The Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, Genghis Khan: biography, years of reign, conquests, descendants. The story of Borte's kidnapping

The great ruler Genghis Khan is a Mongol conqueror who united the Mongol people and conquered many countries.

During the reign of Genghis Khan, a huge Mongol empire was created. He was born around 1162. Genghis Khan's father was the leader of one of the tribes that lived in Mongolia. When the Great Khan was born, his father named him Temujin, in honor of one of his overthrown rivals. At the age of nine, Temujin was left without a father. His father was killed by one of the warriors of the warring tribe. For many years, Genghis Khan's family lived in fear. The beginning of difficulties came to Temujin in early childhood, but he survived, and there were more difficult trials along the way.

At a young age, he was captured by a rival tribe. He was kept on a chain, and a wooden collar was put on his neck - this was so that he would not run away. Captivity turned Temujin from a helpless youth into a man strong in spirit and will. Over time, he became a powerful conqueror on earth. His fame came to him when he escaped from enemy captivity.

Teaming up with Tokhril, who was a friend of his father, gave Temujin a good position. Tohril was a tribal leader and relative of Genghis Khan. At that time, there were small wars between tribes in Mongolia. During the internecine wars, Temujin gradually made his way to the peak of glory. Many tribes learned about him.

Warriors from the Mongol tribe were known as excellent horsemen and brave warriors. They raided the northern part of China. But while Temujin was not khan, many tribes wasted their strength and resources on wars against each other. Having adopted different tactics - heroism in battle, a diplomatic approach, ruthlessness and organizational talent, Temujin was able to unite all the tribes in 1206. The Council of Mongolian elders named him Genghis Khan - “great khan” and proclaimed him the khan of the entire united tribe. Genghis Khan created a huge army, which he sent to neighboring countries.

The Xi-Xia state is marked on the map with symbols XI XIA

The first military attack was carried out on the state of Xi-Xia, which was located in the northwestern part of China. Afterwards, the horde went to the state of Jin, the northern region of China. During the capture of the Chinese regions, the Khorezmshah Muhammad and Genghis Khan quarrel, and the conflict between them increases. Khorezmshah Muhammad - ruler of Persia and Central Asia. And so in 1219, the horde of Chinggi Khan went to war against the Khorezmshah. The Mongol horde devastated the Persian lands and Central Asia, and the empire of the Khorezm Shah was torn to shreds.

At that time, a large Khan's army invaded Rus'. Then Genghis Khan went to war in Afghanistan and Northern India. The Great Khan returned to his native lands in 1225 and died in Mongolia in 1227. On the verge of death, the Great Khan handed over his government to his third son Ogedei.

This choice was reasonable, because Ogedei was a brilliant warrior and a strong military leader. During his reign, the Mongol horde continued its progressive actions in the Heavenly Empire (China), conquered almost all of Rus', and attacked European countries. 1241 is a year of enormous conquests. The Mongols defeated armies of Hungarian, German and Polish soldiers. The horde passed far beyond Budapest. But in the same year, the great ruler Ogedei dies, and the Mongol army leaves Europe forever.

After the strong rulers in Mongolia, there was a pause, during which the Mongolian leaders chose who would take the place of the Great Ruler. Under the next two khans, who were the grandsons of Genghis Khan - Kublai and Monak, the passage of the Mongols into Asian lands resumed.

Kublai Khan

In 1279, Kublai Khan completed his victory over China, and the Mongols held the largest territory in their history. The Mongol Empire included the following countries: Central Asia, East Asia, Rus', China, Persia. Kublai Khan's army raided Poland and the northern regions of India with great success. In Korea, Tibet, and parts of Southeast Asia, the sovereignty of the domains of Kublai Khan existed.

But the dominance of the highest scale could not last with the communications that were primitive at that time, and the Mongol empire soon suffered a split. But even after the split, Mongol rule lasted a long time in some countries. In 1368, a huge number of Mongols were expelled from China. There was a long reign in Rus'. The Great Golden Horde (the so-called Mongol Empire founded by Genghis Khan's grandson Batu Khan) lasted until the sixteenth century, and in Crimea the Khanate existed until 1783.

Other sons and descendants of Genghis Khan were the founders of dynasties. They ruled in Central Asia and Persia. These two territories were conquered by Timur (Tamerlane), he claimed that he was a true descendant of Genghis Khan and that true Mongol blood flowed in him. But by the end of the fifteenth century, Tamerlane’s empire had fallen. But this still did not put an end to the conquest and rule of the Mongols. In India, the Mongol dynasty was founded by the great-great-grandson of Tamerlane, Babur. The Mongol government in India lasted until the mid-eighteenth century.

History has a number of individuals who tried to take over the whole world and they achieved tremendous success. The most famous conquerors of history: Genghis Khan, Alexander the Great, Napoleon Bonaparte, Adolf Hitler. Why do these four individuals occupy such a great position in historical moments? Isn't the army itself anything important? Without further ado, I agree with the idea that the pen ultimately defeats the dagger. Each of the legendary four ruled vast territories and had such a huge impact on the existence of their contemporaries that it is impossible to dismiss them all as ordinary bandits. History has revealed to us many heroes and many conquerors.

Technological map of a history lesson in 6th grade according to the Federal State Educational Standard

Additional material

They conquer fortifications in the following way. If such a fortress is encountered, they surround it; Moreover, sometimes they fence it off so that no one can enter or exit; At the same time, they fight very bravely with guns and arrows and do not stop fighting for a single day or night, so that those on the fortifications have no rest; The Tatars themselves rest, since they divide the troops and one replaces the other in battle, so they do not get very tired. And if they cannot take possession of the fortification in this way, then they throw Greek fire at it... And when they have already entered, then one part throws fire to burn it, and the other part fights with the people of that fortification.

When they are already standing against the fortification, they speak kindly to its inhabitants and promise them a lot with the goal that they will surrender into their hands; and if they surrender to them, they say: “Come out to be counted, according to our custom.” And when they come out to them, the Tatars ask which of them are artisans, and they leave them, and kill the others, excluding those whom they want to have as slaves, with axes. During wars, they kill everyone they take prisoner, unless they want to save someone to have them as slaves.

IPATEVIAN CHRONICLE about the Battle of Kalka

News reached the camp that the Tatars had come to see the Russian boats; Having heard about [this] Daniil Romanovich and, mounting his horse, rushed to look at the unprecedented army; and the horsemen who were with him and many other princes rushed with him to see the unprecedented army. It moved away, and Yuri told them [the princes] that “these are arrows.” And others said that “these are simple people, lower than the Polovtsians.” Yuri Domamirich said: “These are warriors and good warriors.”

Having returned, Yuri told Mstislav everything. The young princes said: “Mstislav and the other Mstislav - don’t stand there! Let's go after them! All the princes - Mstislav, and another Mstislav, Chernigovsky, crossed the Dnieper River, other princes crossed [too], and [all of them] went to the Polovtsian field... From there they walked 8 days to the Kalka River. They were met by Tatar guards. The [Russian] guards fought with him and Ivan Dmitrievich and two others with him were killed.

The Tatars retreated, and near the Kalka River the Tatars met with the Russian Polovtsian regiments. Mstislav Mstislavich first ordered Daniel to cross the Kalka River with [his] regiment and other regiments with him, and after them he crossed, moving personally in the vanguard. When he saw the Tatar regiments, he returned and said: “Arm yourself!” Mstislav [Mstislavich] did not inform Mstislav Romanovich and the other Mstislav, who was sitting in the camp and knew nothing [about what was happening] because of envy of them, for there was a great discord between them.

The regiments converged and fought, Daniil rode forward, and Semyon Olyuevich and Vasilko Gavrilovich rushed to the Tatar regiments, Vasilko was pierced and wounded. And Daniel himself, wounded in the chest, due to his youth and ardor, did not feel the wounds in his body that he received, for he was 18 years old and strong.

Daniil fought well, beating the Tatars.<…>When the Tatars fled, and Daniil beat them with his regiment, Oleg Kursky fought hard with the other regiments [of the Tatars] who fought them. For our sins, the Russian regiments were defeated... And there was victory over all the Russian princes. This has never happened [before]. The Tatars, who defeated the Russian princes for Christian sins, came and reached Svyatopolchy Novgorod. The Russians, who did not know their treachery, came out to meet them with crosses, but they [the Tatars] killed them all.

According to the historical chronicles that have reached us, the Great Khan Mongol Empire Genghis Khan made incredible conquests around the world. No one before or after him managed to compare with this ruler in the greatness of his conquests. The years of life of Genghis Khan are 1155/1162 to 1227. As you can see, there is no exact date of birth, but the day of death is very well known - August 18.

The years of Genghis Khan's reign: general description

In a short time, he managed to create a huge Mongol Empire, stretching from the shores of the Black Sea to the Pacific Ocean. Wild nomads from Central Asia, armed only with bows and arrows, managed to conquer civilized and much better armed empires. Genghis Khan's conquests were accompanied by unimaginable atrocities and massacres of civilians. Cities that came across the path of the horde of the great Mongol emperor were often leveled to the ground when disobedient. It also happened that, by the will of Genghis Khan, it was necessary to change river beds, flowering gardens turned into piles of ashes, and agricultural lands into pastures for the horses of his warriors.

What is the phenomenal success of the Mongol army? This question continues to concern historians today. In the past, Genghis Khan’s personality was endowed with supernatural powers, and it was believed that he was helped in everything by otherworldly forces with whom he made a deal. But, apparently, he had a very strong character, charisma, remarkable intelligence, as well as incredible cruelty, which helped him subjugate peoples. He was also an excellent strategist and tactician. He, like the Goth Atilla, was called “the scourge of God.”

What the great Genghis Khan looked like. Biography: childhood

Few people knew that the great Mongol ruler had green eyes and red hair. Such appearance features have nothing to do with the Mongoloid race. This suggests that mixed blood flows in his veins. There is a version that he is 50% European.

The year of birth of Genghis Khan, who was named Temujin when he was born, is approximate, since it is marked differently in different sources. It is preferable to believe that he was born in 1155, on the banks of the Onon River, which flows through the territory of Mongolia. Genghis Khan's great-grandfather was called Khabul Khan. He was a noble and wealthy leader and ruled all the Mongol tribes and successfully fought with his neighbors. Temujin's father was Yesugei Bagatur. Unlike his grandfather, he was the leader of not all, but most of the Mongol tribes with a total population of 40 thousand yurts. His people were the complete masters of the fertile valleys between Kerulen and Onon. Yesugey-Bagatur was a magnificent warrior; he fought, subjugating the Tatar tribes.

The story of the cruel tendencies of the Khan

There is a certain tale of cruelty in which the main character is Genghis Khan. His biography, since childhood, has been a chain of inhuman actions. So, at the age of 9, he returned from a hunt with a lot of prey and killed his brother, who wanted to snatch a piece of his share. He often became furious when someone wanted to treat him unfairly. After this incident, the rest of the family began to be afraid of him. Probably, it was from then on that he realized that he could keep people in fear, but to do this he needed to prove himself cruelly and show everyone his true nature.

Youth

When Temujin was 13 years old, he lost his father, who was poisoned by the Tatars. The leaders of the Mongol tribes did not want to obey the young son of Yesugei Khan and took their peoples under the protection of another ruler. As a result, their large family, headed by the future Genghis Khan, was left completely alone, wandering through forests and fields, feeding on the gifts of nature. Their property consisted of 8 horses. In addition, Temujin sacredly kept the family “bunchuk” - a white banner with the tails of 9 yaks, which symbolized 4 large and 5 small yurts belonging to his family. The banner featured a hawk. After some time, he learned that Targutai had become his father’s successor and that he wanted to find and destroy the son of the deceased Yesugei-Bagatura, since he saw him as a threat to his power. Temujin was forced to hide from persecution by the new leader of the Mongol tribes, but he was captured and taken prisoner. Nevertheless, the brave young man managed to escape from captivity, find his family and hide with her in the forests from his pursuers for another 4 years.

Marriage

When Temujin was 9 years old, his father chose a bride for him - a girl from their tribe named Borte. And so, at the age of 17, he, taking with him one of his friends, Belgutai, came out of hiding and went to the camp of his bride’s father, reminded him of the word given to Yesugei Khan and took the beautiful Borte as his wife. It was she who accompanied him everywhere, bore him 9 children and with her presence graced the years of Genghis Khan’s life. According to information that has reached us, he later had a gigantic harem, which consisted of five hundred wives and concubines, whom he brought from various campaigns. Of these, five were the main wives, but only Borte Fujin bore the title of empress and remained his most respectable and senior wife throughout her life.

The story of Borte's kidnapping

There is information in the chronicles that after Temujin married Borta, she was kidnapped by the Merkits, wanting to take revenge for the theft of the beautiful Hoelun, Genghis Khan’s mother, which was committed by his father 18 years ago. The Merkits kidnapped Borte and gave her to Hoelun's relatives. Temujin was furious, but he had no opportunity to attack the Merkit tribe alone and recapture his beloved. And then he turned to the Kerait Khan Togrul - the sworn brother of his father - with a request to help him. To the joy of the young man, the khan decides to help him and attacks the tribe of kidnappers. Soon Borte returns to her beloved husband.

Growing up

When did Genghis Khan manage to gather the first warriors around him? The biography includes information that his first adherents were from the steppe aristocracy. He was also joined by Christian Keraits and the Chinese government in order to fight against the Tatars who had strengthened their positions from the shores of Lake Buir-nor, and then against the former friend of the Khan Zhamukh, who stood at the head of the democratic movement. In 1201, the khan was defeated. However, after this, a quarrel occurred between Temujin and the Kerait khan, since he began to support their common enemy and attracted some of Temujin’s adherents to his side. Of course, Genghis Khan (at that time he did not yet bear this title) could not leave the traitor unpunished and killed him. After this, he managed to take possession of all of Eastern Mongolia. And when Zhamukha restored the Western Mongols, called Naimans, against Temujin, he defeated them too and united all of Mongolia under his rule.

Coming to absolute power

In 1206, he proclaimed himself emperor of all Mongolia and took the title Genghis Khan. From this date, his biography begins to tell the story of a series of great conquests, brutal and bloody reprisals against rebellious peoples, which led to the expansion of the country’s borders to unprecedented proportions. Soon more than 100 thousand warriors gathered under Temujin’s family banner. The title Chinggis Kha-Khan meant that he was the greatest of rulers, that is, the ruler of everyone and everything. Many years later, historians called the years of Genghis Khan’s reign the bloodiest in the entire history of mankind, and he himself - the great “conqueror of the world” and “conqueror of the Universe,” “king of kings.”

Taking over the whole world

Mongolia has become the most powerful military country in Central Asia. Since then, the word “Mongols” has come to mean “victors.” The remaining peoples who did not want to obey him were mercilessly exterminated. To him they were like weeds. In addition, he believed that the best way to get rich was war and robbery, and he religiously followed this principle. Genghis Khan's conquests indeed increased the country's power significantly. His work was continued by his sons and grandsons, and eventually the Great Mongol Empire began to include the countries of Central Asia, Northern and Southern parts of China, Afghanistan and Iran. Genghis Khan's campaigns were directed towards Rus', Hungary, Poland, Moravia, Syria, Georgia and Armenia, the territory of Azerbaijan, which in those years did not exist as a state. The chroniclers of these countries talk about terrible barbaric plunders, beatings and rapes. Wherever the Mongol army went, Genghis Khan's campaigns brought devastation with them.

Great Reformer

Genghis Khan, after becoming Emperor of Mongolia, first of all carried out military reform. The commanders who participated in the campaigns began to receive awards, the size of which corresponded to their merits, while before him the award was given by right of birth. The soldiers in the army were divided into dozens, which united into hundreds, and those into thousands. Young men and boys from fourteen to seventy years of age were considered liable for military service.

A police guard was created to keep order, consisting of 100,000 soldiers. In addition to her, there was a ten-thousand-strong guard of the emperor’s personal bodyguards “keshiktash” and his yurt. It consisted of noble warriors devoted to Genghis Khan. 1000 Keshiktash were bagaturs - the warriors closest to the khan.

Some of the reforms Genghis Khan made in the Mongol army in the 13th century were subsequently used by all armies of the world even today. In addition, by decree of Genghis Khan, a military charter was created, for violation of which there were two types of punishment: execution and exile to the north of Mongolia. Punishment, by the way, was due to the warrior who did not help a comrade in need.

The laws in the charter were called “Yasa”, and their guardians were the descendants of Genghis Khan. In the horde, the great kagan had two guards - day and night, and the warriors included in them were completely devoted to him and obeyed him exclusively. They stood above the command staff of the Mongol army.

Children and grandchildren of the great kagan

The clan of Genghis Khan is called the Genghisids. These are straight descendants of Genghis Khan. From his first wife, Borte, he had 9 children, of which four were sons, that is, continuers of the family. Their names: Jochi, Ogedei, Chagatai and Tolui. Only these sons and the offspring (male) coming from them had the right to inherit the highest power in the Mongol state and bear the generic title of Genghisids. Besides Borte, Genghis Khan, as already noted, had about 500 wives and concubines, and each of them had children from their lord. This meant that their number could exceed 1000. The most famous of Genghis Khan’s descendants was his great grandson - Batu Khan, or Batu. According to genetic studies, in the modern world several million men are carriers of the genes of the great Mongol Kagan. Some of the government dynasties of Asia descended from Genghis Khan, for example, the Chinese Yuan family, the Kazakh, North Caucasian, South Ukrainian, Persian and even Russian Genghisids.

• They say that at birth, the great kagan had a blood clot in his palm, which, according to Mongolian belief, is a sign of greatness.
• Unlike many Mongols, he was tall, had green eyes and red hair, which indicated that European blood flowed in his veins.
• In the entire history of mankind, the Mongol Empire during the reign of Genghis Khan was the greatest state and had borders from Eastern Europe to the Pacific Ocean.
• He had the largest harem in the world.
• 8% of men of the Asian race are descendants of the Great Kagan.
• Genghis Khan was responsible for the death of more than forty million people.
• The grave of the great ruler of Mongolia is still unknown. There is a version that it was flooded by changing the river bed.
• He was named after his father's enemy, Temujin-Uge, whom he defeated.
• It is believed that his eldest son was not conceived by him, but is a descendant of his wife's abductor.
• The Golden Horde consisted of warriors of the peoples they conquered.
• After the Persians executed his ambassador, Genghis Khan massacred 90% of Iran's population.