Mrs. Szafran
US History K
September 25, 2014
Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire
Temujin, who was later known as the Universal Ruler ,Genghis Khan was the Mongol leader. He viewed himself as the greatest. His success in warfare made him the rightful master. He thanked the people for their support and desired to be the best. He established the largest empire in history. After bringing together nomadic tribes he conquered Central Asia and China. With the help of his descendants they expanded the empire to places such as Poland, Vietnam, Syria, and Korea. The Mongols controlled land which was estimated to be the size of Africa. Tons of people were killed during Genghis Khan’s invasions. He believed in religious freedom and wanted to get rid of torture. He strongly encouraged trade and established the first international postal system. He created a law that outlawed tradition of kidnapping women. In this time period, the kidnapping of women brought many problems to the Mongols. Even as a teenager Genghis Khan suffered from having experienced the kidnapping of his wife. He had sought to find her, but who knows if he ever did. He also made it a law that under any circumstances were women to be sold into marriage. If animals were stolen that was a capital offense. Genghis Khan implied this to strengthen his country and be able to expand territory.
He ruled over about one million people. He held his first campaign against Xi Xia kingdom. Mongols traveled with no weaponry besides the bow and arrow, they also carried large reserves of horses. His army was made of cavalryman.These men were skilled with horses and knew how to hunt. They were well rounded and disciplined. This was beneficial because that meant they were better warriors than the average people who were raised in agricultural societies. Jin Dynasty was the Mongols next target. In the 13th century the Mongols