Strictly speaking, Genghis Khan is not a name, but a title. He was received by Temujin at a kurultai (meeting with the Mongols) at the end of the 12th century.
The name of Genghis Khan
A few years later, in 1206, now at a large kurultai of all Mongol tribes, the title of Genghis Khan, emphasizing primacy, was confirmed by all Mongol princes. The meaning of the title "Chinggis" is dark: "Chinggis" or "Tengis" the Mongols called the sea, it was a separate deity in the pantheon of shamanism. Perhaps it is associated with the name of Tengri - the god of all Mongols. The anonymous author of the "Secret History of the Mongols", and translates Genghis Khan - Khan by the will of the Eternal Blue Sky. And the name given to Genghis Khan at birth is Temujin, which means "blacksmith". It is related to the Turkic-Mongolian root "temur" - "iron".
The brutality of Genghis Khan
The world of the steppe nomads was full of customs that seemed wild and barbaric to the representatives of urban, sedentary civilizations. However, many of these cruelties were undeservedly attributed by educated contemporaries to Genghis Khan. Such "legends" include the story that after one of the battles, he ordered the prisoners to be boiled in seventy cauldrons. This extreme cruelty, even by steppe standards, was committed after one of the victories by the opponent of Genghis - Khan Chzhamukha. Later, after the death of the latter, it was attributed to Genghis Khan. Moreover, enemies and fellow tribesmen noted the wisdom and justice of Genghis. So once the soldiers of the hostile khan ran to him, bringing with them the head of their master. But Genghis Khan ordered the execution of the defectors - precisely because they betrayed their ruler.
"To reach the last sea"
This famous saying, in its full form, "I will reach the 'last' sea, and then the whole universe will be under my hand," is usually attributed to Genghis Khan. However, in fact, it does not belong to him, and was invented much later.
In the plans of the Conqueror, there was not even a thought to move to Europe, and almost all the wars that he waged began against his will. Genghis Khan conquered Khorezm in revenge for the murder of his ambassadors and the treacherous attack on his trade caravan. The murder of the Mongol ambassadors by the Russian princes led to the defeat of the latter at Kalka. Fulfilling the duty of blood revenge for the murdered grandfather, the Conqueror defeated the Chinese kingdom of Jin. What can we say, at the age of nine, he shot his own brother Belgutai with a bow because he took away the “brilliant fish” from him. The task of a military campaign in Europe was set only by his son - Ogedei in 1235.
The ruler of the largest state in the world?
The Mongol Empire is rightfully considered the largest state in the history of mankind - by 1279 its area was about 33 million square meters. km. The British Empire during the period of maximum domination in the 20-30s of the XX century, according to the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, occupied only 31.8 million square meters. km. populated territory. However, Genghis Khan died long before the maximum expansion of the borders of his state.
In 1227, his power was not only smaller than the Russian Empire and the USSR, but also inferior in area to the Spanish-Portuguese colonial empire of the late 17th century. The conquests of the Mongols were especially active after the death of Genghis Khan. His descendants subjugated part of Central Europe, the Crimea, the Polovtsian steppes, Russia, Volga Bulgaria, the Far East, Persia and South China.
What was in the will of Genghis Khan?
After the death of Genghis, power passed not to his eldest son Chochi, and not even to the second - Chagatai, but only to the third - Ogedei. The chronicle of the steppes - "The Secret History of the Mongols" contains a colorful story explaining the choice of the father in favor of the youngest son. Chochi and Chagatai argued over the right to inherit (the first was born when Borte, the wife of Genghis Khan, was in captivity and the paternity of Genghis was in doubt), and the dispute threatened to turn into a big quarrel. According to legend, Genghis Khan awarded the inheritance to his third son, obliging the first two to help him.
However, was it really so? The choice in favor of Ogedei was supported not only by the "doubtful" origin of the eldest son. Ogedei was more like his father than others, distinguished by his calmness, wisdom, and traits of a diplomat. Genghis considered them much more important for managing a huge state. The right of birthright in Mongolian society was not so strong - the power of the father was considered indisputable, and people were often promoted to leadership positions according to their skills and talent, and not by origin.
Where is Genghis Khan's tomb located?
The place where one of the greatest rulers in history is buried is unknown to us. Medieval historians Rashid ad-Din and Marco Polo wrote that the soldiers who buried the khan killed anyone who met them on the way, and after the burial they turned the bed of one of the rivers over the grave in order to save it from looting. The death of Genghis Khan was kept secret for a long time - for security reasons. Only after the funeral procession returned to the Khan's camp in the upper reaches of the Kerulen River, was it allowed to spread the news of his death.
Historians and archaeologists still do not know the burial place of the great commander, despite numerous excavations that are still ongoing. We only know about the grave that it was located in the Mongolian steppe, on the slope of one of the mountains where the great conqueror spent his childhood.
IGDA/M. Seemuller Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan (Temujin) (1155 - 1227+)
Genghis Khan (1155 -1227). According to legend, he was born, "squeezing a clotted blood clot in his right hand." Whether it was really so, it is impossible to find out, but this child became one of the most cruel and bloodthirsty conquerors in the history of mankind. His name - Genghis Khan Temuchin - terrified many peoples and countries.
His father, Khan Bagadur (Bogatyr), the leader of one of the Mongol tribes that roamed the Transbaikal steppes, began to unite his fellow tribesmen under his rule. When he died, the khans subordinate to him rebelled and tried to massacre his entire family. Temuchin had to wander for a long time. Possessing a flexible mind, strong will, cruelty and discretion, he rallied a group of adherents around him, dealt with his enemies one by one and continued the work of his father.
In 1206, at the general congress of nomads, he was proclaimed Genghis Khan (Great Khan, Emperor). The choice turned out to be extremely successful. Genghis Khan showed outstanding qualities as an organizer. He strengthened the central government and the army; compiled a code of laws and introduced a common Mongolian script (not being able to read or write!). Declared universal military and labor service. He gave more freedom to women so that they could manage the household with the constant absences of men for the war. He made Karakorum the capital of his empire.
Starting from 1211 aggressive campaigns, he conquered China and Tibet, the states Central Asia. His hordes reached the Indus River, passed through the Transcaucasus, the Caspian, the Black Sea and defeated the Russian-Polovtsian troops on the Kalka River. By the end of his life, Genghis Khan ruled the world's largest empire, which was based on the culture and technical inventions of China. So for the first time on a global scale (more precisely, within the Old World), the East declared itself.
The victories of Genghis Khan are explained primarily by his outstanding organizational and military leadership talents and by himself and the whole staff of disciplined and intelligent military leaders. He thoroughly prepared his campaigns, conducting, in particular, reconnaissance and collecting espionage information. One Persian historian of that time described the Mongols as follows: they have lion-like courage, dog patience, the foresight of a crane, the cunning of a fox, the farsightedness of a raven, the rapacity of a wolf, the fighting heat of a rooster, caring for loved ones of a hen, the sensitivity of a cat, and when attacking, the violence of a boar.
Having captured China, the Mongols adopted a number of inventions from the conquered. For example, they began to use the explosive power of gunpowder during the siege of fortresses, terrifying the defenders with their artillery. If necessary, Genghis Khan knew how to play cunning diplomatic games, bribe potential opponents, and, with stubborn resistance, punish enemies with extraordinary cruelty. His huge armies marched across Central Asia, bringing destruction and death, devastating the lands, destroying flourishing cities and irrigation systems. After them, most often there were deserts. The terrible glory of Genghis Khan preceded his arrival, causing general confusion. Feudal fragmentation of various kingdoms and principalities contributed a lot to its success.
According to a contemporary, in the circle of close associates, Genghis Khan boasted that he had killed a huge number of people, shed rivers of blood, and therefore his glory would be eternal. In this he was not mistaken.
Balandin R.K. One Hundred Great Geniuses / R.K. Balandin. - M.: Veche, 2012.
Parents: Yesugei-bagatur (1168+), Hoelun;
- Jochi (?-1127+);
- Batu (?-1255+);
- Jagatai (Chagatai) (?-1242+);
- Ogedei (1186-1241+), successor of Genghis Khan;
- Tolui (?);
Highlights of life
Genghis Khan was born on the banks of the Onon River in Mongolia in 1155 or somewhat later. Originally bore the name Temujin (according to another transcription - Temujin). His father, Yesugei-bagatur, apparently had some influence among Mongols, but after his death (about 1168) his adherents immediately left his widow and children; the family wandered in the forests for several years, eating roots, game and fish.Having matured, Temujin gradually gathered around him a certain number of adherents from the steppe aristocracy, joined the Christian Kerait khan and took part in an alliance with the Chinese government, first in the fight against the intensified Tatars who lived near Lake Buir-nor, then against the democratic movement, headed by became his former friend Jamukha. After the defeat of Chjamukha (1201) there was a quarrel between Temuchin and the Kerait Khan; the latter entered into an agreement with Chjamukha and attracted some of Temujin's adherents to his side. In 1203, the Kerait Khan was killed, and Temujin took possession of all of eastern Mongolia. Chjamukha restored against him the Western Mongols, the Naiman, who were also defeated, after which all of Mongolia was united under the rule of Temujin; then (1206) the latter took the title of Genghis (the exact meaning of this title has not yet been established), gave the nomadic state he founded a strictly aristocratic structure and surrounded himself with bodyguards who enjoyed significant privileges compared to other Mongols, but were subject to strict discipline.
During the conquest of the Naimans, Chingiz got acquainted with the beginnings of written office work, which was in the hands of the Uighurs there; the same Uighurs entered the service of Genghis and were the first officials in the Mongolian state and the first teachers of the Mongols. Apparently, Genghis hoped later to replace the Uighurs with natural Mongols, as he ordered the noble Mongolian youths, among other things, his sons, to learn the language and writing of the Uyghurs. After the spread of Mongol rule, even during the life of Genghis, the Mongols also used the services of Chinese and Persian officials.
Pursuing the nomads who fled from Mongolia, the Mongols in 1209 accepted obedience from the Uighurs in East Turkestan, in 1211 - from the Karluks, in the northern part of Semirechye; in the same year, a war broke out with China, which temporarily stopped the successes of the Mongols in the west. Northern China belonged at that time to the Jurchens, a people of Manchu origin (Jin dynasty). In 1215, Genghis took Beijing; the final conquest of the state of the Jurchens took place already under the successor of Genghis, Ogedei.
In 1216, campaigns were resumed against the nomads who had fled to the west; in the same year, an accidental clash occurred between the Mongolian detachment and the army of Khorezmshah Mohammed, who united Muslim Central Asia and Iran under his rule. Beginning around the same time, on the basis of trade interests, diplomatic relations between Genghis and Muhammad ended in 1218 with the plundering of the caravan sent by Genghis and the massacre of merchants in Otrar, a border town in Muhammad's domain. This forced Genghis, without completing the conquest of China, to send troops to the west.
In 1218, the Mongols conquered Semirechye and East Turkestan, which were owned by the Naiman prince Kuchluk, who had fled from Mongolia; in 1219, Genghis personally went on a campaign with all his sons and with the main military forces; in the autumn of the same year, the Mongols approached Otrar. In 1220 Maverannehr was conquered; detachments sent to pursue the fleeing Muhammad passed through Persia, the Caucasus and southern Russia (the battle on the Kalka River) and from there returned to Central Asia.
Genghis himself in 1221 conquered Afghanistan, his son Tului-Khorasan, other sons - Khorezm (Khanate of Khiva). In 1225 Genghis Khan returned to Mongolia. In the lands north of the Amu Darya and east of the Caspian Sea, the dominion of the Mongols was firmly established by him; Persia and southern Russia were reconquered by his successors. In 1225 or at the beginning of 1226, Genghis undertook a campaign against the Tangut country, where he died in August 1227.
We have fairly detailed information both about Chingiz's appearance (tall stature, strong build, broad forehead, long beard) and about his character traits. With the talents of the commander, he combined organizational skills, inflexible will and self-control, which could not be shaken by failures, insults, or deceived hopes. Generosity and affability he possessed to a sufficient degree to retain the affection of his companions. Without denying himself the joys of life, he, in contrast to most of his descendants, remained a stranger to excesses incompatible with the activities of the ruler and commander, and lived to an advanced age, retaining his mental abilities in full force.
Coming from a people who at that time stood at the lowest level of culture, Genghis was deprived of any education, did not have time to acquire the knowledge that he ordered to teach his sons, and until the end of his life did not know any other language than Mongolian. Naturally, the range of his ideas was very limited; apparently, he felt like only an ataman who leads his warriors to victories, brings them wealth and glory, and for this he has the right to the best part of the booty. In the sayings attributed to him there are no signs of understanding the idea of the good of an entire people; even less can we assume in it broad state aspirations.
There is no reason to believe that from the very beginning he set himself on extensive conquest plans; all his wars were driven by events. The troubles, among which Genghis came forward, could not have ended otherwise than with the unification of Mongolia, which always entailed an attack by nomads on China; campaigns to the west were caused by the pursuit of fleeing enemies, the need to receive goods from the west, which devastated China could no longer provide, and an unforeseen event in Otrar.
The idea of world domination appears among the Mongols only under the successors of Genghis. The main beginnings, the devices of the empire were borrowed from the sphere of nomadic life; the concept of tribal property was transferred from the field of private law relations to the field of state law; the empire was considered the property of the entire khan's family; during the life of Genghis, his sons were assigned destinies. Thanks to the creation of the guard, Genghis had at his disposal a sufficient number of experienced people to whom he could safely entrust the military authorities in remote areas; when organizing civil administration, he had to use the services of conquered peoples. Apparently, he wanted to free his successors from this; it is most natural to explain with such a desire the measure of teaching the Mongolian youths of the Uyghur script that he adopted. Genghis had no broader civilizing aspirations; in his opinion, the Mongols, in order to maintain their military predominance, had to continue to lead a nomadic life, not live either in cities or in villages, but use the labors of the hands of conquered farmers and artisans, and only for this purpose protect them.
Despite all this, the activities of Genghis had more lasting results than the activities of other world conquerors (Alexander the Great, Timur, Napoleon). The boundaries of the empire after Genghis not only did not shrink, but expanded significantly, and the vastness of the Mongol empire surpassed all states that had ever existed. The unity of the empire was preserved for 40 years after the death of Genghis; the dominance of his descendants in the states formed after the collapse of the empire continued for about a hundred more years.
In Central Asia and Persia, until the end of the 19th century, many positions and institutions introduced in these countries by the Mongols were preserved. The success of Chingiz's activities is explained only by his brilliant natural talents; he had no predecessors to pave the way for him, no associates to influence him, no worthy successors. Both the Mongol military leaders and the representatives of the cultured nations who were in the Mongol service were only tools in the hands of Genghis;
None of his sons and grandsons inherited his gifts; the best of them could only continue in the same spirit the activities of the founder of the empire, but could not think about reorganizing the state on new principles, in accordance with the requirements of the time; for them, as for their subjects, the precepts of Genghis were an indisputable authority. In the eyes of his contemporaries and posterity, Genghis was the sole creator and organizer of the Mongol Empire.
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FROM ANCIENT RUSSIA TO THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE
State of Genghis Khan, 1227.
Genghis Khan (1155/1162/1167–1227), founder of the Mongol Empire, one of the largest conquerors in world history. Born in the Delyun-Boldak tract on the banks of the Onon River (the exact location is unknown; possibly, the modern Delyun-buldak in the Chita region of the Russian Federation). At birth, he received the name Temujin (Temujin). Information about ancestors, birth and early years of life is drawn mainly from folk traditions, in which facts are intertwined with legends. So, tradition considers the gray wolf and the female white deer to be his very first ancestors. The newborn, as they say, squeezed a blood clot in his palm, which foreshadowed him the glorious future of the ruler of the world.
Path to supremacy in Mongolia. Yesugai Baatur, the father of Genghis Khan, belonged to the family of the rulers of the first Mongol state - Hamad Mongol Ulus, which existed in the middle of the 12th century. Around 1160, it collapsed after a defeat in a war with the Tatars, who were allied with the Jin dynasty that ruled northern China. (Later, all the Mongols in Europe were called Tatars in general.) Yesugai named his son Temujin after the name of the Tatar leader, who was taken prisoner on the day the child was born. At that time, Yesugai-baatur was the head of the ulus, which united a number of Mongol tribes. When Temujin was nine years old, according to tradition, which required the choice of a bride outside the local nomadic community, his father went with him on a trip to the far outskirts of Mongolia. Having met on the way the leader of the Ungirat (Kungirat) tribe named Dai-sechen, Yesugai betrothed Temujin to his daughter, ten-year-old Borte, and, according to ancient custom, left his son in the yurt of the future father-in-law. On the way home, Esugai met a group of Tatars and was invited to share a meal with them. Recognizing the old enemy, the Tatars mixed poison into his food. Yesugai did not die immediately, having managed to get to his camp, from where he sent one of his people after Temujin.
After the death of Yesugai, his widow with children was left by her husband's relatives, who succumbed to the influence of the Taichiut tribe, which was part of the ulus, whose leaders wanted to take the place of the deceased leader. When Temujin grew up and turned into a young man, the Taichiuts attacked his camp. He tried to hide in the forest, but was still captured. The Taichiuts left him alive by wearing a wooden yoke around his neck. One night, Temujin fled, threw himself into the river and hid, plunging almost completely into the water. One of the Taichiuts noticed him, but took pity on him and persuaded his comrades to postpone the search until dawn. Meanwhile, Temujin crawled to the benefactor's yurt, and he hid him, and then provided him with everything necessary for escape.
Soon Temujin came to the Ungirats for his bride. As a dowry, Borte received a black sable fur coat, which, according to legend, was destined to become the key to Temujin's future success. Temujin decided to present the fur coat to Togril (Tooril), a powerful leader of the Kereites, a Christian tribe in Central Mongolia. Toghril, who at one time became an "anda", the twin brother of Temujin's father, promised the young man protection and help. Soon, the Merkits, who lived on the territory of present-day Buryatia, raided his camp and kidnapped his wife. Temujin turned for help to Toghril and Jamukha, a young Mongol leader, his distant relative and childhood friend. The three of them were able to defeat the Merkit tribe and rescue Borte. For some time, Jamukha and Temujin remained close friends and named brothers, but then they parted ways. And it was at this time that a group of rulers of the Mongol clans proclaimed Temujin Khan; at the same time he took the title of Genghis Khan (according to the accepted version, "Chinggis" means ocean or sea; thus, Genghis Khan means Khan-ocean, in a figurative sense, the ruler of the universe).
After this event, which happened probably ca. 1189, Genghis Khan began to play a prominent role in tribal warfare, but still more as Toghril's protégé than as his equal. In the mid-1190s, Toghril was deposed and expelled. Two years later, he returned to power thanks to the intervention of Genghis Khan, and at the same time both rulers became allies of China in the campaign against the Tatars. For participation in the victory, Toghril received from the Chinese the title of van (prince), from the distorted form of which (ong) came his new name Ongkhan, which, having penetrated into Europe, gave rise to the legend of the Christian ruler of Central Asia, Prester John. In 1199 Toghril, Genghis Khan and Chjamukha undertook a joint campaign against the Naiman, the most powerful tribe in western Mongolia. In 1200–1202 they won several times over the coalition led by Chinggis Khan's former friend Chjamukha. In 1202, Genghis Khan set off alone on a decisive campaign against the Tatars who killed his father, which ended in their extermination. This sharply strengthened the position of Genghis Khan and prompted Ongkhan to break. After the battle that did not bring success to either side of the battle, Genghis Khan went to the remote regions of North-Eastern Mongolia, restored his strength there, and in 1203 again opposed the opponent and defeated him.
Now Genghis Khan ruled in eastern and central Mongolia. In 1205, his old rival Chjamukha was handed over to him, whom he put to death, and Genghis Khan finally became the undisputed master of Mongolia. In the spring of 1206, at the great kurultai, the congress of the Mongol princes, he was declared the supreme khan, approving the title of Genghis Khan for him.
conquest wars. The first big victory of Genghis Khan outside the Mongolian steppes was the campaign of 1209-1210 against the Tanguts. Having secured the southwestern flank, Genghis Khan began preparations for war with the main enemy in the East - the Jurchen state of Jin. Hostilities began in the spring of 1211, and by the end of the year the Mongols captured all the space north of the Great Wall of China. By the beginning of 1214, they had the entire territory north of the Huang He in their hands, and they besieged the main capital of the Jurchens, Yanjing (Beijing). The emperor bought peace by giving Genghis Khan a Chinese princess with a colossal dowry as his wife, and the conquerors began to slowly retreat to the north. However, the war almost immediately resumed, and as a result, the capital of the Jurchens was captured and ravaged by the Mongols.
Although hostilities had not yet ended - the conquest of the Jin state was completed only in 1234 - Genghis Khan decided to abandon the personal leadership of military operations and in the spring of 1216 returned to Mongolia, where he began preparations for a campaign to the West. Thanks to the annexation of the lands of the Karakitays, Genghis Khan received a common border with the Khorezmshah Muhammad, whose vast but weak power included the territories of modern Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, as well as Afghanistan and most of Iran. The war between the two empires became inevitable after the ambassadors of Genghis Khan, who arrived as part of a trade caravan in Otrar on the Syr Darya, were killed in the possessions of the Khorezmshah, although, perhaps, without his knowledge.
Departing from Mongolia in 1219, Genghis Khan spent the summer on the Irtysh and by autumn approached the walls of Otrar, which he managed to capture in a few months, leaving part of the troops for the siege. He himself with the main forces went to Bukhara. The city was taken in February 1220 after several days of siege. Then the Mongols went to Samarkand, which also could not offer serious opposition and surrendered in March 1220. After that, Genghis Khan sent two of the best commanders to pursue Khorezmshah Muhammad, who fled to the west. In the end, this sultan found refuge on a small island in the Caspian Sea, where he died in December 1220. The military leaders who carried out the order of Genghis Khan continued their offensive to the west, overcame the mountains of the Caucasus and, before turning back, defeated in 1223 over the combined army of Russians and Turks -Kipchaks on the river. Kalka.
In the autumn of 1220, Genghis Khan captured Termez on the Amu Darya and at the beginning of winter launched military operations in the upper reaches of this river, within the boundaries of present-day Tajikistan. In early 1221, having crossed the Amu Darya, he invaded Afghanistan and captured the ancient city of Balkh. Shortly after the fall of Samarkand, Genghis Khan sent his elder sons north to Khorezm to begin the siege of Urgench, the capital of Muhammad, and now he sent his youngest son to eastern Persia to sack and destroy the rich and populous cities of Merv and Nishapur.
Meanwhile, Sultan Jalal-ad-din, the son of Khorezmshah Muhammad, went to central Afghanistan and defeated the Mongol troops there at Parwan, north of Kabul. Genghis Khan, to whom his sons returned, was forced to move south in the autumn of 1221 and defeated his new enemy on the banks of the Indus. With the defeat of Jalal ad-Din, the campaign in the west was virtually over, and Genghis Khan set off on the long journey back to Mongolia. In 1226-1227 he again waged war with the Tanguts, but did not live to see the successful completion of this last campaign in his life. Genghis Khan died on August 25, 1227 at a summer headquarters in the Tianshui region on the river. Qi, south of the Lupanshan Mountains.
Inheritance. Genghis Khan had many wives and concubines, but Borte gave birth to four of his most famous sons. These are Jochi (Chjochi), whose heir Batu (Batu) created the Golden Horde; Jagatai (Chagatai), who gave the name to the dynasty that dominated a number of Central Asian regions; Ogadai (Ogedei), appointed by Genghis Khan as successor; Tolui (Tului) is the father of Möngke, who ruled the united Mongol Empire from 1251 to 1259. The latter was succeeded by Kublai Khan, the great khan in 1260–1294, who completed the conquest of China and founded the Yuan dynasty. Another of the descendants, Khan Hulagu, laid the foundation for the Ilkhan dynasty in Persia.
The code of laws of Yasa, or the Great Yasa, introduced by Genghis Khan, was based on Mongolian customary law; the reliable tool of his victories was the extremely effective native army, which developed and honed its skills in local tribal battles even before it was turned against the countries of Asia and Eastern Europe.
Genghis Khan went down in history as a military genius. The son of Genghis Khan inherited an empire stretching from Kyiv to Korea, his grandchildren founded dynasties in China, Persia, Eastern Europe, and his descendants reigned in Central Asia for many centuries.
Materials of the encyclopedia "The world around us" are used.
Pedigree of Genghis Khan
The names of Genghis Khan's ancestors are given by Rashid ad-Din and also by Ssang-Sechen. But they have differences. In this list, the names taken from Ssang-Sechen are in brackets.
1 Burtechino
2 Bishin-Kyan (Bedetse)
4 Kishi-Mergen (Kharitsar-Mergen)
5 Kudyum-Burgul (Agoim-Bugurul)
6 Yeke-Nidun (Sali-Khalchigo)
7 Sam-suin (Niche-Nidun)
8 Khalchi-go (Sam-suin)
9 Borji-Getey-Mergen (Khali-Khartu)
10 Togralchin-Bayan
11 Khayar-Tumed
12 Boogu Kata Key
13 Bagaritai-Khabichi
14 Dutum Menem
16 Bai-Sankur (Shinkur-Dokchin)
17 Tumbogai (Tyumen Khan)
18 Khabul Khan (d. 1147)
19 Berdam-Bagatur
20 Yesugei-Bagatur
21 Temujin - Genghis Khan
It is difficult to say how reliable this genealogy is.
Used materials of the book: Sychev N.V. Book of dynasties. M., 2008. p. 673.
Read further:
Literature:
Vladimirtsov B.Ya. Genghis Khan. Petersburg - Moscow - Berlin, 1922
Kychanov E.I. The life of Temujin, who thought to conquer the world. M., 1995
Compared to him, Napoleon, Hitler and Stalin seem like inexperienced beginners.
Genghis Khan was the founder of the Mongol Empire and one of the most brutal men in human history. Compared to him, Napoleon, Hitler and Stalin seem like inexperienced beginners.
Today, we rarely hear anything about Mongolia, except that Russia is conducting nuclear tests in the steppes there. If Genghis Khan were alive, he would never allow this!
And in general, he would not give anyone peace, because most of all he loved to fight.
Here are 15 amazing facts about the Mongol commander who could have conquered the whole world:
1. 40 million corpses
Historians estimate that Genghis Khan was responsible for 40 million deaths. For you to understand, this is 11% of the total population of the planet at that time.
For comparison: the Second World War sent to the other world "only" 3% of the world's population (60-80 million).
The adventures of Genghis Khan thus contributed to the cooling of the climate in the 13th century, as they removed more than 700 million tons of carbon dioxide from the Earth.
2. At the age of 10, Genghis Khan killed his stepbrother
Genghis Khan had a difficult childhood. His father was killed by warriors of a warring tribe when Genghis Khan was only 9.
Then his mother was expelled from the tribe, so she had to raise seven children alone - in Mongolia of the 13th century it was not easy!
When Genghis Khan was 10 years old, he killed his half-brother Bekter because he did not want to share food with him!
3. Genghis Khan is not his real name
The real name of the man known to us as Genghis Khan is Temujin, which means "iron" or "blacksmith".
The name is not bad, but clearly not worthy of a great warrior and emperor. Therefore, in 1206, Temujin called himself Genghis Khan.
"Khan"- this, of course, "ruler", but about the meaning of the word "Genghis" scientists are still arguing. The most common version says that this is a distorted Chinese "zheng" - "fair". So that - this, oddly enough, "just ruler".
4. Genghis Khan used brutal torture
Under Genghis Khan, the Mongols were famous for their terrible torture. One of the most popular was to pour molten silver down the throat and ears of the victim.
Genghis Khan himself loved this method of execution: the enemy was bent back until his spine broke.
And Genghis Khan and his squad celebrated the victory over the Russians in the following way: they threw all the surviving Russian soldiers to the ground, and huge wooden gates were placed on top of them. Then a feast was held at the gates, flattening the suffocating prisoners.
5. Genghis Khan held beauty pageants
Having captured a new land, Genghis Khan ordered to kill or enslave all men, and gave women to his soldiers. He even arranged beauty contests among captives to choose the most beautiful for himself.
The winner became one of his numerous harem, and the rest of the participants went to the soldiers to be insulted.
6. Genghis Khan defeated overwhelming armies
The size of the Mongol Empire testifies that Genghis Khan was a truly great commander.
At the same time, he repeatedly won victories over superior enemy forces. For example, he defeated a million soldiers of the Jin Dynasty with an army of 90,000 Mongols.
In the course of his conquest of China, Genghis Khan destroyed 500,000 Chinese soldiers before the rest surrendered to the mercy of the conqueror!
7 Genghis Khan Turned Enemies Into Companions
In 1201, Genghis Khan was wounded in battle by an enemy archer. The Mongol army won the battle, after which Genghis Khan ordered to find the very archer who shot at him.
He said that the arrow hit his horse and not himself, so that the archer would not be afraid to confess. And when the archer was found, Genghis Khan acted unexpectedly: instead of killing the enemy on the spot, he invited him to join the Mongol army.
Such military cunning and foresight is one of the reasons for the unprecedented military successes of Genghis Khan.
8 Nobody Knows What Genghis Khan Looked Like
There are tons of images of Genghis Khan on the internet and history books, but we really have no idea what he looked like.
How is this possible? The fact is that Genghis Khan forbade himself to portray. Therefore, there are no paintings, no statues, not even written descriptions of his appearance.
But after his death, people immediately rushed to portray the late tyrant from memory, so we have a rough idea of \u200b\u200bwhat he might have looked like. However, some historians say that he had red hair!
9. Genghis Khan had a lot of children
Every time Genghis Khan conquered a new country, he took one of the local women as his wife. All of them eventually became pregnant and gave birth to his descendants.
Genghis Khan believed that by populating all of Asia with his offspring, he would guarantee the stability of the empire.
How many children did he have?
It is impossible to say for sure, but, according to historians, about 8% of all Asians are his descendants!
10. In Mongolia, Genghis Khan is revered as a folk hero.
The portrait of Genghis Khan adorns the tugriks, the Mongolian currency. In Mongolia, he is considered a hero for creating the great Mongol Empire.
It is not customary to talk about the cruelty of Genghis Khan there - he is a hero.
When Mongolia was socialist, that is, ruled from Moscow, any mention of Genghis Khan was forbidden. But since 1990, the cult of the ancient ruler has flourished with renewed vigor.
11 Genghis Khan Committed Iranian Genocide
The Iranians hate Genghis Khan as much as the Mongols adore him. And there is a reason for that.
The Khorezm Empire, located on the territory of modern Iran, was a powerful power until the Mongols attacked it. For several years, the Mongol army completely destroyed Khorezm.
According to historians, the troops of Genghis Khan slaughtered ¾ of the entire population of Khorezm. It took Iranians 700 years to restore the population!
12 Genghis Khan Was Religiously Tolerant
Despite his cruelty, Genghis Khan was quite tolerant in matters of religion. He studied Islam, Buddhism, Taoism and Christianity and dreamed of the Mongol Empire as a place where there would be no religious strife.
Once, Genghis Khan even held a debate between Christians, Muslims and Buddhists to determine which religion was the best. However, the participants got very drunk, so the winner was not determined.
13. Genghis Khan did not forgive offenders
Genghis Khan allowed the inhabitants of the Mongol Empire to live for their own pleasure, if they did not violate the rules he set. But any violation of these rules was punished in the most severe way.
For example, when the ruler of a Khorezm city attacked a Mongolian trade caravan and killed all the merchants, Genghis Khan became furious. He sent 100,000 soldiers to Khorezm, who killed thousands of people.
The unlucky ruler himself paid a severe price: his mouth and eyes were poured with molten silver. It was a clear sign that any attack against the Mongol Empire would be punished disproportionately.
14. The death of Genghis Khan is shrouded in mystery.
Genghis Khan died in 1227 at the age of 65. To this day, his death is surrounded by a halo of mystery.
It is not known from what he died, nor where is his grave. Of course, this gave rise to many legends.
The most popular version says that he was killed by a captive Chinese princess. There are also versions that he fell off his horse - either just like that, or because an enemy arrow hit him.
It is unlikely that we will ever know the truth about what happened 800 years ago. After all, even the burial place of the Mongol emperor was never found!
15. Genghis Khan created the largest uninterrupted empire in history
The Mongol Empire created by Genghis Khan will forever remain the largest uninterrupted empire in human history.
It occupied 16.11% of all land, and its area was 24 million square kilometers!
THE LEGENDARY PEOPLE OF MONGOLIA
Genghis Khan
(1162-1227)
Genghis Khan (Mong. Genghis Khan own name - Temujin, Temuchin, Mong. Temujin). May 3, 1162 - August 18, 1227) - Mongol Khan, founder of the Mongolian state (since 1206), organizer of aggressive campaigns in Asia and Eastern Europe, great reformer and unifier of Mongolia. The direct descendants of Genghis Khan in the male line are Genghisides.
The only historical portrait of Genghis Khan from the series of official portraits of rulers was drawn during the reign of Kublai Khan in the 13th century. (beginning of reign from 1260), a few decades after his death (Genghis Khan died in 1227). The portrait of Genghis Khan is kept in the Beijing History Museum. The portrait depicts a face with Asian features, with blue eyes and a gray beard.
early years
The ancestor of all the Mongols according to the "Secret Tale" is Alan-Goa, in the eighth generation from Genghis Khan, who, according to legend, conceived children from a sunbeam in a yurt. Genghis Khan's grandfather, Khabul Khan, was a wealthy leader of all the Mongol tribes, successfully waged wars with neighboring tribes. Temuchin's father was Yesugei Baatur, the grandson of Khabul Khan, the leader of most of the Mongol tribes, in which there were 40 thousand yurts. This tribe was the complete owner of the fertile valleys between the rivers Kerulen and Onon. Yesugei-baatur also successfully fought and fought, subjugating the Tatars and many neighboring tribes. From the contents of the "Secret Tale" it is clear that the father of Genghis Khan was the famous Khan of the Mongols.
It is difficult to name the exact date of birth of Genghis Khan. According to the Persian historian Rashid-ad-din, the date of birth is 1155, modern Mongolian historians adhere to the date - 1162. He was born in the Delyun-Boldok tract on the banks of the Onon River (near Lake Baikal) in the family of one of the Mongol leaders of the Taichiut tribe Yesugei-bagatura ("bagatur" - hero) from the Borjigin clan, and his wife Hoelun from the Onhirat tribe. It was named after the Tatar leader Temuchin, whom Yesugei defeated on the eve of the birth of his son. At the age of 9, Yesugei-bagatur betrothed a son to a 10-year-old girl from the Khungirat family. Leaving his son in the bride's family until the age of majority, in order to get to know each other better, he went home. On the way back, Yesugei lingered at the Tatars' parking lot, where he was poisoned. When he returned to his native ulus, he became ill, and a few days later he died.
The elders of the Mongol tribes refused to obey the too young and inexperienced Temuchin and left with their tribes for another patron. So young Temujin was surrounded by only a few representatives of his kind: his mother, younger brothers and sisters. All their remaining property included only eight horses and a tribal "bunchuk" - a white banner depicting a bird of prey - a gyrfalcon and with nine yak tails, symbolizing four large and five small yurts of his family. For several years, widows with children lived in complete poverty, wandering in the steppes, eating roots, game and fish. Even in summer, the family lived from hand to mouth, making provisions for the winter.
The leader of the Taichiuts, Targultai (a distant relative of Temujin), who declared himself the ruler of the lands once occupied by Yesugei, fearing the revenge of a growing rival, began to pursue Temujin. One day an armed detachment attacked the camp of Yesugei's family. Temujin managed to escape, but he was overtaken and taken prisoner. They put a block on him - two wooden boards with a hole for the neck, which were pulled together. The block was a painful punishment: the person himself did not have the opportunity to eat, drink, or even drive away the fly that sat on his face. Nevertheless, he found a way to slip away and hide in a small lake, plunging into the water with the block and sticking out of the water only his nostrils. The Taichiuts looked for him in this place, but could not find him; but he was noticed by one Selduz, who was among them, and decided to save him. He pulled young Temujin out of the water, freed him from the block and led him to his dwelling, where he hid him in a cart with wool. After the departure of the Taichiuts, the Selduz put Temuchin on a mare, provided him with weapons and sent him home.
After some time, Temujin found his family. The Borjigins immediately migrated to another place, and the Taichiuts could no longer find them. Then Temujin married his betrothed Borte. Borte's dowry was a luxurious sable coat. Temujin soon went to the most powerful of the then steppe leaders - Togoril, Khan of the Keraites. Togoril was once a friend of Temuchin's father, and he managed to enlist the support of the leader of the Keraites, recalling this friendship and bringing a luxurious gift - a sable coat Borte.
The beginning of the conquests
With the help of Khan Togoril, Temujin's forces began to gradually grow. Nukers began to flock to him; he raided his neighbors, multiplying his possessions and herds.
The first serious opponents of Temujin were the Merkits, who acted in alliance with the Taichiuts. In the absence of Temujin, they attacked the camp of the Borjigins and captured Borte and Yesugei's second wife, Sochikhel. Temujin, with the help of Khan Togoril and the Keraites, as well as his anda (named brother) Jamukha from the Jajirat clan, defeated the Merkits. At the same time, while trying to drive away the herd from the possessions of Temujin, Jamukha's brother was killed. Under the pretext of revenge, Jamukha with his army moved to Temujin. But not having achieved success in defeating the enemy, the leader of the Jajirats retreated.
Temujin's first major military undertaking was the war against the Tatars, launched jointly with Togoril around 1200. The Tatars at that time hardly repulsed the attacks of the Jin troops who entered their possession. Using the favorable situation, Temuchin and Togoril inflicted a series of strong blows on the Tatars and captured rich booty. The Jin government, as a reward for the defeat of the Tatars, awarded high titles to the steppe leaders. Temujin received the title of "jautkhuri" (military commissar), and Togoril - "van" (prince), from that time he became known as Van-khan. In 1202, Temujin independently opposed the Tatars. Before this campaign, he made an attempt to reorganize and discipline the army - he issued an order according to which it was strictly forbidden to capture booty during the battle and the pursuit of the enemy: the commanders had to divide the captured property between the soldiers only at the end of the battle.
Temujin's victories caused the rallying of the forces of his opponents. A whole coalition was formed, including Tatars, Taichiuts, Merkits, Oirats and other tribes, who elected Jamukha as their khan. In the spring of 1203, a battle took place, ending in the complete defeat of the Jamukha forces. This victory further strengthened Temujin's ulus. In 1202-1203, the Keraites were headed by Van Khan's son Nilkha, who hated Temujin because Van Khan gave preference to him over his son and thought to transfer the Kerait throne to him bypassing the Nilkha. In the autumn of 1203, Wang Khan's troops were defeated. His ulus ceased to exist. Wang Khan himself died while trying to escape to the Naimans.
In 1204 Temujin defeated the Naimans. Their ruler Tayan Khan died, and his son Kuchuluk fled to the territory of the Semirechie in the country of the Karakitays (southwest of Lake Balkhash). His ally, the Merkit khan Tokhto-beki, fled with him. There Kuchuluk managed to gather disparate detachments of Naimans and Keraites, enter the location of the gurkhan and become a rather significant political figure.
Reforms of the Great Khan
At kurultai in 1206, Temujin was proclaimed a great khan over all tribes - Genghis Khan. Mongolia has changed: scattered and warring Mongolian nomadic tribes united into a single state.
At the same time, a new law was issued: Yasa. The main place in it was occupied by articles on mutual assistance in the campaign and the prohibition of deceiving a trusted person. Those who violated these regulations were executed, and the enemy of the Mongols, who remained faithful to his khan, was spared and accepted into his army. "Good" was considered loyalty and courage, and "evil" - cowardice and betrayal.
After Temujin became the all-Mongol ruler, his policy began to reflect the interests of the noyonism even more clearly. The noyons needed such internal and external measures that would help consolidate their dominance and increase their income. New wars of conquest, robbery of rich countries were supposed to ensure the expansion of the sphere of feudal exploitation and the strengthening of the class positions of the noyons.
The administrative system created under Genghis Khan was adapted to the implementation of these goals. He divided the entire population into tens, hundreds, thousands and tumens (ten thousand), thereby mixing tribes and clans and appointing specially selected people from his entourage and nukers as commanders over them. All adult and healthy men were considered warriors who ran their household in peacetime and took up arms in wartime. Such an organization provided Genghis Khan with the opportunity to increase his armed forces to about 95 thousand soldiers.
Separate hundreds, thousands and tumens, together with the territory for nomadism, were given into the possession of one or another noyon. The Great Khan, considering himself the owner of all the land in the state, distributed the land and arats into the possession of the noyons, on the condition that they would regularly perform certain duties for this. Military service was the most important duty. Each noyon was obliged, at the first request of the overlord, to put the prescribed number of soldiers in the field. Noyon in his inheritance could exploit the labor of arats, distributing his cattle to them for grazing or involving them directly in work on his farm. Small noyons served as large ones.
Under Genghis Khan, the enslavement of arats was legalized, unauthorized transition from one dozen, hundreds, thousands or tumens to others was prohibited. This prohibition already meant the formal attachment of the arats to the land of the noyons - for migration from the possessions, the arat was threatened with the death penalty.
A specially formed armed detachment of personal bodyguards, the so-called keshik, enjoyed exclusive privileges and was intended mainly to fight against the internal enemies of the khan. Keshiktens were selected from the Noyon youth and were under the personal command of the khan himself, being essentially the khan's guard. At first, there were 150 keshiktens in the detachment. In addition, a special detachment was created, which was supposed to always be in the forefront and be the first to engage in battle with the enemy. He was called a detachment of heroes.
Genghis Khan elevated the written law to a cult, was supporters of a firm rule of law. He created a network of communication lines in his empire, courier communications on a large scale for military and administrative purposes, organized intelligence, including economic intelligence.
Genghis Khan divided the country into two "wings". At the head of the right wing he placed Boorcha, at the head of the left - Mukhali, two of his most faithful and experienced companions. The position and titles of senior and senior military leaders - centurions, thousands and temniks - he made hereditary in the family of those who, with their faithful service, helped him seize the khan's throne.
Conquest of Northern China
In 1207-1211, the Mongols conquered the land of the Yakuts [source?], Kirghiz and Uighurs, that is, they subjugated almost all the main tribes and peoples of Siberia, imposing tribute on them. In 1209, Genghis Khan conquered Central Asia and turned his gaze to the south.
Before the conquest of China, Genghis Khan decided to secure the eastern border, capturing in 1207 the state of the Xi-Xia Tanguts, who had previously conquered Northern China from the dynasty of the Chinese emperors Song and created their own state, which was located between his possessions and the state of Jin. Having captured several fortified cities, in the summer of 1208 the "True Sovereign" withdrew to Longjin, waiting out the unbearable heat that fell that year. Meanwhile, news reaches him that his old enemies Tokhta-beki and Kuchluk are preparing for a new war with him. Preventing their invasion and carefully preparing, Genghis Khan defeated them utterly in a battle on the banks of the Irtysh. Tokhta-beki was among the dead, and Kuchluk fled and found shelter with the Karakitays.
Satisfied with the victory, Temujin again sends his troops against Xi-Xia. After defeating an army of Chinese Tatars, he captured a fortress and a passage in the Great Wall of China and in 1213 invaded the Chinese Empire itself, the State of Jin, and marched as far as Nianxi in the province of Hanshu. With increasing persistence, Genghis Khan led his troops, covering the road with corpses, deep into the continent and established his power even over the province of Liaodong, the central province of the empire. Several Chinese commanders, seeing that the Mongol conqueror was gaining invariable victories, ran over to his side. The garrisons surrendered without a fight.
Having established his position along the entire Great Wall of China, in the autumn of 1213 Temujin sent three armies to different parts of the Chinese Empire. One of them, under the command of the three sons of Genghis Khan - Jochi, Chagatai and Ogedei, headed south. The other, led by the brothers and commanders of Temujin, moved east to the sea. Genghis Khan himself and his youngest son Tolui at the head of the main forces set out in a southeasterly direction. The first army advanced all the way to Honan and, after capturing twenty-eight cities, joined Genghis Khan on the Great Western Road. The army under the command of the brothers and commanders of Temujin captured the province of Liao-si, and Genghis Khan himself ended his triumphal campaign only after he reached the sea rocky cape in the province of Shandong. But either fearing civil strife, or due to other reasons, he decides to return to Mongolia in the spring of 1214 and concludes peace with the Chinese emperor, leaving Beijing to him. However, the leader of the Mongols did not have time to leave the Great Wall of China, as the Chinese emperor moved his court further away, to Kaifeng. This move was perceived by Temujin 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, having replenished at the expense of the natives, fought the Mongols until 1235 on their own initiative, but were defeated and exterminated by Genghis Khan's successor Ogedei.
Fight against the Kara-Khitan Khanate
Following China, Genghis Khan was preparing for a campaign in Kazakhstan and Central Asia. He was especially attracted by the flourishing cities of South Kazakhstan and Zhetysu. He decided to carry out his plan through the valley of the Ili River, where rich cities were located and they were ruled by an old enemy of Genghis Khan - Khan of the Naimans Kuchluk.
While Genghis Khan was conquering more and more new cities and provinces of China, the fugitive Naiman Khan Kuchluk asked the gurkhan who had given him shelter to help gather the remnants of the army defeated at the Irtysh. Having got a rather strong army under his hand, Kuchluk entered into an alliance against his overlord with the Shah of Khorezm Muhammad, who had previously paid tribute to the Kara-Kitays. After a short but decisive military campaign, the allies were left with a big win, and the gurkhan was forced to give up power in favor of an uninvited guest. In 1213, the gurkhan Zhilugu died, and the Naiman khan became the sovereign ruler of Semirechye. Sairam, Tashkent, the northern part of Ferghana passed under his authority. Having become an implacable opponent of Khorezm, Kuchluk began to persecute Muslims in his possessions, which aroused the hatred of the settled population of Zhetysu. The ruler of Koilyk (in the valley of the Ili River) Arslan Khan, and then the ruler of Almalyk (to the north-west of modern Kulja) Buzar moved away from the Naimans and declared themselves subjects of Genghis Khan.
In 1218, Jebe detachments, together with the troops of the rulers of Koilyk and Almalyk, invaded the lands of the Karakitays. The Mongols conquered Semirechye and East Turkestan, which were owned by Kuchluk. In the very first battle, Jebe defeated the Naimans. The Mongols allowed Muslims to public worship, which was previously prohibited by the Naimans, which contributed to the transition of the entire settled population to the side of the Mongols. Kuchluk, unable to organize resistance, fled to Afghanistan, where he was caught and killed. The inhabitants of Balasagun opened the gates to the Mongols, for which the city received the name Gobalyk - "good city". The road to Khorezm was opened before Genghis Khan.
Conquest of Central Asia
After the conquest of China and Khorezm, the supreme ruler of the Mongol clan leaders, Genghis Khan, sent a strong cavalry corps under the command of Jebe and Subedei to reconnoiter the "western lands". They marched along the southern coast of the Caspian Sea, then, after the devastation of Northern Iran, penetrated into Transcaucasia, defeated the Georgian army (1222) and, moving north along the western coast of the Caspian Sea, met in the North Caucasus a united army of Polovtsians, Lezgins, Circassians and Alans. There was a fight that did not have decisive consequences. Then the conquerors made a split in the ranks of the enemy. They gave the Polovtsy gifts and promised not to touch them. The latter began to disperse to their nomad camps. Taking advantage of this, the Mongols easily defeated the Alans, Lezgins and Circassians, and then defeated the Polovtsy in parts. At the beginning of 1223, the Mongols invaded the Crimea, took the city of Surozh (Sudak) and again moved to the Polovtsian steppes.
The Polovtsy fled to Russia. Departing from the Mongol army, Khan Kotyan, through his ambassadors, asked not to refuse him the help of his son-in-law Mstislav the Udaly, as well as Mstislav III Romanovich, the ruling Grand Duke of Kyiv. At the beginning of 1223, a large princely congress was convened in Kyiv, where an agreement was reached that the armed forces of the princes of Kyiv, Galicia, Chernigov, Seversk, Smolensk and Volyn principalities, united, should support the Polovtsians. The Dnieper, near the island of Khortitsa, was appointed as a gathering place for the Russian united rati. Here the envoys from the Mongol camp were met, offering the Russian military leaders to break the alliance with the Polovtsy and return to Russia. Taking into account the experience of the Polovtsy (who in 1222 went to persuade the Mongols to break their alliance with the Alans, after which Jebe defeated the Alans and attacked the Polovtsy), Mstislav executed the envoys. In the battle on the Kalka River, the troops of Daniil of Galicia, Mstislav the Udaly and Khan Kotyan, without notifying the rest of the princes, decided to "crack down" on the Mongols on their own, crossed to the eastern bank, where on May 31, 1223 they were completely defeated while passively contemplating this bloody battle from the side of the main Russian forces led by Mstislav III, located on the elevated opposite bank of the Kalka.
Mstislav III, having fenced himself with a tyn, held the defense for three days after the battle, and then went to an agreement with Jebe and Subedai on laying down arms and free withdrawal to Russia, as if he had not participated in the battle. However, he, his army and the princes who trusted him were treacherously captured by the Mongols and brutally tortured as "traitors to their own army."
After the victory, the Mongols organized the pursuit of the remnants of the Russian army (only every tenth warrior returned from the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov), destroying cities and villages in the Dnieper direction, capturing civilians. However, the disciplined Mongol commanders had no orders to linger in Russia. Soon they were recalled by Genghis Khan, who considered that the main task of the reconnaissance campaign to the west had been successfully completed. On the way back at the mouth of the Kama, the troops of Dzhebe and Subedei suffered a serious defeat from the Volga Bulgars, who refused to recognize the power of Genghis Khan over them. After this failure, the Mongols went down to Saksin and returned to Asia along the Caspian steppes, where in 1225 they joined the main forces of the Mongol army.
The Mongol troops that remained in China met with the same success as the armies in Western Asia. The Mongol Empire was expanded with a few new conquered provinces north of the Yellow River, with the exception of one or two cities. After the death of Emperor Xuin Zong in 1223, the Northern Chinese Empire practically ceased to exist, and the borders of the Mongol Empire almost coincided with the borders of Central and Southern China, ruled by the Song dynasty.
Death of Genghis Khan
Upon his return from Central Asia, Genghis Khan again led his army through Western China. In 1225 or at the beginning of 1226, Genghis undertook a campaign against the country of the Tanguts. During this campaign, the astrologers informed the Mongol leader that the five planets were in unfavorable alignment. The superstitious Mongol considered that he was in danger. Under the power of a bad feeling, the formidable conqueror went home, but on the way he fell ill and died on August 25, 1227.
Before his death, he wished that the king of the Tanguts would be executed immediately after the capture of the city, and the city itself would be destroyed to the ground. Various sources give different versions of his death: from an arrow wound in battle; from a long illness, after a fall from a horse; from a lightning strike; from the hand of a captive princess on their wedding night.
According to the dying wish of Genghis Khan, his body was taken to his homeland and interred in the area of Burkan-Kaldun. According to the official version of the Secret History, on the way to the Tangut state, he fell off his horse and badly hurt himself while hunting wild horses-kulans and fell ill: Year of the Dog (1226) went on a campaign against the Tanguts. Of the khans, Yesui-Khatun followed the sovereign. On the way, during the round-up of the Arbukhay wild horses-kulans, which are found there in abundance, Genghis Khan sat astride a brown-gray horse. in the raid of kulans, his brown-gray rose to the dab, and the sovereign fell and badly hurt himself. Therefore, we made a stop in the tract Tsoorkhat. The night passed, and the next morning Yesui-Khatun said to the princes and noyons: "The sovereign had a strong fever at night. It is necessary to discuss the situation ". The "Secret Tale" says that "Genghis Khan, after the final defeat of the Tanguts, returned and ascended to heaven in the year of the Pig" (1227). .
According to the will, Genghis Khan was succeeded by his third son Ogedei. Until the Xi-Xia Zhongxing capital was taken, the death of the great ruler was to be kept secret. The funeral procession moved from the camp of the Great Horde to the north, to the Onon River. The Secret History and the Golden Chronicle report that on the way of the caravan with the body of Genghis Khan to the burial place, all living things were killed: people, animals, birds. The annals record: "They killed every living creature that they saw, so that the news of his death would not spread to the surrounding places. In his four main hordes, they mourned and buried him in the area, which he had once deigned to designate as a great reserve" . His wives carried his body through his native camp, and in the end he was buried in a rich tomb in the Onon Valley. During the burial, mystical rites were carried out, which were designed to protect the place where Genghis Khan was buried. The place of his burial has not yet been found. After the death of Genghis Khan, mourning continued for two years.
According to legend, Genghis Khan was buried in a deep tomb, sitting on a golden throne, at the family cemetery "Ikh Khorig" near Mount Burkhan Khaldun, at the headwaters of the Urgun River. He sat on the golden throne of Muhammad, brought by him from the captured Samarkand. So that the grave would not be found and desecrated in subsequent times, after the burial of the Great Khan, a herd of thousands of horses was driven across the steppe several times, destroying all traces of the grave. According to another version, the tomb was arranged in the riverbed, for which the river was blocked for a while, and the water was directed along a different channel. After the burial, the dam was destroyed, and the water returned to its natural course, forever hiding the burial place. Everyone who participated in the burial and could remember this place was subsequently killed, those who carried out this order were subsequently killed too. Thus, the secret of Genghis Khan's burial remains unsolved until now.
Until now, attempts to find the grave of Genghis Khan have not been successful. The geographical names of the times of the Mongol Empire have completely changed over many centuries, and today no one can say with accuracy where Mount Burkhan-Khaldun is located. According to the version of Academician G. Miller, based on the stories of the Siberian "Mongol", Mount Burkhan-Khaldun in translation can mean "God's mountain", "Mountain where deities are placed", "Mountain - God scorches or God penetrates everywhere" - "sacred mountain Genghis and his ancestors, the redeeming mountain, which Genghis, in memory of his salvation in the forests of this mountain from fierce enemies, bequeathed to sacrifice forever and ever, was located in the places of the original nomads of Genghis and his ancestors along the Onon River.
RESULTS OF THE BOARD OF GENGHIS KHAN
During the conquest of the Naimans, Genghis Khan got acquainted with the beginnings of written office work, some of the Naimans entered the service of Genghis Khan and were the first officials in the Mongolian state and the first teachers of the Mongols. Apparently, Genghis Khan hoped later to replace the Naimans with ethnic Mongols, as he ordered noble Mongolian youths, including his sons, to learn the language and writing of the Naimans. After the spread of Mongol rule, even during the life of Genghis Khan, the Mongols also used the services of Chinese and Persian officials.
In the field of foreign policy, Genghis Khan sought to maximize the expansion of the territory subject to him. The strategy and tactics of Genghis Khan were characterized by thorough reconnaissance, surprise attacks, the desire to dismember the enemy forces, setting up ambushes using special detachments to lure the enemy, maneuvering large masses of cavalry, etc.
The ruler of the Mongols created the greatest empire in history, subjugating vast expanses of Eurasia from the Sea of Japan to the Black in the 13th century. He and his descendants swept away great and ancient states from the face of the earth: the state of Khorezmshahs, the Chinese Empire, the Baghdad Caliphate, most of the Russian principalities were conquered. Huge territories were placed under the control of the Yasa steppe law.
The old Mongolian code of laws "Jasak", introduced by Genghis Khan, reads: "Genghis Khan's Yasa prohibits lies, theft, adultery, orders to love your neighbor as yourself, not to cause offense, and forget them completely, to spare countries and cities that have submitted voluntarily, to free from any tax and respect the temples dedicated to God, as well as his servants. The significance of "Jasak" for the formation of statehood in the empire of Genghis Khan is noted by all historians. The introduction of a code of military and civil laws made it possible to establish a firm legal order on the vast territory of the Mongol Empire, and failure to comply with its laws was punishable by death. Yasa prescribed tolerance in matters of religion, respect for temples and clerics, forbade quarrels among the Mongols, disobedience of children to parents, theft of horses, regulated military duty, rules of conduct in battle, distribution of military booty, etc.
"Immediately kill anyone who steps on the threshold of the governor's headquarters."
"He who urinates in water or on ashes is put to death."
"Forbidden to wash the dress while wearing it, until it is completely worn out."
"Let no one leave his thousand, hundreds or ten. Otherwise, let him and the head of the unit that received him be executed."
"Respect all confessions without giving preference to any."
Genghis Khan declared shamanism, Christianity and Islam as the official religions of his empire.
Unlike other conquerors for hundreds of years before the Mongols who dominated Eurasia, only Genghis Khan managed to organize a stable state system and make Asia appear before Europe not just as an unexplored steppe and mountainous expanse, but as a consolidated civilization. It was within its borders that the Turkic revival of the Islamic world then began, with its second onslaught (after the Arabs) almost finished off Europe.
In 1220, Genghis Khan founded Karakorum, the capital of the Mongol Empire.
The Mongols revere Genghis Khan as the greatest hero and reformer, almost like the incarnation of a deity. In European (including Russian) memory, he remained something like a pre-storm crimson cloud that appears before a terrible, all-cleansing storm.
DESCENDANTS OF GENGHIS KHAN
Temujin and his beloved wife Borte had four sons:
- son Jochi
- son Chagatai
- son Ogedei
- son Tolu th.
Only they and their descendants could claim the highest power in the state. Temujin and Borte also had daughters:
- daughter Hodgin bags, wife of Butu-gurgen from the Ikires clan;
- daughter Tsetseihen (Chichigan), wife of Inalchi, the youngest son of the head of the Oirats Khudukh-beki;
- daughter Alangaa (Alagay, Alakha), who married the Ongut noyon Buyanbald (in 1219, when Genghis Khan went to war with Khorezm, he entrusted state affairs to her in his absence, therefore she is also called Tor zasagch gunzh (ruler-princess);
- daughter Temulen, wife of Shiku-gurgen, son of Alchi-noyon from the Khongirads, the tribe of her mother Borte;
- daughter Alduun (Altalun), who married Zavtar-setsen, noyon of the Khongirads.
Temujin and his second wife Khulan-Khatun, daughter of Dair-usun, had sons
- son Kulkhan (Khulugen, Kulkan)
- son Harachar;
From Tatar Yesugen (Yesukat), daughter of Charu-noyon
- son Chakhur (Jaur)
- son Harhad.
The sons of Genghis Khan continued the work of the Golden Dynasty and ruled the Mongols, as well as the conquered lands, based on the Great Yasa of Genghis Khan until the 20s of the 20th century. Even the Manchurian emperors who ruled Mongolia and China from the 16th to the 19th centuries were descendants of Genghis Khan, as for their legitimacy they married Mongol princesses from the golden family dynasty of Genghis Khan. The first prime minister of Mongolia in the 20th century, Chin Van Khanddorj (1911-1919), as well as the rulers of Inner Mongolia (until 1954), were direct descendants of Genghis Khan.
The family vault of Genghis Khan is maintained until the 20th century; in 1918, the religious head of Mongolia, Bogdo-gegen, issued an order to preserve the Urgiin bichig (family list) of Mongolian princes, called shastir. This shastir is kept in the museum and is called "Shastir of the state of Mongolia" (Mongol Ulsyn shastir). Many direct descendants of Genghis Khan from his golden family still live in Mongolia and Inner Mongolia.
ADDITIONAL LITERATURE
Vladimirtsov B.Ya. Genghis Khan. Publishing house Z.I. Grzhebin. Berlin. Petersburg. Moscow. 1922 Cultural and historical sketch of the Mongol Empire of the XII-XIV centuries. In two parts with appendices and illustrations. 180 pages. Russian language.
The Mongol Empire and the nomadic world. Bazarov B.V., Kradin N.N. Skrynnikova T.D. Book 1. Ulan-Ude. 2004. Institute of Mongolian Studies, Buddhology and Tebetology of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
The Mongol Empire and the nomadic world. Bazarov B.V., Kradin N.N. Skrynnikova T.D. Book 3. Ulan-Ude. 2008. Institute of Mongolian Studies, Buddhology and Tebetology SB RAS.
On the art of war and the conquests of the Mongols. The composition of Lieutenant Colonel of the General Staff M. Ivanin. St. Petersburg, Publisher: printed in a military printing house. Year of publication: 1846. Pages: 66. Language: Russian.
Secret History of the Mongols. Translation from Mongolian. 1941.
Genghis Khan (Temujin) is the greatest conqueror in the history of mankind, the founder and great khan of the Mongol state.
The fate of Temujin, or Temujin, was rather difficult. He was from a noble Mongolian family, who roamed with their herds along the banks of the Onon River (the territory of modern Mongolia). Born around 1155
When he was 9 years old, during the steppe civil strife, his father Yesugeybahadur was killed (poisoned). The family, having lost their protector and almost all their livestock, had to flee from the nomads. They endured the harsh winter in the wooded area with great difficulty.
Troubles did not cease to haunt Temujin - new enemies from the Taijiut tribe attacked the orphaned family and took the little Mongol into captivity, putting on him a wooden slave collar.
The boy showed the firmness of his character, hardened by the hardships of childhood. Having broken the collar, Temujin was able to escape and return to his native tribe, which could not protect his family a few years ago. The teenager became a zealous warrior: few of his relatives knew how to manage the steppe horse so deftly and shoot accurately from a bow, throw a lasso at full gallop and cut with a saber.
But the warriors of his tribe were struck by something else in Temujin - imperiousness, the desire to subjugate others. From those who fell under his banner, the young Mongol commander demanded complete and unquestioning obedience to his will. Disobedience was punishable only by death. To the disobedient, he was as ruthless as to his natural enemies among the Mongols. Temujin was soon able 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, gathering a small detachment of warriors under his command. It was a very difficult matter, because the Mongol tribes constantly waged armed struggle among themselves, raiding neighboring pastures in order to take possession of their herds and capture people as slaves.
Steppe clans, and then entire tribes of the Mongols, Temujin united around him by force, and sometimes with the help of diplomacy. He married the daughter of one of the powerful neighbors, hoping for the support of his father-in-law's warriors in difficult times. But so far, the young steppe leader had few allies and his own soldiers, and he had to fail.
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 commander. He redoubled his efforts to gather nomadic families around him, and in just a year he was already in command of a significant cavalry army. With him, the future Genghis Khan inflicted a complete defeat on the numerous Merkit tribe, exterminating most of it and capturing their herds, freeing his wife, who knew the fate of a captive.
Temujin's military successes in the war against the Merkits attracted other Mongol tribes under his banner. Now they resignedly gave their soldiers to the military leader. His army grew all the time, and the territories of the vast Mongolian steppe expanded, where now the nomads were subject to his authority.
Temujin was constantly at war with 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 tribe of Tatars (the Mongols were already called by this name in Europe, although as such the Tatars were destroyed by Genghis Khan in an internecine war).
Temujin was remarkably versed in 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.
The 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 argue with 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 therefore he did not worry about either intelligence or military guards. Temujin took the enemy by surprise 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 Mongol feudal lords, he was proclaimed the “Great Khan” over all the Mongol tribes with the title “Genghis Khan” (from the Turkic “tengiz” - ocean, sea).
Under the name of Genghis Khan, Temujin entered world history. For the Mongols of the steppes, 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 nomad camps 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 Mongol tribes, and they enjoyed great privileges in the army of Genghis Khan. The guards 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 10,000 soldiers). These military units were not only accounting units. A hundred and a thousand could perform independent combat missions. Tumen acted in the war already at the tactical level.
According to the decimal system, the command of the Mongolian army was also built: ten's manager, centurion, thousand's manager, temnik. Genghis Khan appointed his sons and representatives of the tribal nobility to the highest positions - temniks - from among those military leaders who, by deed, proved to him their devotion and experience in military affairs. In the army of the Mongols, the strictest discipline was maintained along the entire command hierarchical ladder. Any violation was severely punished.
The main branch of the army in the army of Genghis Khan 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 breastplates and helmets. Over time, they developed good protective equipment in the form of a variety of 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.
Light cavalry, and these were usually horse archers, consisted of warriors from conquered steppe tribes. It was they who started the battles, bombarding the enemy with clouds of arrows and bringing confusion into his ranks. After that, the heavily armed cavalry of the Mongols themselves went on the attack in a dense mass. Their attack was more like a ramming blow than a dashing raid by the 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 the rules for conducting war and organizing the entire military service. These rules, in the conditions of strict centralization of military and state administration, were strictly enforced.
Genghis Khan's strategy and tactics were characterized by: careful close and long-range reconnaissance, a surprise attack on any enemy, even noticeably inferior to him in strength, the desire to dismember the enemy forces in order to destroy them in parts later. Ambushes and luring the enemy in them were widely and skillfully used. Genghis Khan and his commanders skillfully maneuvered large masses of cavalry on the battlefield. The pursuit of the fleeing enemy was carried out not with the aim of capturing more military booty, but with the aim of destroying it.
At the very beginning of his conquests, Genghis Khan did not always gather a general Mongol cavalry army. Scouts and spies brought him information about a new enemy, about 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 the military art of Genghis Khan was also in something else: he was able to quickly respond to the actions of the opposite side, changing his tactics depending on the circumstances. Thus, having encountered strong fortresses in China for the first time, Genghis Khan began to use various types of throwing and siege machines of the same Chinese in the war. They were taken disassembled for the army 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 took them prisoner. In the latter case, military specialists became khan's slaves, who were kept in very good conditions.
Until the last days of his life, Genghis Khan sought to maximize his truly vast possessions. Therefore, every time the Mongol army went farther and farther from the steppes of Mongolia.
First, the great conqueror of the Middle Ages decided to annex other nomadic peoples to his state. 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 general Mongol army.
Then it was the turn of the large Uighur state in East Turkestan. 1209 - a huge army of the great khan invaded its territory and, capturing cities and flowering oases one after another, won a complete victory over the Uighurs. After this invasion, only heaps of ruins remained from many trading cities and villages of farmers.
The destruction of settlements on the occupied lands, the wholesale extermination of recalcitrant tribes and fortified cities that tried to defend themselves with weapons in their hands were characteristic features of the conquests of Genghis Khan. The strategy of intimidation made it possible for him to successfully solve military problems and keep the conquered peoples in obedience.
1211 - Genghis Khan's cavalry attacked northern China. The Great Wall of China - the most grandiose defensive structure in the history of human civilization - did not become an obstacle for the conquerors. The Mongolian cavalry defeated the troops of a new enemy that 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 resisted the army of the great Mongol Khan. In this campaign, Genghis Khan adopted the engineering military equipment of the Chinese into service with his cavalry troops - various throwing machines and battering rams. Chinese engineers trained the Mongols to use them and deliver them to the 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 the 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 border city of Khorezm. And therefore it was necessary to punish the country where the Mongols were treated "badly."
With the advent of the enemy on the borders of Khorezm, Khorezmshah Muhammad, at the head of a large army (figures up to 200,000 people are called), set out on a campaign. A great battle took place at Karaku, which was distinguished by such persistence that by the evening there was no winner on the battlefield. With the onset of darkness, the commanders took their armies to their camps.
The next day, Khorezmshah Mohammed refused to continue the battle due to heavy losses, which amounted to almost half of the troops he had gathered. Genghis Khan, for his part, also suffered heavy losses, retreated. But it was a military trick of the great commander.
The conquest of the huge Central Asian state of Khorezm continued. 1219 - the Mongol army of 200,000 people under the command of the sons of Genghis Khan, Oktay 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 commander Gazer Khan.
The siege of Otrar with frequent attacks was carried out for four months. During this time, the number of its defenders was reduced by three times. In the camp of the besieged, famine and disease began, since it was especially bad with drinking water. In the end, the Mongols broke into the city, but they could not take possession of the fortress citadel. Gazer Khan with the remnants of his soldiers 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, laid siege to one of the largest Central Asian cities - Bukhara. The 20,000-strong army of the Khorezmshah stood in it, 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, hiding in the fortress, which was set on fire and destroyed by the Mongols.
1220, June - the Mongols, led by Genghis Khan, besieged another major Khorezm city - Samarkand. The city was defended by a garrison of 110,000 (the figure is greatly inflated) under the command of the governor Alub Khan. His warriors made frequent sorties outside the city walls, preventing the enemy from conducting siege work. However, there were citizens who, wanting to save their property and life, opened the gates of Samarkand to the Mongols.
The army of the great khan broke into the city, and on its streets and squares heated battles began with the defenders of Samarkand. But the forces were unequal, and besides, Genghis Khan brought more and more detachments 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 Khorezmian soldiers were killed by the Mongols.
The conquerors also met stubborn resistance during the siege of the city of Khujand (modern Tajikistan). It was defended by a garrison led by one of the best Khwarezmian commanders, the fearless Timur-Melik. When he realized that the garrison was no longer able to repel the attacks, he, with part of the soldiers, embarked on ships and sailed down the Jaksart River, pursued along the shore by the 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.
The army of Genghis Khan continued to capture the Khwarezmian cities one after another: Merv, Urgench ... 1221 - they besieged the city of Bamiyan and after many months of struggle took it by storm. Genghis Khan, whose beloved grandson was killed during the siege, ordered that neither women nor children be spared. Therefore, the city with the entire population was completely destroyed.
After the fall of Khorezm and the conquest of Central Asia, Genghis Khan made a campaign in North-Western India, capturing this large territory as well. But he did not go further to the south of Hindustan: he was always attracted by unknown countries at sunset.
The Great Khan, as usual, thoroughly worked out the route of a new campaign and sent far to the west his best commanders Jebe and Subedei 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 ended up on the southern approaches to Russia, in the Don steppes.
In those days, Polovtsian towers roamed in the Wild Field, which had long lost their military strength. The Mongols defeated the Polovtsy without much difficulty, and they fled to the borderlands of Russian lands. 1223 - the generals Jebe and Subedei 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 trip to the country of the Tangut Xi-Xia. He instructed one of his sons to continue the conquest of Chinese lands. The anti-Mongol uprising that began in the 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, they were able to keep the location of Genghis Khan's grave a complete secret to this day ...