and keep conquered peoples in obedience.

1211 - Genghis Khan's cavalry army attacked Northern China. The Great Wall of China - the most ambitious defensive structure in the history of human civilization - did not become an obstacle to the conquerors. The Mongol cavalry defeated the troops of the new enemy who stood in its way. 1215 - the city of Beijing (Yanjing) was captured by cunning, which the Mongols subjected to a long siege.

In Northern China, the Mongols destroyed about 90 cities, the population of which offered resistance to the army of the Great Mongol Khan. In this campaign, Genghis Khan adopted Chinese engineering military equipment for his cavalry troops - various throwing machines and battering rams. Chinese engineers trained the Mongols to use them and deliver them to besieged cities and fortresses.

1218 - The Mongols, continuing their conquests, captured the Korean Peninsula.

After campaigns in Northern China and Korea, Genghis Khan turned his attention further to the west - towards sunset. 1218 - The Mongol army invaded Central Asia and captured Khorezm. This time, Genghis Khan found a plausible pretext for the invasion - several Mongol merchants were killed in the Khorezm border city. And therefore it was necessary to punish the country where the Mongols were treated “badly.”

With the appearance of the enemy on the borders of Khorezm, Khorezmshah Muhammad, at the head of a large army (figures up to 200,000 people are mentioned), set out on a campaign. A big battle took place near Karaku, which was so stubborn that by evening there was no winner on the battlefield. As darkness fell, the generals withdrew their armies to camps.

The next day, Khorezmshah 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 a military trick of the great commander.

The conquest of the huge Central Asian state of Khorezm continued. 1219 - a Mongol army of 200,000 people under the command of the sons of Genghis Khan, Oktai and Zagatai, besieged the city of Otrar (the territory of modern Uzbekistan). The city was defended by a 60,000-strong garrison under the command of the brave Khorezm military leader Gazer Khan.

The siege of Otrar lasted for four months with frequent attacks. During this time, the number of his defenders was reduced by three times. Hunger and disease began in the besieged camp, since the supply of drinking water was especially bad. In the end, the Mongols broke into the city, but were unable to capture the fortress citadel. Gazer Khan with the remnants of his warriors was able to hold out in it for another month. By order of the Great Khan, Otrar was destroyed, most of the inhabitants were killed, and some - artisans and young people - were taken into slavery.

1220, March - the Mongol army, led by the great Mongol Khan himself, besieged one of the largest Central Asian cities - Bukhara. It contained the 20,000-strong army of the Khorezmshah, which, together with its commander, fled when the Mongols approached. The townspeople, not having the strength to fight, opened the fortress gates to the conquerors. Only the local ruler decided to defend himself, taking refuge in a fortress, which was set on fire and destroyed by the Mongols.

1220, June - the Mongols, led by Genghis Khan, besieged another large Khorezm city - Samarkand. The city was defended by a garrison of 110,000 (the figure is greatly exaggerated) under the command of the governor Alub Khan. His warriors made frequent forays beyond the city walls, preventing the enemy from conducting siege operations. However, there were townspeople who, wanting to save their property and lives, opened the gates of Samarkand to the Mongols.

The army of the Great Khan burst into the city, and hot battles with the defenders of Samarkand began in its streets and squares. But the forces were unequal, and besides, Genghis Khan brought more and more new troops into battle to replace those who were tired of fighting. Seeing that he could not hold Samarkand, Alub Khan, at the head of 1000 horsemen, was able to escape from the city and break through the blockade ring of the invaders. The surviving 30,000 Khorezm warriors were killed by the Mongols.

The conquerors also met staunch resistance during the siege of the city of Khojent (modern Tajikistan). It was defended by a garrison led by one of the best Khorezm military leaders - the fearless Timur-Melik. When he realized that the garrison was no longer able to repel the attacks, he and some of the soldiers boarded ships and sailed down the Yaxartes River, pursued along the shore by Mongol cavalry. However, after a fierce battle, Timur-Melik was able to break away from his pursuers. After his departure, the city of Khojent surrendered to the mercy of the winner the next day.

Genghis Khan's army continued to capture Khorezmian cities one after another: Merv, Urgench... 1221 - they besieged the city of Bamiyan and, after months of fighting, took it by storm. Genghis Khan, whose beloved grandson was killed during the siege, ordered that neither women nor children should be spared. Therefore, the city and its entire population were completely destroyed.

After the fall of Khorezm and the conquest of Central Asia, Genghis Khan made a campaign in Northwestern India, capturing this large territory. But he did not go further to the south of Hindustan: he was constantly attracted by unknown countries at sunset.

The Great Khan, as usual, thoroughly worked out the route of the new campaign and sent his best commanders Jebe and Subedei far to the west at the head of their tumens and auxiliary troops of the conquered peoples. Their path passed through Iran, Transcaucasia and the North Caucasus. So the Mongols found themselves on the southern approaches to Rus', in the Don steppes.

In those days, the Polovtsian Vezhi, who had long lost their military strength, roamed the Wild Field. The Mongols defeated the Polovtsians without much difficulty, and they fled to the borderlands of the Russian lands. 1223 - the commanders Jebe and Subedey defeated the united army of several Russian princes and Polovtsian khans in the battle on the Kalka River. After the victory, the vanguard of the Mongol army turned back.

In 1226–1227, Genghis Khan made a campaign in the country of the Tanguts Xi-Xia. He instructed one of his sons to continue the conquest of Chinese lands. The anti-Mongol uprising that began in conquered Northern China caused great concern to the Great Khan.

Genghis Khan died during his last campaign against the Tanguts, in 1227. The Mongols gave him a magnificent funeral and, having destroyed all the participants in these sad celebrations, were able to keep the location of Genghis Khan’s grave completely secret to this day...

• Genghis Khan (real name Temujin or Temujin) was born on May 3, 1162 (according to other sources - around 1155) in the Delyun-Boldok tract on the banks of the Onon River (near Lake Baikal).
• Temuchin's father, Yesugey-bagatur, was a leader and was considered a hero in his tribe. He named his son in honor of the Tatar leader whom he defeated on the eve of his birth.
• Temujin's mother's name was Hoelun, she was one of the two wives of Yesugei-bagatur.
• The future Genghis Khan did not receive any education. His people were extremely undeveloped. Throughout his life, the conqueror of vast territories did not know a single language other than Mongolian. In the future, he forced his many descendants to study many sciences.
• 1171 - the father matches nine-year-old Temujin to a girl from a neighboring family and, according to custom, leaves him in the bride's family until he comes of age. On the way home, Yesugei was poisoned.
• After the death of his father, Temujin returns to the family. After a short time, Yesugei's wives and children were expelled and wandered around the steppes for several years. Yesugei's lands are occupied by his relative.
• Temujin's relative sees him as a rival and pursues him. But the Yesugei-Bagatura family still manages to migrate to a safe place.
• After some time, Temujin marries Borte, the girl he was betrothed to. He manages to find support from a friend of his late father, the powerful Khan Torgul. Gradually, Temujin has warriors. He raids neighboring lands, gradually conquering territory and livestock.
• Around 1200 - Temujin's first serious military campaign. Together with Torgul, he wages a war against the Tatars and wins it, capturing rich trophies.
• 1202 - Temujin independently and successfully fights the Tatars. Gradually, his ulus is expanding and strengthening.
• 1203 - Temujin breaks up the coalition formed against him.
• 1206 - at the kurultai Temujin was proclaimed Genghis Khan (great khan over all tribes). The Mongol tribes unite into a single state, headed by Temujin. He issues a new set of laws - Yasa. Genghis Khan actively pursues a policy aimed at uniting previously warring tribes. He divides the population of the Mongolian state into tens, hundreds, thousands and tens of thousands (tumens), without paying attention to the belonging of his citizens to tribes. In this state, all strong, healthy men are considered warriors who, in peacetime, take care of the household, and in case of war, take up arms. Thus, Temujin was able to receive a 95,000-strong army under his command.
• 1207 - 1211 - during this period, Genghis Khan and his army conquered the lands of the Uyghurs, Kyrgyz and Yakuts. In fact, the entire Eastern Siberia becomes the territory of the Mongolian state. All conquered peoples are obliged to pay tribute to Genghis Khan.
• 1209 - Temujin conquers Central Asia. Now he intends to conquer China.
• 1213 - Genghis Khan (“The True Ruler,” as he calls himself) invades the Chinese Empire, having spent the previous two years conquering the border territories. Genghis Khan's campaign in China can be considered triumphant - he purposefully advances to the center of the country, sweeping away the slightest resistance on his way. Many Chinese commanders surrender to him without a fight, some go over to his side.
• 1215 - Genghis Khan finally establishes himself in China and conquers Beijing. The war between the Mongols and China would continue until 1235, and it would be ended by Genghis Khan's successor Udegei.
• 1216 - Devastated China is no longer able to trade with the Mongols as before. Genghis Khan increasingly undertakes campaigns to the west. His plans include the conquest of Kazakhstan and Central Asia.
• 1218 - trade interests force Genghis Khan to conduct diplomatic negotiations with the Khorezhshah Muhammad, who owned Iran and the Muslim territories of Central Asia. An agreement was reached between the two rulers on good neighborly relations, and Genghis Khan sent the first merchants to Khorezm. But the ruler of the city of Otrar accuses the merchants of espionage and kills them. Muhammad did not betray the khan who had violated the agreement; instead, he executed one of Genghis Khan’s ambassadors and cut off the beards of others, thereby causing a grave insult to the entire Mongolian state. War becomes inevitable. Genghis Khan's army turns west.
• 1219 - Genghis Khan personally participates in the Central Asian campaign. The Mongol army is divided into several units, commanded by the sons of the leader. The city of Otrar, in which the merchants were killed, was razed to the ground by the Mongols.
• At the same time, Genghis Khan sends a strong army under the command of his sons Jebe and Subedei to the “western lands.”
• 1220 - Muhammad is defeated. He flees, Genghis Khan's troops pursue him through Persia, the Caucasus and the southern lands of Rus'.
• 1221 - Genghis Khan conquers Afghanistan.
• 1223 - The Mongols completely capture the territories that previously belonged to Muhammad. They extend from the Indus River to the shores of the Caspian Sea.
• 1225 - Genghis Khan returns to Mongolia. In the same year, the army of Jebe and Subedei comes from the Russian lands. Rus' was not captured by them only because its conquest was not the goal of the reconnaissance campaign. The weakness of fragmented Rus' was fully demonstrated by the battle on the Kalka River on May 31, 1223.
• After returning to Mongolia, Genghis Khan again embarked on a campaign through Western China.
• The beginning of 1226 - a new campaign against the country of the Tanguts.
• August 1227 - at the height of the campaign against the Tanguts, astrologers inform Genghis Khan that he is in danger. The conqueror decides to return to Mongolia.
• August 18, 1227 - Genghis Khan dies on the way to Mongolia. The exact place of his burial is unknown.