Before his death, Genghis Khan learned that his son Jochi had died. This news caught the khan on a campaign against the Tanguts, when he reached the town of Ongon-Talan-Khudun. It was here that the ruler had a terrible dream and began to talk about his imminent death. Genghis Khan dreamed of blood on white snow, red-red on white-white.
Anticipating death at a secret meeting with his sons, before his last campaign against the Tangut state, Genghis Khan bequeathed: " Oh, children remaining after me, know that the time of my journey to the afterlife and death is approaching. For you, sons, by the power of God and heavenly help, I have conquered and prepared a vast and spacious state, from the center of which it is a one-year journey in each direction. Now my testament to you is the following: be of one opinion and unanimous in repelling enemies and elevating friends, so that you spend your life in bliss and contentment and gain the pleasure of power! I don't want my demise to happen at home and I'm leaving for name and fame".
He also said: " After us, the members of our Urug will dress in clothes woven with gold and will eat delicious and fatty dishes, will sit on beautiful horses and hug beautiful-faced wives, but they will not say: “All this was collected by our fathers and elder brothers, but they will forget us and this great day!""
Genghis Khan died in 1127 during a campaign against the Tangut state. Before his death, he wished that the Tangut king would be executed immediately after the capture of the city, and that the city itself would be destroyed to the ground. Different sources give different versions of his death: from an arrow wound in battle, from a long illness, after falling from a horse; from a lightning strike, from the hand of a captive Tangut khansha on her wedding night.
According to historians S.I. Rudenko, L.N. Gumilev's capital of the Tangut state, the city of Haro-Khoto, existed peacefully until 1372 and was not destroyed by the Mongols: " The destruction of the city of Kharo-Khoto is often attributed to the Mongols. Indeed, in 1226 Genghis Khan took the Tangut capital, and the Mongols brutally dealt with its population. But the city discovered by P.K. Kozlov, continued to live in the 14th century, as evidenced by the dates of numerous documents found by the expedition workers. Then, the death of the city is associated with a change in the flow of the river, which, according to folk legends Torgouts, was diverted by the besiegers using a dam made of bags of earth. This dam is still preserved in the form of a shaft. So it apparently was, but the Mongols had nothing to do with it. There is no information in the descriptions of the capture of the city of Urakhai (Mong.) or Heshui-cheng (Chinese). Yes, this would have been simply impossible, since the Mongol cavalry did not have the necessary entrenching tools. The death of the city is attributed to the Mongols according to a bad tradition, which began in the Middle Ages, of attributing everything bad to them. In fact, the Tangut city died in 1372. It was taken by the Chinese troops of the Ming dynasty, which at that time was at war with the last Chinggisids, and was destroyed as a stronghold of the Mongols, who threatened China from the west".
According to Genghis Khan's dying wish, his body was taken to his homeland and interred in the Burkan-Kaldun area. By official version"The Secret Legend" on the way to the Tangut state, he fell from his horse and was badly injured while hunting wild kulan horses and fell ill: " Having decided to go against the Tanguts at the end of the winter period of the same year, Genghis Khan conducted a new re-registration of the troops and in the fall of the Year of the Dog (1226) he set out on a campaign against the Tanguts. Of the Khanshas, ​​Yesui Khatun followed the sovereign. On the way, during a raid on the Arbukhai wild kulan horses, which are found there in abundance, Genghis Khan sat astride a brown-gray horse. During the attack of the kulans, his brown-gray climbed onto the dab, and the sovereign fell and was badly hurt. Therefore, we made a stop at the Tsoorkhat tract. The night passed, and the next morning Yesui-khatun said to the princes and noyons: “The sovereign had a strong fever at night. We need to discuss the situation.” The “Secret Legend” says that “Genghis Khan, after the final defeat of the Tanguts, returned and ascended to heaven in the year of the Pig” (1227). From the Tangut spoils, he especially generously rewarded Yesui-Khatun at his very departure".
In the "Collection of Chronicles" of Rashid ad-Din, the death of Genghis Khan is reported: " Genghis Khan died within the country of Tangut from an illness that befell him. Even earlier, during his will to his sons and sending them back, he commanded that when this event happened to him, they would hide it, not weep or cry, so that his death would not be discovered, and that the emirs and troops there would wait until the sovereign and the inhabitants of Tangut did not leave the walls of the city at the appointed time, then they would have killed everyone and would not have allowed the rumor of his death to quickly reach the regions until the ulus gathered together. According to his will, his death was hidden".
Marco Polo reports that Genghis Khan received a mortal wound in the knee during the siege of the Kangi fortress. The artist emphasizes the mortality of the wound by depicting it as hitting the Great Khan’s heart. This miniature is from the medieval manuscript "Book of Wonders".
In Marco Polo, Genghis Khan heroically dies in battle from an arrow wound to the knee, in Juvayni and in the chronicle of Altan Tobchi - " from an incurable disease, the cause of which was an unhealthy climate", from a fever that he contracted in the Tangut city, in the "Secret Legend" - it is said about a fall from a horse in winter, which contributed to the acceleration of his end, at Plano Carpini - from a lightning strike, in the Tatar chronicle Abulgazi - he was stabbed with sharp scissors in dream of a young Tangut Khansha during their first wedding night.
According to another less common legend, he died from a wound inflicted by the Tangut Khansha, who, during their wedding night, inflicted a mortal wound on Genghis Khan with her teeth, after which she threw herself into the Huang He River. This river began to be called by the Mongols Khatun-muren, which means “river of the queen.” In the retelling of E. Khara-Davan, this legend sounds like this: " According to a widespread Mongolian legend, which the author also heard, Genghis Khan allegedly died from a wound inflicted by the Tangut Khansha, the beautiful Kyurbeldishin Khatun, who spent her only wedding night with Genghis Khan, who took her as his wife by right of the conqueror after the capture of the Tangut kingdom. Having left his capital and harem, the Tangut king Shidurkho-Khagan, distinguished by his cunning and deceit, allegedly persuaded his wife, who remained there, to inflict a mortal wound on Genghis Khan with her teeth during their wedding night, and his deceit was so great that he sent advice to Genghis Khan so that she could first searched "down to the fingernails" to avoid an attempt on the Khan's life. After the bite, Kurbeldishin Khatun threw herself into the Yellow River, on the banks of which Genghis Khan stood at his headquarters. This river was then called Khatun-muren by the Mongols, which means “river of the queen.”"
A similar version of the legend is told by N. Karamzin in “History of the Russian State” (1811): “ Carpini writes that Genghis Khan was killed by thunder, and the Siberian Mungals say that he, having forcibly taken his young wife from the Tangut Khan, was stabbed to death by her at night, and that she, fearing execution, drowned herself in the river, which was therefore called Khatun-Gol".
N. Karamzin probably borrowed this evidence from the classic work “History of Siberia” written by the German historian, academician G. Miller in 1761: “ It is known how Abulgazi talks about the death of Genghis: according to him, it followed on the way back from Tangut, after he defeated the ruler he himself appointed, but rebelled against him, named Shidurku. The Mongolian chronicles report completely different information about this. Gaudurga, as they write, was then khan in Tangut, he was attacked by Genghis with the aim of kidnapping one of his wives, about whose beauty he had heard a lot. Genghis was lucky to get the desired booty. On the way back, during a night stop on the shore big river, which is the border between Tangut, China and Mongolian land and which flows through China into the ocean, he was killed while sleeping by his new wife, who stabbed him with sharp scissors. The killer knew that for her act she would receive retribution from the people. She prevented the punishment that threatened her by throwing herself into the above-mentioned river immediately after the murder and committed suicide there. In memory of her, this river, which is called Gyuan-guo in Chinese, received the Mongolian name Khatun-gol, that is, women's river. The steppe near Khatun-gol, in which this great Tatar sovereign and founder of one of the largest kingdoms is buried, bears the Mongolian name Nulun-talla. But it is not known whether other Tatar or Mongol sovereigns from the Chingis clan were buried there, as Abulgazi tells about the Burkhan-Kaldun tract".
G. Miller names the Tatar handwritten chronicle of Khan Abulgazi and the “Golden Chronicle” as the source of this information. Information that Genghis Khan was stabbed to death with sharp scissors is given only in the Abulgazi chronicle; this detail is not in the Golden Chronicle, although the rest of the plot is the same.
In the Mongolian work "Shastra Orunga" it is written: " Genghis Khan in the summer of the year of the Ge-cow in the sixty-sixth year of his life in the city of Turmekey, simultaneously with his wife Goa Khulan, having changed his body, showed eternity".
All of the listed versions about the same event, memorable for the Mongols, are very different from each other. The version of the Mongolian work "Shastra Orunga" contradicts the "Secret Legend", which states that in last days Genghis Khan was ill, and next to him was his devoted khansha Yesui Khatun. So today there are five different versions the death of Genghis Khan, each of which has an authoritative historical basis in the sources. Even more speculation about the possible location of the tomb of the Great Khan.
History researcher V. Konovalov draws attention to similar plot details in the story of the death of Attila and states that the myth of Genghis Khan may have been rewritten from another character. In particular, Attila dies, in the same way, from a wound inflicted on his wedding night by the princess, thus avenging the extermination of her Burgundian people.
The coincidences in the biography of Atilla and Genghis Khan are simply amazing. Compare for yourself - they both have a disputed date of birth, but the date of death is precisely known. Both, according to historians, come from the same family of Khons (Huns), this is stated in the chronicles of Bakhshi Iman. Both future commanders lose their father at approximately the same age of 10 and then both are raised by their uncle. Genghis Khan lost his father at the age of 13. Atilla, like Genghis Khan, kills his half-brother. Both come to power at approximately the same age of 40. At the age of 41, Atilla became the leader of the Hunnish tribal union. Genghis Khan at the age of 41 becomes the leader of the Mongols and at the age of 45 is proclaimed Great Khan. Attila's vast empire stretched from southern Germany to the Volga and Urals and from the Baltic Sea to the Caucasus. The Empire of Genghis Khan - from Mongolia to Europe. Both in the conquered countries receive the same nicknames - “Scourge of God.” The death of Attila fantastically coincides in detail with the description of the death of Genghis Khan. Attila dies from a wound received on his wedding night at the hands of the princess he took as his wife by right of the conqueror after capturing the city. The funeral is described in the same way - the coffin with the body is buried in the bed of a designated river. Death for both occurs at approximately the same age of 60 years. Genghis Khan is 66 years old (1162–1227). Atilla is approximately 62 years old (date of birth unknown - 453 g). Legends say that Attila died after his wedding night with the Burgundian princess Ildiko from a wound inflicted on her, after which she threw herself into the river. Genghis Khan, according to one of the most common versions, dies in the same way - after his first wedding night with the Tangut Khan, the beautiful Kyurbeldishin-Khatun, from a wound inflicted on her, after which she threw herself into the river. The coffin with Attila's body was buried in the Tissa River (the water was diverted from the river and then returned to its old bed). According to one version of Genghis Khan’s funeral, his coffin with his body was also buried in the river bed, for which a dam was built, and after the funeral the river was returned to its channel. When the funeral ceremonies ended, the Mongols killed all the slaves performing funeral work. According to legends widespread in Hungary, the captives who made the coffin for Attila were also killed. Attila's grave, like Chigis Khan's, has not yet been found.
The “Secret Legend” and the “Golden Chronicle” report that on the route of the caravan with the body of Genghis Khan to the burial place, all living things were killed: people, animals, birds. The chronicles record: " They killed every living creature they saw so that the news of his death would not spread throughout the surrounding areas. His four main hordes mourned him and he was buried in the area which he had previously once deigned to designate as a great reserve"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, in the family cemetery of Ikh-Khorig near Mount Burkhan-Khaldun (in the original text: Burkan-Kaldun), at the sources of the Onon River (in the original text: the Urgun River). He sat on the golden throne of Muhammad, which he brought from captured Samarkand. According to the custom of funerals of great khans, as Juvaini writes: " Forty moon-faced maidens were selected, beautiful in appearance and cheerful in disposition, pleasing to the eye with beauty and with beautiful eyes, graceful in movement and graceful in stillness - from among those who are “the reward of those who fear God,” from the families of emirs and noyons, adorned with jewelry and ornaments, dressed in beautiful dresses and expensive outfits and, together with selected horses, sent to where they will unite with his spirit"To prevent the grave from being 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 built in a riverbed, for which the river was temporarily blocked 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 site. Everyone who participated in the burial and could remember this place was subsequently killed, and those who carried out this order were subsequently killed too. Thus, the mystery of Genghis Khan’s burial remains unsolved to this day.
The collection of chronicles of Rashid ad-Din says: " After Genghis Khan, his children with their thousand guard their forbidden, reserved place with the great remains of Genghis Khan in an area called Burkan-Khaldun. Of the children of Genghis Khan, the great bones of Tului Khan, Mengu Khan and the children of Kubilai Kaan and his family were also placed in the mentioned area. Other descendants of Genghis Khan, like Jochi, Chagatai, Ogedei and their sons, are buried elsewhere. It is said that one day Genghis Khan came to this area; in that plain there grew a very green tree. He really liked the freshness and greenery of this tree. Genghis spent an hour under it, and a certain inner joy appeared in him. In this state, he said to the emirs and those close to him: “the place of our last home should be here!” After he died, since they had once heard these words from him, then in that area, under that tree, they arranged his great reserved place. They say that in the same year this plain due to large quantity growing trees turned into a huge forest, so that it is completely impossible to identify that first tree, and not a single living creature knows which one it is.".
Elsewhere in the manuscript: " Mongolia has big mountain, which is called Burkan-Khaldun. Many rivers flow from one slope of this mountain. Along those rivers there are countless trees and a lot of forest. Taijiut tribes live in those places. Genghis Khan's summer and winter nomads were within the same limits, and he was born in the area of ​​Buluk-buldak, in the lower reaches of the Onon River, from there it would be six days' journey to Mount Burkhan-Kaldun". The first paragraph of the secret legend of the Mongols says that the ancestors of the Mongols roamed at the source of the Onon River, on Burkhan-Khaldun. Researchers of the text are inclined to the version that we are talking about the mountains of the Khentei ridge, in particular about the massive central peak of Khentei - Khan-Khentei (2452 m). But is this so, many doubt even in Mongolia itself. It is difficult to approach this peak through impassable swampy peat bogs even on one horse, and imagining how this could be, with herds of thousands of horses, is simply not enough imagination. The famous Mongolian expert B.Ya. Vladimirtsov notes: " It is known, for example, that the famous Mount Burkhan-Khaldun has been in the possession of the Uriankhat clan for a long time. These Uriankhat are not forest people, were the owners of the named area and, apparently, remained in this position from the time of the legendary Alan-Goa until the era of Genghis Khan". So far, attempts to find the tomb of Genghis Khan have not been successful. Geographical names the times of the Mongol Empire have completely changed over many centuries, and no one can say with accuracy where Mount Burkhan-Khaldun is located today. According to the version of Academician G. Miller, based on the stories of the Siberian “Mongols”, Mount Burkhan-Khaldun in translation can mean “God’s Mountain”, “Mountain where the deities are placed”, “Mountain - God scorches or God penetrates everywhere” - “ the sacred mountain of Chinggis and his ancestors, the deliverer mountain, to which Chinggis, 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 Chingis and his ancestors along the Onon River". Here is another quote from the chronicle of Rashid ad-Din: " Timur Khan made images of his deceased ancestors (Genghis Khan), incense and incense are constantly burned there (on Burkhan-Khaldun). Kamala (his brother) also built a temple there for himself". About which Burkhan-Khaldun we're talking about, if Timur never made military campaigns east of the Irtysh, therefore he could not have visited Khan-Khentey in Mongolia, which today they are trying to identify with Burkhan-Khaldun?

According to the chronicles of Rashid ad-Din, the remains of Ogedei Khan are " in a forbidden place on a very high mountain, on which eternal snow lies. Rivers that flow into the Irdysh River originate from this mountain. From that mountain to Irdysh is two days' journey". Also an interesting indication. Completely unrelated to modern Mongolia and the Khentei mountains. Perhaps the tomb of Genghis Khan should be looked for not in Mongolia, but somewhere else?
Marco Polo claimed that the burial place of Genghis Khan and other Mongol sovereigns was Altai: " All great sovereigns, descendants of Genghis Khan, you know, are buried in the great Altai Mountain, and wherever the great sovereign of the Tatars dies, even a hundred days’ journey to that mountain, he is brought there to be buried. And here’s what a wonder: when the bodies of the great khans are carried to that mountain, everyone for forty days, more or less, they kill with a sword those who accompanied the body, and they are sentenced: go to the other world to serve our sovereign!"
Many chronicles emphasize the concentration of the graves of the great Mongol khans in a certain forbidden place called Ikh-Khorig (Great Ban) - a reserved, secret place for the burial of their ancestors. The ancient Mongols had a custom of honoring the burial places of their ancestors. Ikh-Khorig meant a territory into which entry was prohibited, it was forbidden to settle, hunt, and later plow and cultivate the land. This territory was strictly protected from invasion. Rashid ad-Din writes: " The "Great Ban" was the territory where Genghis Khan and several of his descendants were buried, the Burkhan-Khaldun region". In this area, Genghis Khan, Tului Khan, Mengu Khan and the children of Kublai Kaan were buried nearby. The collection of chronicles of Rashid ad-Din repeatedly indicates that the great Mongol khans were buried in the area of ​​Eke-Kuruk (Ikh-Khorig): " Mengu-kaan was buried near Genghis Khan and Tului Khan in the Burkan-Khaldun area, called Eke-Kuruk". There can be many assumptions about where Ikh-Khorig may be located, depending on what sources are used and who is subsumed under the ancestors of the Mongols. Certain thoughts, for example, are suggested by the reference in the Bulgarian chronicles of Bakhshi Iman to the homeland of the ancestors of the Khons (Huns), from whose family was the family of Chigis Khan: " Tamerlane never forgot about Bulgaria, the homeland of his ancestors. When in the 1390s. Tamerlane’s enemy, the Jochid Khan Tokhtamysh, took refuge in the capital of the Bulgar state, the city of Bulgar al-Jadid (modern Kazan), then the formidable emir did not allow his soldiers to cause damage to the Bulgar lands and turned his troops back". In another Bulgarian chronicle XVI in Sheffer-Eddina it is said that the Tatar khan Timur-Aksak, having destroyed the Chertovo settlement (a Bulgar fortification near the city of Elabuga), visited the graves of his ancestors who were located at the mouth of the Toima River, which flows into the Kama.
Timur (Tamerlane) (1336–1495), son of Bek Taragay from the Turkoized Mongol-Chagatay tribe, is buried in the mausoleum of Samarkand. This is the only known grave of Genghis Khan's distant relatives. The grave was opened in 1941. The discovered skeleton belongs to a strong man, relatively tall for a Mongolian (about 170 cm) with red hair, which, as is known, is characteristic of Europeans, not Mongols. Examination of beard hair under a binocular confirms that the reddish color is natural. Scientist M.M. Gerasimov is famous for having developed a method for restoring a sculptural portrait from a skull; the image of a buried person he reconstructed belongs to the Indo-European type.
Time has not preserved to this day any lifetime images or personal items of the great conqueror. According to the description in the chronicles, Genghis Khan also has features that are not characteristic of the Mongols - blue eyes and blond hair. The only official portrait of Genghis Khan kept in a museum in Taiwan was painted under Kublai Khan in the 13th century. (began reign in 1260), more than 30 years after his death (Genghis Khan died in 1227). The Mongolian doctor of sciences D. Bayar reports the following about the only portrait of Genghis Khan: " The image of Genghis Khan was preserved in the walls of the palaces of the rulers of the Yuan times. When Manchu rule was overthrown in 1912, the historical and cultural assets were transferred to the Middle State. These historical treasures included more than 500 paintings depicting rulers and their wives, sages and thinkers. There were also portraits of eight Mongol khans and seven khanshas. These portraits were published in Beijing in 1924, 1925 and 1926. In this series of Mongolian rulers, Genghis Khan is depicted wearing a light-colored Mongolian fur hat with a light-colored slanted deel, a wide forehead, a face radiating light, an intense gaze, bearded, with a braid behind the ears, and a very advanced age. A detailed study was carried out on the authenticity of this image of Genghis Khan and it turned out that this portrait on fabric woven 59 cm long and 47 cm wide was starched and bordered in 1748".
Among the reproductions of Genghis Khan, there is another medieval Chinese drawing, which was made even later than the official portrait. The drawing is made in ink on silk and depicts Genghis Khan in full growth in a Mongolian cap with a Mongolian bow in his right hand, a quiver with arrows behind his back, his left hand grasping the hilt of a saber in a sheath.
There are vague legends about the golden idol of Genghis Khan, transported on a special cart, again not in Mongolia, but in the Kalmyk steppes of the lower Volga at Batu’s headquarters. All ambassadors arriving at headquarters were required to worship the golden idol of Genghis Khan. The monks of the Franciscan mission of 1245 mention this in their reports.

In Ordos (Inner Mongolia, China), the majestic Ejen-Khor mausoleum was created to maintain the cult of Genghis Khan, but all the historical objects of the museum were destroyed in September 1966 in the turmoil of the “Chinese Cultural Revolution”. According to the White History, a memorial to Genghis Khan, called the Eight White Yurts, was established by Kublai Khan in 1267. A special decree of Khubilai established four dates per year, which introduced the cult of the founder of the Mongol state, Genghis Khan, into the annual cycle. First short description Ejen-Khoro was completed in 1903 by Ts. Zhamtsarano: " The relics of Chinggis are kept here. At the back wall (yurt) there is a silver chest on a stand, not particularly large and always closed, on the wall to the left hang a silver bow and arrows; in front of the chest on the table there is a lamp, a cup and cups, and on the floor in front of the shrine there is a silver tagan. This is the hearth of Genghis"According to local residents, the chest contained ancient historical books and ritual objects, as well as a drawing depicting Genghis Khan with his nine Urlyuk warriors. Genghis Khan's hair and shirt, black and white sulde (banners) of Genghis Khan were kept in Ejen-Khoro. Historical legends and legends tell that the black sulde rose when the khan began hostilities, the white sulde - in times of peace or in places far from war.
In the 17th century, Lamaists of Tibet and Mongolia recognized Ejen-Khoro in Ordos as the burial place of Genghis Khan, where yurts with the remains of Genghis Khan allegedly stood. This place was visited by the famous Russian traveler Potanin. He managed to find out that the yurt supposedly contained a silver shrine with the bones of Genghis Khan. Every year on the 21st day of the third month lunar calendar Ordos monks organize a big holiday-taila in honor of Genghis Khan. On this day, a horse is sacrificed to the Great Khan.
In 1939, fearing that Japanese troops, who had captured part of China, would seize this area, Chiang Kai-shek's government took some relics (including ceremonial tents) to Gumbum Monastery in Northeastern Tibet. In 1954, the relics were returned back to Ordos. Since the late 1980s, Chinese authorities have rehabilitated Genghis Khan and recreated the palace of the Great Khan. The Commission on National Minorities now believes that Genghis Khan occupies an honorable place in a long line of national heroes who forged history, whether they were Tibetans, Mongols or Han (Chinese). Thus, Genghis Khan again became an object of worship, in particular on the occasion of weddings: it was customary to pour libations and bow in front of his portrait.
The modern mausoleum of Genghis Khan was built by the Chinese government in 1956, and the remaining relics of Genghis Khan were transferred there: weapons, banners, clothes and belongings of Genghis Khan. During the cultural revolution in the PRC (1966–1976), all of Genghis Khan's belongings were destroyed. Currently, the mausoleum of Genghis Khan in Ordos has been recreated. It was reopened after renovation in 1979. The authenticity of the historical items on display is highly questionable; most of them are modern imitations of antiques.

In 2003, the first phase of the project to expand the tomb of Genghis Khan was completed. Before the expansion, the area of ​​Genghis Khan's tomb was 0.55 square kilometers. As part of the project, it is planned to build the Genghis Khan Palace, the Central Square named after Genghis Khan, the Europe-Asia Square, and the Museum of Mongolian History and Culture. After completion of the project, the total area of ​​the protected area of ​​the tomb of Genghis Khan in Ordos will reach 80 square kilometers.

Genghis Khan (Mong. Chinggis Khaan), proper name - Temujin, Temujin, Temujin (Mong. Temujin) (c. 1155 or 1162 - August 25, 1227). The founder and first great khan of the Mongol Empire, who united the disparate Mongol tribes, the commander who organized the Mongol campaigns of conquest in China, Central Asia, the Caucasus and Eastern Europe. Founder of the largest continental empire in human history. After his death in 1227, the heirs to the empire were his direct male-line descendants from his first wife Borte, the so-called Chingizids.

According to the “Secret Legend”, the ancestor of Genghis Khan was Borte-Chino, who became related to Goa-Maral and settled in Khentei (central-eastern Mongolia) near Mount Burkhan-Khaldun. According to Rashid ad-Din, this event took place in the middle of the 8th century. From Borte-Chino, in 2-9 generations, Bata-Tsagaan, Tamachi, Khorichar, Uudzhim Buural, Sali-Khadzhau, Eke Nyuden, Sim-Sochi, Kharchu were born.

In the 10th generation Borzhigidai-Mergen was born, who married Mongolzhin-goa. From them, in the 11th generation, the family tree was continued by Torokoljin-bagatur, who married Borochin-goa, and Dobun-Mergen and Duva-Sokhor were born from them. Dobun-Mergen's wife was Alan-goa, the daughter of Khorilardai-Mergen from one of his three wives, Barguzhin-Goa. Thus, the foremother of Genghis Khan came from the Khori-Tumats, one of the Buryat branches.

The three youngest sons of Alan-goa, born after the death of her husband, were considered the ancestors of the Nirun Mongols (“the Mongols themselves”). The Borjigins descended from the fifth, youngest, son of Alan-goa, Bodonchar.

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

The year of Temujin's birth remains unclear, since the main sources indicate different dates. According to the only source during Genghis Khan’s lifetime, Men-da bei-lu (1221) and according to the calculations of Rashid ad-Din, made by him on the basis of authentic documents from the archives of the Mongol khans, Temujin was born in 1155.

“History of the Yuan Dynasty” does not give an exact date of birth, but only names Genghis Khan’s lifespan as “66 years” (taking into account the conventional year of intrauterine life, taken into account in the Chinese and Mongolian tradition of counting life expectancy, and taking into account the fact that the “accrual” the next year of life occurred simultaneously for all Mongols with the celebration of the Eastern New Year, that is, in reality it was more likely about 69 years), which, when counted from the known date of his death, gives 1162 as the date of birth.

However, this date is not supported by earlier authentic documents from the Mongol-Chinese chancellery of the 13th century. A number of scientists (for example, P. Pellio or G.V. Vernadsky) point to 1167, but this date remains the most vulnerable hypothesis to criticism. The newborn was said to be clutching a blood clot in his palm, which foreshadowed his glorious future as the ruler of the world.

When his son was 9 years old, Yesugey-bagatur betrothed him to Borta, an 11-year-old girl from the Ungirat clan. Leaving his son with the bride's family until he came of age, so that they could get to know each other better, he went home. According to the “Secret Legend,” on the way back, Yesugei stopped at a Tatar camp, where he was poisoned. Upon returning to his native ulus, he fell ill and died three days later.

After the death of Temujin’s father, his followers abandoned the widows (Yesugei had 2 wives) and the children of Yesugei (Temujin and his brothers Khasar, Khachiun, Temuge and from his second wife - Bekter and Belgutai): the head of the Taichiut clan drove the family out of their homes, stealing the entire her cattle. For several years, widows and children lived in complete poverty, wandering in the steppes, eating roots, game and fish. Even in the summer, the family lived from hand to mouth, making provisions for the winter.

The Taichiut leader, Targutai-Kiriltukh (a distant relative of Temujin), who declared himself the ruler of the lands once occupied by Yesugei, fearing the revenge of his growing rival, began to pursue Temujin. One day, an armed detachment attacked the camp of the Yesugei family. Temujin managed to escape, but he was overtaken and captured. They put a block on it - two wooden boards with a hole for the neck, which were pulled together. The block was a painful punishment: a person did not have the opportunity to eat, drink, or even drive away a fly that had landed on his face.

One night he found a way to slip away and hide in a small lake, plunging into the water with the block and sticking only his nostrils out of the water. The Taichiuts searched for him in this place, but could not find him. He was noticed by a farm laborer from the Suldus tribe of Sorgan-Shira, who was among them, but who did not betray Temujin. He passed by the escaped prisoner several times, calming him down and pretending to others that he was looking for him. When the night search ended, Temujin climbed out of the water and went to Sorgan-Shir’s home, hoping that he, having saved him once, would help again.

However, Sorgan-Shira did not want to shelter him and was about to drive Temujin away, when suddenly the sons of Sorgan stood up for the fugitive, who was then hidden in a cart with wool. When the opportunity arose to send Temujin home, Sorgan-Shira put him on a mare, provided him with weapons and escorted him on his way (later Chilaun, the son of Sorgan-Shira, became one of the four nukers of Genghis Khan).

After some time, Temujin found his family. The Borjigins immediately migrated to another place, and the Taichiuts could not detect them. At the age of 11, Temujin became friends with his peer of noble origin from the Jadaran (Jajirat) tribe - Jamukha, who later became the leader of this tribe. With him in his childhood, Temujin twice became a sworn brother (anda).

A few years later, Temujin married his betrothed Borte(By this time, Boorchu, also one of the four close nukers, appeared in Temujin’s service). Borte's dowry was a luxurious sable fur coat. Temujin soon went to the most powerful of the steppe leaders of that time - Tooril, khan of the Kereit tribe.

Tooril was a sworn brother (anda) of Temujin’s father, and he managed to enlist the support of the Kereit leader by recalling this friendship and presenting a sable fur coat to Borte. Upon Temujin’s return from Togoril Khan, one old Mongol gave him his son Jelme, who became one of his commanders, into his service.

With the support of Tooril Khan, Temujin's forces began to gradually grow. Nukers began to flock to him. He raided his neighbors, increasing his possessions and herds. He differed from the other conquerors in that during the battles he tried to keep as many people from the enemy ulus alive as possible in order to later attract them to his service.

Temujin's first serious opponents were the Merkits, who acted in alliance with the Taichiuts. In the absence of Temujin, they attacked the Borjigin camp and Borte was taken prisoner(according to assumptions, she was already pregnant and expecting Jochi’s first son) and Yesugei’s second wife, Sochikhel, Belgutai’s mother.

In 1184 (according to rough estimates, based on the date of birth of Ogedei), Temujin, with the help of Tooril Khan and his Kereyites, as well as Jamukha from the Jajirat clan (invited by Temujin at the insistence of Tooril Khan), defeated the Merkits in the first battle of his life in the interfluve the confluence of the Chikoy and Khilok rivers with the Selenga in the territory of present-day Buryatia and returned to Borte. Belgutai's mother, Sochikhel, refused to go back.

After the victory, Tooril Khan went to his horde, and Temujin and Jamukha remained to live together in the same horde, where they again entered into a twinning alliance, exchanging golden belts and horses. After some time (from six months to a year and a half) they dispersed, while many of Jamukha’s noyons and nukers joined Temujin (which was one of the reasons for Jamukha’s hostility towards Temujin).

Having separated, Temujin began organizing his ulus, creating a horde control apparatus. The first two nukers, Boorchu and Jelme, were appointed senior at the khan's headquarters; the command post was given to Subedey-bagatur, the future famous commander of Genghis Khan. During the same period, Temujin had a second son, Chagatai (the exact date of his birth is unknown) and a third son, Ogedei (October 1186). Temujin created his first small ulus in 1186(1189/90 is also probable) and had 3 tumens (30,000 people) troops.

Jamukha sought an open quarrel with his anda. The reason was the death of Jamukha's younger brother Taichar during his attempt to steal a herd of horses from Temujin's possessions. Under the pretext of revenge, Jamukha and his army moved towards Temujin in 3 darkness. The battle took place near the Gulegu Mountains, between the sources of the Sengur River and the upper reaches of Onon. In this first big battle (according to the main source “The Secret History of the Mongols”) Temujin was defeated.

Temujin's first major military enterprise after the defeat of Jamukha was the war against the Tatars together with Tooril Khan. The Tatars at that time had difficulty repelling the attacks of the Jin troops that entered their possessions. The combined troops of Tooril Khan and Temujin, joining the Jin troops, moved towards the Tatars. The battle took place in 1196. They inflicted a number of strong blows on the Tatars and captured rich booty.

The Jurchen government of Jin, as a reward for the defeat of the Tatars, awarded high titles to the steppe leaders. Temujin received the title "Jauthuri"(military commissar), and Tooril - "Van" (prince), from that time he became known as Van Khan. Temujin became a vassal of Wang Khan, whom Jin saw as the most powerful of the rulers of Eastern Mongolia.

In 1197-1198 Van Khan, without Temujin, made a campaign against the Merkits, plundered and gave nothing to his named “son” and vassal Temujin. This marked the beginning of a new cooling.

After 1198, when the Jin ravaged the Kungirats and other tribes, Jin influence on Eastern Mongolia began to weaken, which allowed Temujin to take possession of the eastern regions of Mongolia.

At this time, Inanch Khan dies and the Naiman state breaks up into two uluses, headed by Buiruk Khan in Altai and Tayan Khan on the Black Irtysh.

In 1199, Temujin, together with Van Khan and Jamukha, attacked Buiruk Khan with their joint forces and he was defeated. Upon returning home, the path was blocked by a Naiman detachment. It was decided to fight in the morning, but at night Van Khan and Jamukha disappeared, leaving Temujin alone in the hope that the Naimans would finish him off. But by morning Temujin found out about this and retreated without engaging in battle. The Naimans began to pursue not Temujin, but Van Khan. The Kereits entered into a difficult battle with the Naiman, and, in the obvious death, Van Khan sent messengers to Temujin asking for help. Temujin sent his nukers, among whom Boorchu, Mukhali, Borohul and Chilaun distinguished themselves in battle.

For his salvation, Van Khan bequeathed his ulus to Temujin after his death.

In 1200, Wang Khan and Timuchin entered into a joint campaign against the Taijiuts. The Merkits came to the aid of the Taichiuts. In this battle, Temujin was wounded by an arrow, after which Jelme nursed him throughout the next night. By morning the Taichiuts disappeared, leaving many people behind. Among them was Sorgan-Shira, who once saved Timuchin, and the marksman Dzhirgoadai, who confessed that it was he who shot Timuchin. He was accepted into the Timuchin army and received the nickname Jebe (arrowhead). A pursuit was organized for the Taichiuts. Many were killed, some surrendered into service. This was the first major victory won by Temujin.

In 1201, some Mongol forces (including the Tatars, Taichiuts, Merkits, Oirats and other tribes) decided to unite in the fight against Timuchin. They took the oath of allegiance to Jamukha and enthroned him with the title of gurkhan. Having learned about this, Timuchin contacted Van Khan, who immediately raised an army and came to him.

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

In the spring of 1203, at Halahaljin-Elet, a battle took place between Temujin’s troops and the combined forces of Jamukha and Van Khan (although Van Khan did not want a war with Temujin, but he was persuaded by his son Nilha-Sangum, who hated Temujin for what Van Khan gave to him preference over his son and thought to transfer the Kereite throne to him, and Jamukha, who claimed that Temujin was uniting with the Naiman Taiyan Khan).

In this battle, Temujin's ulus suffered heavy losses. But Van Khan's son was wounded, which is why the Kereits left the battlefield. To gain time, Temujin began sending diplomatic messages, the purpose of which was to separate both Jamukha and Wang Khan, and Wang Khan from his son. At the same time, a number of tribes that did not join either side created a coalition against both Wang Khan and Temujin. Having learned about this, Wang Khan attacked first and defeated them, after which he began to feast. When Temujin was informed about this, a decision was made to attack with lightning speed and take the enemy by surprise. Without even making overnight stops, Temujin's army overtook the Kereyites and completely defeated them in the fall of 1203. The Kereit ulus ceased to exist. Van Khan and his son managed to escape, but ran into a Naiman guard, and Wang Khan died. Nilha-Sangum was able to escape, but was later killed by the Uyghurs.

With the fall of the Kereyites in 1204, Jamukha and the remaining army joined the Naiman in the hope of Temujin’s death at the hands of Tayan Khan or vice versa. Tayan Khan saw Temujin as his only rival in the struggle for power in the Mongolian steppes. Having learned that the Naimans were thinking about the attack, Temujin decided to launch a campaign against Tayan Khan. But before the campaign, he began to reorganize the command and control of the army and the ulus. In the early summer of 1204, Temujin's army - about 45,000 horsemen - set out on a campaign against the Naiman. Tayan Khan's army initially retreated in order to lure Temujin's army into a trap, but then, at the insistence of Tayan Khan's son, Kuchluk, they entered into battle. The Naimans were defeated, only Kuchluk with a small detachment managed to go to Altai to join his uncle Buyuruk. Tayan Khan died, and Jamukha disappeared even before the fierce battle began, realizing that the Naimans could not win. In the battles with the Naiman, Kublai, Jebe, Jelme and Subedei especially distinguished themselves.

Temujin, building on his success, opposed the Merkit, and the Merkit people fell. Tokhtoa-beki, the ruler of the Merkits, fled to Altai, where he united with Kuchluk. In the spring of 1205, Temujin's army attacked Tokhtoa-beki and Kuchluk in the area of ​​the Bukhtarma River. Tokhtoa-beki died, and his army and most of Kuchluk’s Naimans, pursued by the Mongols, drowned while crossing the Irtysh. Kuchluk and his people fled to the Kara-Kitays (southwest of Lake Balkhash). There Kuchluk managed to gather scattered detachments of Naimans and Keraits, gain favor with the Gurkhan and become quite a significant political figure. The sons of Tokhtoa-beki fled to the Kipchaks, taking with them the severed head of their father. Subedai was sent to pursue them.

After the defeat of the Naiman, most of the Mongols in Jamukha went over to Temujin's side. At the end of 1205, Jamukha himself was handed over to Temujin alive by his own nukers, hoping to save their lives and curry favor, for which they were executed by Temujin as traitors.

Temujin offered his friend complete forgiveness and renewal of old friendship, but Jamukha refused, saying: “just as there is room in the sky for only one sun, so there should be only one ruler in Mongolia.”

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

In the spring of 1206, at the source of the Onon River at the kurultai, Temujin was proclaimed great khan over all tribes and received the title “khagan”, taking the name Genghis (Genghis - literally “lord of water” or, more precisely, “lord of the boundless like the sea”). Mongolia has been transformed: the scattered and warring Mongolian nomadic tribes have united into a single state.

Mongol Empire in 1207

A new law has come into force - Yasa of Genghis Khan. In Yas, the main place was occupied by articles about mutual assistance in the campaign and the prohibition of deception of those who trusted. Those who violated these regulations were executed, and the enemy of the Mongols, who remained faithful to their ruler, was spared and accepted into their army. Loyalty and courage were considered good, and cowardice and betrayal were considered evil.

Genghis Khan divided the entire population into tens, hundreds, thousands and tumens (ten thousand), thereby mixing tribes and clans and appointing specially selected people from his confidants and nukers as commanders over them. All adult and healthy men were considered warriors who ran their households in peacetime and took up arms in wartime.

Armed forces Genghis Khan, formed in this way, amounted to approximately 95 thousand soldiers.

Individual hundreds, thousands and tumens, together with the territory for nomadism, were given into the possession of one or another noyon. The Great Khan, the owner of all the land in the state, distributed land and arats to the noyons, on the condition that they would regularly perform certain duties in return.

The most important duty was military service. Each noyon was obliged, at the first request of the overlord, to field the required number of warriors in the field. Noyon, in his inheritance, could exploit the labor of the arats, distributing his cattle to them for grazing or involving them directly in work on his farm. Small noyons served large ones.

Under Genghis Khan, the enslavement of arats was legalized, and unauthorized movement from one dozen, hundreds, thousands or tumens to others was prohibited. This ban meant the formal attachment of the arats to the land of the noyons - for disobedience the arats faced the death penalty.

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

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

Genghis Khan divided the country into two “wings”. He placed Boorcha at the head of the right wing, and Mukhali, his two most faithful and experienced associates, at the head of the left. He made the positions and ranks of senior and highest military leaders - centurions, thousanders and temniks - hereditary in the family of those who, with their faithful service, helped him seize the khan's throne.

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

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

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

Having established his position along the entire Great Wall of China, in the fall of 1213, Genghis Khan sent three armies to different parts of the Jin Empire. One of them, under the command of the three sons of Genghis Khan - Jochi, Chagatai and Ogedei, headed south. Another, led by the brothers and generals of Genghis Khan, moved east to the sea.

Genghis Khan himself and his youngest son Tolui, at the head of the main forces, set out in a southeastern direction. The First Army advanced as far as Honan and, after capturing twenty-eight cities, joined Genghis Khan on the Great Western Road. The army under the command of Genghis Khan's brothers and generals captured the province of Liao-hsi, and Genghis Khan himself ended his triumphant campaign only after he reached the sea rocky cape in Shandong province.

In the spring of 1214, he returned to Mongolia and made peace with the Chinese emperor, leaving Beijing to him. However, before the leader of the Mongols had time to leave the Great Wall of China, the Chinese emperor moved his court further away, to Kaifeng. This step was perceived by Genghis Khan as a manifestation of hostility, and he again sent troops into the empire, now doomed to destruction. The war continued.

The Jurchen troops in China, replenished by the aborigines, fought the Mongols until 1235 on their own initiative, but were defeated and exterminated by Genghis Khan's successor Ogedei.

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

While Genghis Khan was conquering more and more cities and provinces of China, the fugitive Naiman Khan Kuchluk asked the gurkhan who had given him refuge to help gather the remnants of the army defeated at the Irtysh. Having gained a fairly 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 Karakitays. After a short but decisive military campaign, the allies were left with a big gain, and the gurkhan was forced to relinquish power in favor of the uninvited guest.

In 1213, Gurkhan Zhilugu died, and the Naiman khan became the sovereign ruler of Semirechye. Sairam, Tashkent, and the northern part of Fergana came under his power. Having become an irreconcilable opponent of Khorezm, Kuchluk began persecution of Muslims in his domains, which aroused the hatred of the settled population of Zhetysu. The ruler of Koylyk (in the valley of the Ili River) Arslan Khan, and then the ruler of Almalyk (northwest of modern Gulja) Bu-zar moved away from the Naimans and declared themselves subjects of Genghis Khan.

In 1218, Jebe's troops, together with the troops of the rulers of Koylyk and Almalyk, invaded the lands of the Karakitai. The Mongols conquered Semirechye and Eastern Turkestan, which Kuchluk owned. In the first battle, Jebe defeated the Naiman. The Mongols allowed Muslims to perform public worship, which had previously been prohibited by the Naiman, 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 residents of Balasagun opened the gates to the Mongols, for which the city received the name Gobalyk - “good city”.

The road to Khorezm opened before Genghis Khan.

After the capture of Samarkand (spring 1220), Genghis Khan sent troops to capture Khorezmshah Muhammad, who fled across the Amu Darya. The tumens of Jebe and Subedei passed through northern Iran and invaded the southern Caucasus, bringing cities to submission by negotiation or force and collecting tribute. Having learned about the death of the Khorezmshah, the Noyons continued their march to the west. Through the Derbent Passage they penetrated North Caucasus, defeated the Alans, and then the Polovtsians.

In the spring of 1223, the Mongols defeated the combined forces of the Russians and Cumans on Kalka, but when retreating to the east they were defeated in Volga Bulgaria. The remnants of the Mongol troops in 1224 returned to Genghis Khan, who was in Central Asia.

Upon returning from Central Asia, Genghis Khan once again led his army through Western China. According to Rashid ad-din, in the fall of 1225, having migrated to the borders of Xi Xia, while hunting, Genghis Khan fell from his horse and was seriously injured. By evening, Genghis Khan began to develop a high fever. As a result, the next morning a council was convened, at which the question was “whether or not to postpone the war with the Tanguts.”

Genghis Khan's eldest son Jochi, who was already strongly mistrusted, was not present at the council due to his constant evasion of his father's orders. Genghis Khan ordered the army to go on a campaign against Jochi and put an end to him, but the campaign did not take place, as news of his death arrived. Genghis Khan was ill throughout the winter of 1225-1226.

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

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

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

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

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

The main sources by which we can judge the life and personality of Genghis Khan were compiled after his death (especially important among them "The Hidden Legend"). From these sources we receive information both about Chinggis’s appearance (tall, strong build, broad forehead, long beard) and about his character traits. Coming from a people who apparently had no written language or developed state institutions, Genghis Khan was deprived of a book education. With the talents of a commander, he combined organizational abilities, unyielding will and self-control. He possessed enough generosity and friendliness to retain the affection of his associates. Without denying himself the joys of life, he remained a stranger to excesses incompatible with the activities of a ruler and commander, and lived to an old age, retaining his mental abilities in full strength.

Descendants of Genghis Khan - Genghisids:

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

Temujin and Borte also had daughters: Khodzhin-begi, the wife of Butu-gurgen from the Ikires clan; Tsetseihen (Chichigan), wife of Inalchi, youngest son the heads of the Oirats Khuduha-beki; Alangaa (Alagai, Alakha), who married the Ongut noyon Buyanbald (in 1219, when Genghis Khan went to war with Khorezm, he entrusted her with state affairs in his absence, therefore she is also called Toru dzasagchi gunji (princess-ruler); Temulen, wife Shiku-gurgen, son of Alchi-noyon from the Ungirads, the tribe of her mother Borte; Alduun (Altalun), who married Zavtar-setsen, noyon of the Khongirads.

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

The sons of Genghis Khan continued the work of their father 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. The Manchu emperors, who ruled Mongolia and China from the 16th to the 19th centuries, were descendants of Genghis Khan through the female line, as they married Mongol princesses from the line of Genghis Khan. The first prime minister of Mongolia of the 20th century, Sain-Noyon Khan Namnansuren (1911-1919), as well as the rulers of Inner Mongolia (until 1954) were direct descendants of Genghis Khan.

The consolidated genealogy of Genghis Khan was conducted until the 20th century. In 1918, the religious head of Mongolia, Bogdo Gegen, issued an order to preserve the Urgiin bichig (family list) of the Mongol princes. This monument is kept in the museum and is called "Shastra of the State of Mongolia"(Mongol Ulsyn Shastir). Today, many direct descendants of Genghis Khan live in Mongolia and Inner Mongolia (PRC), as well as in other countries.

GENGISH KHAN(present Temujin, Temujin) (1155? - August 1227), founder of the Mongol Empire, the largest conqueror and statesman of the Asian Middle Ages.

early years

Temujin came from a small tribal nobility of northern Mongolia. He was the eldest son of Yesugei Baatur from the Borjigin clan and Oilun from the Onkhirat tribe. By the middle of the 12th century, my father created a relatively independent feudal-tribal possession in the Onon River valley. In 1164, he went to one of the Onkhirat leaders, Day Setchen, whose daughter Borte successfully betrothed to his son, leaving him in this tribe. On the way back, Yesugei died (according to the “Secret Legend”, he was poisoned by the Tatars he met), his inheritance fell apart, and his family fell into poverty. After the death of his father, Temujin was taken from the Onkhirat tribe. OK. 6 years after the death of his father, the leader of the Onkhirats kept his word and married Borte to Temujin, giving her a rich dowry - a sable fur coat. Subsequently, Temujin had many other wives and concubines, but Borte forever retained her influence.

Elevation

Taking advantage of his previous family ties in the Taichjiut tribe and the Borjigin clan, Temujin gradually began to gather warriors (nukers) around himself. He managed to attract the attention of the head of the Keraits (at that time a very influential tribe professing Christianity in the form of Nestorianism) Vankhan, as a sign of friendship and recognition of himself as a vassal, giving him Borte's fur coat. Temujin began to create an independent inheritance. After the death of Vankhan, he enters into a fight with his former supporter, also a representative of the Mongolian tribal nobility, Jamukha, whom he defeats in battle and executes in 1201. He appropriates the possession of Jamukha, taking advantage of the discord among Vankhan's relatives and entourage. In 1206, having already destroyed all his powerful opponents, Temujin assembled a kuriltai at the sources of the Onon River, where he was named kaan, seated under a nine-bunched white banner. From that time on he was called Genghis Khan.

Military reform. Escalation of conquests

First of all, Genghis Khan reformed the army, appointing 95 thousand-strong noyons at its head. He creates a system of nomadic government, lays the foundations of legislation in the form of the oral yasa of Genghis Khan. A particularly important role in his organizational activities was played by the registration of the guards units directly involved in guarding and maintaining order in the nomadic headquarters of Genghis Khan. Incentives and punishments are established for all soldiers and administrators of the new state. In 1207, a large military formation was sent to the north, where the forest peoples were to be conquered. This strengthened the territorial base of the state and laid the foundation for a system of appanage estates, which were distributed among the sons and closest relatives of the kaan. New organizational structure troops allowed a more decisive entry into international relationships, demand tribute from surrounding peoples. This tribute included furs, fabrics, weapons, raw materials for weapons (various types of metals), etc. The expansion of possessions led to direct contact with such a large Central Asian power as the Western Xia created by the Tanguts. The first attack on the Tangut state within Gansu and southern Mongolia began already in 1207. In 1209, the conquest of eastern Turkestan, the country of the Uyghurs, took place. There is an active struggle with states located on the territory of modern China. Thus, in 1211, Genghis Khan personally led the Mongol troops in an attack on the state of Jin, created on the territory of Northern China by the Zhuzhen semi-nomadic tribes. By 1215, most of Jin territory was conquered by the Mongols, including the city of Yanjing (modern Beijing), the capital of the state. The newly conquered country was left to be governed by one of Muhuli’s close military leaders. A description of the situation in this part of China, newly conquered by the Mongols, was given by the envoy of the Song emperor Zhao Hong, who visited Yanjing in 1221. He also wrote a description of the Tatar-Mongol conquerors, given in the book "Menda Beilu" (" Full description Mongol-Tatars"). The war with Jin led to the fact that the Mongols adopted Chinese battering and stone-throwing devices; had a significant impact on the further successes of the Mongol armed campaigns. Having stopped on the borders of China proper, Genghis Khan proceeded to the conquest of Central Asia, which began with the defeat of the tribes Naimans (1218), under whose rule the Karakitai were, were formed in 1219 under the leadership of the sons of Genghis separate armies, which were supposed to synchronously attack Central Asian cities and states. In 1220 Bukhara and Samarkand were conquered. The ruler of Khorezm, Khorezmshah Muhammad, dies while fleeing from Mongol troops. Pursuing his son Jemal at-Din, Mongol warriors enter India for the first time. The conquest of Central Asia ends in 1221.

To the west

At the same time, a special corps was allocated, led by Jebe Noyon and Ubegei Baadur, who was tasked with conquering Western countries. Passing the Caspian Sea from the south, this army sweeps through Azerbaijan, the North Caucasus in a destructive whirlwind and advances to the southern Russian steppes. Along the way, Crimea was conquered, the fortress-port of Sudak was taken, and in 1223, at the Battle of Kalka, Mongol troops won a major victory over the militia of the Russian princes. It is characteristic that the outcome of this battle reflected the experience of the Mongol military leaders, who, in accordance with their usual combat strategy, managed to quarrel the Russian princes with their allies - the Polovtsian rulers. The forces of this army after these battles were running out, and, having failed to win the battle with the Volga Bulgarians, the Mongols retreated.

Last trip. Inheritance

Having conquered Central Asia, Genghis Khan returned to Mongolia, from where in 1226 he set off on another campaign against the Tanguts - the state of Western Xia. This country was conquered and enslaved, but in 1227 Genghis Khan dies. His death turned out to be a great test not only for his relatives, who turned to mutual hostility and struggle for political influence and dominance, but also for the entire newly created huge empire. Only in 1229 at the Kuriltai, which was attended by the sons and close relatives of Genghis Khan, as well as the large Mongolian nobility elevated by him, was Genghis Khan’s third son Ogedei elected as the new Great Khan. Later sources claim that this election was in accordance with the will of Genghis Khan, but the two years it took to establish the new khan on the throne indicate a very difficult political situation and struggle in the circles of the highest nobility.

Administrative regulations

However, Genghis Khan proved himself not only to be a great conqueror, but also a brilliant politician and administrator, who was very short time managed not only to establish the power of his relatives and associates in the newly conquered countries, but also to organize the administration of these conquered countries in such a way that all political and administrative functions in these new uluses at the highest level were concentrated in the hands of the central Mongol administration. This was largely facilitated by the creation of a system of state communications that was unique for its time - roads and postal services, which were completely at the disposal of state power. All key posts in fortresses and garrisons located on the routes of administrative and trade relations were under the direct control of the newly minted Mongol officials and military Mongol garrisons. The empire of Genghis Khan turned out to be the most durable among similar formations ever created by energetic and talented commanders.

The reign of Genghis Khan influenced the development of the political and spiritual culture of the population of many Asian regions. It also influenced the Mongolian nomadic world. In Mongolia itself, the new capital of the Karakorum Empire is being hastily built, where all the subject and vassal rulers are flocking. Here orders and instructions are given for the entire vast Asian world, which Genghis Khan took possession of.

Name: Genghis Khan (Temujin)

State: Mongol Empire

Field of activity: Politics, army

Greatest Achievement: United the nomadic tribes of the Mongols, created the largest empire in history by territory

The Mongol warrior and ruler Genghis Khan created the Mongol Empire, the largest in the world by area in the history of mankind, by uniting disparate tribes in Northeast Asia.

“I am the Lord's punishment. If you have not committed mortal sins, the Lord will not send you punishment in the face of me!” Genghis Khan

Genghis Khan was born in Mongolia around 1162 and was given the name Temujin at birth. He married at the age of 16 and had many wives throughout his life. At age 20, he began building a large army with the intention of conquering individual tribes in Northeast Asia and uniting them under his rule. He succeeded: the Mongol Empire became the largest in the world, much larger than the British, and existed even after the death of Genghis Khan (1227).

Early years of Genghis Khan

Born in Mongolia around 1162, Genghis Khan received the name Temujin - the name of the Tatar leader who was captured by his father Yesugei. Young Temujin was a member of the Borjigin tribe and a descendant of Khabula Khan, who briefly united the Mongols against the Jin (Chin) dynasty in northern China in the early 1100s. According to The Secret History of the Mongols (a modern account of Mongol history), Temujin was born with a blood clot in his hand—in Mongol folklore, this was considered a sign that he was destined to become ruler of the world. His mother, Hoelun, taught him to survive in the dark, turbulent Mongol tribal society and instilled in him the need to form alliances.

When Temujin was 9 years old, his father took him to live with the family of his future bride, Borte. Returning home, Yesugei encountered a Tatar tribe. He was invited to a feast, where he was poisoned for past crimes against the Tatars. Upon learning of his father's death, Temujin returned home to claim the title of head of the clan. However, the clan refused to recognize the child as ruler and expelled Temujin and his younger and half-brothers, dooming them to a miserable existence. The family had a very hard time, and one day, in a dispute over hunting spoils, Temujin quarreled with his half-brother Bekhter and killed him, thereby establishing his position as the head of the family.

At the age of 16, Temujin married Borte, strengthening the alliance between her Konkirat tribe and his own. Soon after, Borte was kidnapped by the Merkit tribe and taken in by their leader. Temujin fought her off and soon after she gave birth to her first son, Jochi. Although Borte's capture casts doubt on Jochi's origins, Temujin accepted him as one of his own. With Borte, Temujin had four sons, as well as many other children with other wives, which was common in Mongolia at that time. However, only his sons from Borte had the right to inherit.

Genghis Khan - "Universal Ruler"

When Temujin was about 20 years old, he was captured by his family's former allies, the Taijits. One of them helped him escape, and soon Temujin, along with his brothers and several other clans, assembled his first army. So he began his slow rise to power, building a large army of more than 20 thousand people. He intended to eliminate the traditional enmity between tribes and unite the Mongols under his rule.

Excellent in military tactics, merciless and cruel, Temujin avenged the murder of his father by destroying the Tatar army. He ordered the death of every Tatar man taller than a cart wheel. Then, using their cavalry, Temujin's Mongols defeated the Taichiuts, killing all their leaders. By 1206, Temujin had also defeated the powerful Naiman tribe, thereby gaining control of central and eastern Mongolia.

The rapid success of the Mongol army owed much to Genghis Khan's brilliant military tactics, as well as to his understanding of the motives of his enemies. He used an extensive spy network and quickly adopted new technologies from his enemies. The well-trained Mongol army of 80,000 soldiers was controlled by a sophisticated signaling system of smoke and burning torches. Large drums sounded commands for charging, and further orders were transmitted by flag signals. Each soldier was fully equipped: he was armed with a bow, arrows, a shield, a dagger and a lasso. He had large saddle bags for food, tools and spare clothes. The bag was waterproof and could be inflated to prevent drowning when crossing deep and swift rivers. Cavalrymen carried a small sword, spears, body armor, a battle ax or mace, and a spear with a hook to push enemies off their horses. The Mongol attacks were very destructive. Since they could only control a galloping horse with their feet, their hands were free for archery. The entire army was followed by a well-organized supply system: food for soldiers and horses, military equipment, shamans for spiritual and medical assistance, and bookkeepers for keeping track of spoils.

After victories over the warring Mongol tribes, their leaders agreed to peace and gave Temujin the title "Genghis Khan", which means "universal ruler". The title had not only political, but also spiritual significance. The supreme shaman declared Genghis Khan to be the representative of Mongke Koko Tengri ("Eternal Blue Sky"), the supreme god of the Mongols. Divine status gave him the right to claim that his destiny was to rule the world. Although, ignoring the Great Khan was tantamount to ignoring the will of God. That is why, without any doubt, Genghis Khan will say to one of his enemies: “I am the Lord’s punishment. If you have not committed mortal sins, the Lord will not send you punishment in the face of me!”

The main conquests of Genghis Khan

Genghis Khan wasted no time in capitalizing on his newfound divinity. While his army was spiritually inspired, the Mongols found themselves faced with serious difficulties. Food and resources decreased as the population grew. In 1207, Genghis Khan marched his armies against the Xi Xia kingdom and forced it to surrender two years later. In 1211, Genghis Khan's armies conquered the Jin dynasty in northern China, enticed not by the artistic and scientific wonders of the great cities, but rather by endless rice fields and easy enrichment.

Although the campaign against the Jin dynasty lasted almost 20 years, Genghis Khan's armies also fought actively in the west against the border empires and the Muslim world. Initially, Genghis Khan used diplomacy to establish trade relations with the Khorezm dynasty, an empire with its head in Turkey that included Turkestan, Persia and Afghanistan. But the Mongolian diplomatic caravan was approached by the governor of Otrar, who apparently thought that this was just a cover for a spy mission. When Genghis Khan heard about this insult, he demanded that he be given a governor, and for this purpose he sent an ambassador. Shah Muhammad, the head of the Khorezm dynasty, not only refused the demand, but also refused to receive the Mongol ambassador as a sign of protest.

This event could have triggered a wave of resistance that would have spread across Central Asia and eastern Europe. In 1219, Genghis Khan personally took charge of planning and executing a three-stage attack of 200,000 Mongol soldiers against the Khwarezm dynasty. The Mongols passed through all the fortified cities unhindered. Those who survived the assault were placed as human shields in front of the Mongol army as the Mongols took the next city. No one was left alive, including small domestic animals and livestock. The skulls of men, women and children were stacked in tall pyramids. One by one, the cities were conquered, and eventually Shah Muhammad and then his son were captured and killed, ending the Khorezm dynasty in 1221.

Scholars call the period after the Khorezm campaign Mongolian. Over time, Genghis Khan's conquests connected major shopping centers China and Europe. The empire was governed by a legal code known as the Yasa. This code was developed by Genghis Khan, was based on general Mongol law, but contained decrees prohibiting blood feud, adultery, theft and perjury. Yas also contained laws that reflected Mongol respect for environment: a ban on swimming in rivers and streams, an order for any soldier following another to pick up everything that the first soldier dropped. Violation of any of these laws was usually punishable by death. Advancement through the military and government ranks was based not on traditional lines of heredity or ethnicity, but on merit. There were tax incentives for high-ranking priests and some craftsmen, and there was religious toleration that reflected the long Mongol tradition of viewing religion as a personal belief, not subject to judgment or interference. This tradition had practical applications, since there were so many different religious groups in the empire that it would be quite cumbersome to impose one religion on them.

With the destruction of the Khorezm dynasty, Genghis Khan again turned his attention to the east - to China. The Xi Xia Tanguts disobeyed his orders to send troops to the Khorezm campaign and openly protested. Capturing Tangut cities, Genghis Khan eventually took the capital of Ning Hia. Soon the Tangut dignitaries surrendered one after another, and the resistance ended. However, Genghis Khan had not yet fully avenged the betrayal - he ordered the execution imperial family, thereby destroying the Tangut state.

Genghis Khan died in 1227, shortly after conquering Xi Xia. The exact cause of his death is unknown. Some historians claim that he fell from his horse while hunting and died from fatigue and injuries. Others claim he died from a respiratory illness. Genghis Khan was buried in a secret place according to the customs of his tribe, somewhere in his homeland, near the Onon River and the Khentii Mountains in northern Mongolia. According to legend, the funeral escort killed everyone it encountered to hide the location of the burial, and a river was built over Genghis Khan's tomb, completely blocking access to it.

Before his death, Genghis Khan entrusted top leadership to his son Ögedei, who controlled much of East Asia, including China. The rest of the empire was divided among his other sons: he took central Asia and northern Iran; Tolui, being the youngest, received a small territory from the Mongol homeland; and Jochi (who was killed before Genghis Khan's death) and his son Batu took control modern Russia And . The expansion of the empire continued and reached its peak under Ögedei's leadership. Mongol armies eventually invaded Persia, the Song Dynasty in southern China, and the Balkans. When the Mongol troops reached the gates of Vienna (Austria), Supreme Commander Batu received news of the death of the Great Khan Ogedei and returned to Mongolia. The campaign subsequently fizzled out, marking the furthest Mongol invasion of Europe.

Among the many descendants of Genghis Khan is Kublai Khan, the son of the son of Tolui, the youngest son of Genghis Khan. At a young age, Kubilai showed great interest in Chinese civilization and throughout his life he did much to incorporate Chinese customs and culture into Mongol rule. Kublai rose to prominence in 1251 when his elder brother Monkke became Khan of the Mongol Empire and appointed him governor of the southern territories. Kublai is remembered for the growth of agricultural production and the expansion of Mongolian territory. After Monkke's death, Kubilai and his other brother, Arik Boke, fought for control of the empire. After three years of tribal warfare, Kublai was victorious and became the Great Khan and Emperor of China's Yuan Dynasty.

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

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

History of Genghis Khan

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

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

Genghis Khan is a slave

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

However, he showed strength of character, hardened by the adversities of childhood. Having broken the collar, he escaped and returned to his native tribe, which could not protect his family several years ago.

The teenager became a zealous warrior: few of his relatives could so deftly control a steppe horse and shoot accurately with a bow, throw a lasso at full gallop and cut with a saber.

Revenge for the family

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

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

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

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

Genghis Khan - aspiring commander

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

First big battle

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

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

Receiving the title of "Genghis Khan"

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

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

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

Army of Genghis Khan

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

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

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

History of the conquests of Genghis Khan

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

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

The destruction of settlements in the occupied territory, the total extermination of rebellious tribes and fortified cities that decided to defend themselves with weapons in their hands were characteristic feature conquests of the great Mongol Khan.

The strategy of intimidation allowed him to successfully solve military problems and keep conquered peoples in obedience.

Conquest of Northern China

IN 1211 year, Genghis Khan's cavalry army attacked Northern China. The Great Wall of China - this is the most grandiose defensive structure in the history of mankind - did not become an obstacle to the conquerors. IN 1215 year the city was captured by cunning Beijing(Yanjing), which the Mongols subjected to a long siege.

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

Trek to Central Asia

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

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

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

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

Conquest of north-west India

IN 1221 year after the fall of Khorezm and the conquest of Central Asia, Genghis Khan made a campaign in North West India, capturing this large territory. However, Genghis Khan did not go further to the south of Hindustan: he was constantly attracted by unknown countries at sunset.

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

Offensive on Rus'

In the Wild Field at that time, Polovtsian vezhi wandered, having long lost military force. The Mongols defeated the Polovtsians without much difficulty, and they fled to the borderlands of the Russian lands.

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

The last campaign and death of Genghis Khan

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

The great commander died during his last campaign against the Tanguts August 25, 1227. The Mongols gave him a magnificent funeral and, having destroyed all the participants in these sad celebrations, managed to preserve the complete secret location of Genghis Khan's tomb.