Genghis Khan: Ruler of the East

When you hear the name Genghis Khan your first thoughts might be: “brutal warrior” or “genocidal ruler.” In the spring of 2018, I visited the Genghis Khan exhibit at The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum. I was able to get to know more about the “man behind the legend”.

Genghis’s reputation as the greatest conqueror is well-deserved – he dominated three times more land in his lifetime than either Julius Caesar or Alexander the Great. But he was not the brutal barbarian that is portrayed in books, but Genghis was a great civilizer, law-maker, and democratizer, whose empire brought each of these innovations to the West.

a statue of Genghis Khan, near Ulaanbaatar (Ulan Bator), Mongolia. (Source: Encyclopedia Britannica - https://www.britannica.com)

Who was Genghis Khan?

Genghis Khan was the first Khan, or emperor, of the Mongol Empire. This empire was the largest, contiguous empire even after his death. He was able to connect so many people together by conquering nomadic tribes and establishing cities.

Genghis also spelled Chingis, Jenghiz, or Jinghis, was born in 1162, near Lake Baikal, Mongolia and died on August 18, 1227. He is one of the most famous conquerors of history, who consolidated tribes into a unified Mongolia and then extended his empire across Asia to the Adriatic Sea.

But how was he able to do that and how was he influenced?

His early life

In his early life, Genghis Khan, born as Temüjin, was part of a royal Mongol clan. When he was around nine years old, his father, Yesügei, was poisoned and Temüjin was captured by his former allies. He escaped when he was older, killed his half-brother, and began to gather supporters and manpower as a teenager.

How did he capture so much territory?

Genghis Khan was not a ruler who would execute irrational plans. He had a group of advisors who would tell him what the best strategy in an attack was. He was a warrior and a ruler of genius and strength.

His legacy

Genghis Khan left behind the biggest Empire in the world, the Mongol Empire, for his successor, Kublai Khan, to make even larger. He sired 14 children and currently, there are over 1.6 million men with the same chromosome as Genghis Khan.

The Mongol Empire (Source: Encyclopedia Britannica - https://www.britannica.com)

What did I learn about Genghis Khan?

Mongolian armored warriors. Photo courtesy of Reagan Library

I learned that Genghis Khan was not as savage of an emperor as every thinks he is. His primary goal was to unite all of the nomadic tribes, not destroy them. Actually, Kublai Khan dealt more damage to the people that his predecessor.

How come people don’t know much about the Mongolians?

The were, and some are, nomadic peoples who lived with only necessities: a yak, tent, cooking material, sleeping material, and hunter-gatherer supplies. The capital of Mongolia is centered around Genghis Han Square, named after the ancient ruler.

Inside of a furnished ger or yurt Photo courtesy of Reagan Library

Because of their isolation (the Siberian cold, Gobi Dessert, and Himalayan Mountains), Mongolians were not affected by other main empires for a long time.

Mongolian food

The Mongolians used to drink yak milk, gather fruits and berries, and hunt animals for meat.

Today, their meals consist of dairy products, meats, and animal fats. A Mongolian favorite are dumplings filled with meat, “buuz”.