Genghis Khan, a poor Mongolian child, became the greatest military genius the world has ever seen. He was one of the most successful and strategic military leaders in history and had a strong influence on other more recent and famous leaders. His eloquent voice and clever tactics, coupled with his ruthless behavior and great influence, have led him to become one of the most dangerous and successful leaders in the world. During his lifetime he conquered much of Asia and controlled a ruthless army. His accomplishments and successes are still learned and studied today, and although he is dead, his legacy continues to thrive. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The “tyrant's tyrant,” Genghis Khan was responsible for the deaths of approximately 20,000,000 people when he himself died in 1227. He had a great influence not only on many famous military and political leaders, but also on our world Today. From an early age, until his death, Genghis Khan was feared and ruthless, but capable and a great military leader. “I am God's punishment... If you had not committed great sins, God would not have sent punishment like I have upon you.” -Genghis Khan Temujin, who later changed his name to Genghis Khan, was born around 1162 near the border between what is now known as Mongolia and Siberia. His name was Temujin, meaning "made of iron" or "blacksmith". Legend has it that he came into the world clutching a clot of blood in his right hand, a symbol of power and of a great future to come. It is also said that his first ancestor was a gray wolf and that he descended from the sky as a warning to people who had sinned. He was certainly not born into a very fortunate family. His mother was kidnapped by his father and forced to marry. During Temujin's childhood, nomadic tribes like hers were constantly fighting each other, robbing each other and even burning each other alive, both for land and power. Temujin's early life was violent and extremely unpredictable. Before he turned ten, his father was poisoned to death by an enemy clan. A clan was a group of people who shared a common ancestor and were led by its leader. Temujin's clan, or tribe, then left him and his family; her mother and her six siblings to avoid having to breastfeed them. This was nothing out of the ordinary for the tribes: when the father of a family died, the family was usually abandoned so as not to waste the clan's time and hard-earned food. Temujin, his mother, five brothers and a sister, were left to wander, barely surviving. Luckily, they had lived their whole lives as nomads, never having a home, so they were all well familiar with this. The young Temujin began his murderous rise to power at the age of twelve, when he struck his older half-brother with a bow and arrow in a dispute over who should eat a fish. His mother could do nothing for her angry son: she knew that perhaps it was his only chance of survival. Shortly thereafter he became the head of the poor family. At some point during Temujin's difficult childhood, he was captured and enslaved by the same clan that had abandoned him, his mother, and his siblings. He worked as a slave for a while, before daringly escaping and returning to his family. Chinese and Mongolian historical sources say that at some point Temujin was taken prisoner by the Jin dynasty, which controlled part of China at the time, and was held captive there for several years. It is not known whether this is true or not. Before his father died, Temujin had been forced to marry Borte, a young woman fromanother tribe when he was sixteen. In 1178 he went to live with the Borte family and, soon after, married them. It is unknown how many children Genghis Khan had before his death, but today he has one of the largest numbers of descendants the world has ever seen. We do not know much about Temujin's childhood: most of what we know today comes from "The Secret History of the Mongols", the oldest known artifact of Mongolian literature and history, written after his death. Temujin earned his reputation when he saved his wife, Borte after she was kidnapped by an enemy clan. It was not unusual for rival clans to attack each other. They burned the land, captured animals, kidnapped and killed people. Borte was captured during one of these sudden attacks, Temujin witnessed it all, and soon launched his intrepid rescue of his wife: after all, he had experience in planning escapes. She had the help of two of her friends, who agreed to help rescue her because they despised the clan that kidnapped her. One of them, Jamuqa, who Temujin would end up killing later because he was power-hungry. This earned him the respect and power he desired. He soon began to form alliances with other clans, which would soon lead to the unification of the Mongols. He also built a reputation as a warrior and attracted a large number of followers which continued to grow. At this point in his life Temujin decided it would be appropriate to change his name to Genghis Khan, a great honor. The name meant "supreme leader of the universe". "I have committed many acts of cruelty and had countless men killed, never knowing whether what I did was right. But I am indifferent to what people think of me." -Genghis Khan's rise to power infamous tyrant was just the beginning. When he died, Genghis Khan conquered more than twice as much land as any other person in history. The Great Khan had a keen eye for talent and strength, and usually promoted his officers based on skill and experience rather than their class or ancestry, as other clans and empires did. A famous and intriguing example of this was during a battle against your rival. Taijut tribe in 1201, when Genghis was nearly killed after his horse was shot with an arrow from under him. Later, when Genghis and his men interrogated the captives and Taijut prisoners and demanded to know who was responsible for the murder of his warhorse, one soldier bravely stood up and admitted that he was the murderer. Greatly surprised by the archer's audacity, Genghis made him an officer of his army and later gave him the nickname "Arrow", in honor of their first meeting on the battlefield. Thanks to Genghis, this man would later play an important role in the Mongol conquest of Europe and Asia. Genghis often ended up killing his allies in arguments or battles. Around 1200, Genghis had allied his clan of nomads with another tribe and together they would undertake a campaign against the Tartars, a nomadic group of people living in what is now Russia. Genghis defeated the Tartars two years later, in 1202. The two allied clans would later have a dispute, which would end with Genghis killing the chieftain and defeating his forces. This is what happened to Jamuqa and he eventually got himself killed too, after a slight disagreement. Genghis and Jamuqa's friendship lasted only a year and a half after they helped save Borte. One day, while the two were moving camp, Jamuqa let slip a remark about his choice of campsite, which encouraged Borte to warn Genghis that it was time for the two friends to separate. It is said that Jamuqa was trying to cause disruption in the clan leadership. It seemedthat Genghis found it difficult to abandon his long-time companion, but in the end, as in every case, he followed Borte's advice. When Genghis recognized that he had to do so, Jamuqa was indignant. His birdlike behavior led some of his officers to lean towards Genghis. This argument ended with the murder of Jamuqa, in front of all his men, who then sided with the strongest and most powerful leader: Genghis Khan. By 1205, the Great Khan had defeated all his rivals, including his former best friend, Jamuqa. The following year, in 1206, he held a famous meeting called the Khuriltai, which consisted of representatives from each tribe of the allied territory and created a nation the size of what is today Mongolia. By that year, 1206, Genghis Khan had conquered most of Mongolia helping to unite the Mongols under his rule. The remaining tribes were forced to recognize him as their leader. He invaded the clans, defeated their leader, and forced them to join him. When a clan resisted, he burned them alive. After uniting all the nomadic tribes, Genghis Khan led a Mongol army of approximately 100,000 men on a series of military missions to expand his Mongol territory. Many people actually believe that uniting the Mongols, rather than conquering Asia after unifying the Mongols, was Genghis' greatest achievement. One of Genghis Khan's greatest successes was his first campaign, or mission, outside Mongolia. It took place against the Xi Xia kingdom, one of the three kingdoms of China. In 1209, after numerous raids, the Mongols headed towards the capital Xi Xia. They rode their horses, the knights were deadly skilled with bow and arrow, sometimes training from when they learned to walk. Once in the capital, Genghis Khan and his Mongol army attempted to flood the city but failed. Their next plan was to mimic a false retreat – one of their signature tactics – and then initiate a blockade. At this point, ruler Xi Xia surrendered and paid homage to the victorious Mongols. The Mongols next invaded China's Jin Dynasty, another of China's three kingdoms. From 1211 to 1214, the outnumbered, unbeatable Mongol army ravaged the country, sending unwanted refugees flooding into the cities. There was a massive shortage of food, and to solve this problem, the Jin army ended up killing thousands of its own inhabitants. For this reason, in 1214, the Mongols attacked the capital of China, Zhongdu, now Beijing, and the ruler Jin. he gave tribute in large quantities of silk, silver and gold and horses for battle. Shortly thereafter, with the help of skilled Jin refugees, Genghis Khan demolished the city of Zhongdu, another of his great conquests. This caused him to turn his attention further west, invading more deeply into Central Asia and expanding his army to 200,000 men. Until the tyrant's death, Genghis Khan, along with his Mongol army, conquered parts of what is modern Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Iran, and small parts of Russia. These battles and wars were extremely brutal and devastating, often drastically decreasing the population and destroying many large cities. Amazingly, in just twenty-five years, Genghis Khan had conquered more lands and gained more military officers than the mighty Romans had during their entire 400 years of rule. In 1225 Genghis returned to Mongolia, but he certainly did not think of turning his back on the lands that remained vulnerable, but instead maintained contacts through his military officers. But in 1227, shortly before making a perhaps epic conquest of part of Europe, the mighty, the seemingly indestructible Genghis Khan is said to have fallen from his horse, dying immediately. Some also say he had, or had, malariahit by an arrow in the knee and, without receiving medical treatment, died due to an infection. However he died, the great Khan took great measures to ensure that his burial place was secret. According to legend, his funeral was followed by the killing of all those who had witnessed or come into contact with him during the journey to his burial site. Then, horses were repeatedly ridden over the grave to hide it. Those who did committed suicide and even killed their horses. To date, the precise location of the tomb is unknown. "A single arrow can be easily broken, but many arrows together are indestructible." - Genghis Khan At the edge of the battlefield during a campaign through China, Genghis Khan stood before his army of what would soon number tens of thousands of men. He held a single arrow in front of everyone, explaining to them that only that arrow was vulnerable and could be easily broken. He then added several more arrows together, showing them to his men and telling them that together, these arrows were strong and sturdy, and therefore could not be broken. This analogy is just one example of one of the many inspirational speeches that Genghis Khan gave to his army before battle. The way he spoke, with strength and passion, forced people to give him their attention. Similar to how more modern leaders, such as Adolf Hitler and the great Napoleon Bonaparte, spoke. But this was only one of the Khan's strategies. Genghis Khan organized his warriors in units of ten, a highly effective strategy, and also regardless of kinship or status, something no other army did. Although he was an animist, a person who worshiped his ancestors, Genghis was tolerant of many types of religions and people, his followers included Christians, Muslims, and Buddhists. It allowed for freedom of religion well before the idea took hold elsewhere. Genghis elevated men based on their abilities, courage, and loyalty to him. If a man showed cunning tactics in battle, he would be promoted more quickly, regardless of his caste. Genghis Khan practiced many advanced and ingenious battle tactics. His brilliant generals and their armies of slain knights and bowmasters constituted some of the world's largest spy networks, spending months scouting ahead of an attack, mapping roads and escape routes and even gathering and logging supplies in the infrastructure of local defense. They coordinated attacks such as ambushes, hit-and-run attacks, and surges. One of their most successful and commonly used strategies was the feigned retreat, in which troops would feign defeat and escape, only to turn on pursuing enemies. . The Mongols were able to do this because Genghis Khan did not care about appearances. Other armies would have been too proud to implement this tactic. Once the Mongolian army attacked the lands of Germany and Hungary, where 125,000 knights in shining armor foolishly chased the retreating Mongolian army, ending in their own death. The Mongols were also known to catapult large stones, dead animals, or flaming gunpowder bombs. above the stone walls of their victims' castle. They would blockade a city they were attacking, cutting off its supplies and starving its inhabitants. By doing this, instead of starving, the Mongol armies learned to survive on the blood and raw meat of their horses, sometimes bringing extra horses. Another common strategy of Genghis Khan's army could be considered the most brilliant: simply lighting extra fires to make it appear that the Mongol army was larger than it was. Genghis Khan said to the.