A Mongol conqueror who came to power in the early thirteenth century and went on to preside over one of the biggest continental empires the world had ever seen, he was known as the “Great Khan.”

In 1206, he was given the title Genghis Khan, which means “universal ruler.” He was born Temüjin. As a military commander, he was brave and smart in his strategy. He was also a merciless subjugator who was well known for his terrible ways. Temuüjin was the first-born son of the chief of a tiny nomadic tribe, and he grew up in a nomadic environment. The death of his father by a neighboring tribe, the Tatars, while he was a child paved the way for him to ascend to the position of tribal leader. However, rather than allowing a youngster to lead them, clan members turned their backs on Temüjin and his family. He had survived the hardscrabble upbringing of an impoverished nomadic nomad. However, he seemed to be destined to become a great leader, according to all reports.  After forging ties with a number of tribal chiefs by the time he was 20 years old, Temüjin had established himself as the head of a tiny clan. By 1189, he had unified two Mongol tribes, which he then formed into an army that would overcome the opposing Tatars by 1202.

On December 6, 1206, during a

meeting of Mongol rulers, Temüjin was officially recognized as the Great Ruler, or Genghis Khan, of the Unified Mongolian State. The change of the Mongol tribes started with his division of them into military groups, each of which was backed by a number of family members. In addition to maintaining peace and order, he supported education and boosted economic development. Over the course of five years, Mongol civilization transitioned from one of nomadism and tribalism to one of militarism and feudalism. Genghis Khan gathered his forces in preparation for the expansion of the Mongolian kingdom under his command.

A succession of military expeditions by Genghis Khan’s troops resulted in the conquest of new territory and the subjugation of new peoples, often via the use of barbarous means. By 1213, he had established dominance over northern China, all the way to the Great Wall. By 1219, he had gained control of the majority of China and had begun operations in the Muslim world. When Genghis Khan died in 1227, he was in charge of a large kingdom stretching from China to the Caspian Sea. Seized by his sons, who proceeded to develop the Mongol empire, he died in 1204. His grandson, Kublai Khan, was the ruler of the Mongolian kingdom at its zenith during his lifetime.