MONGOL EMPIRE · c. 1162–1227
Genghis Khan
Founder of the Mongol Empire · Conqueror · Lawgiver
- UNITED MONGOLS
- about 44
- RULE
- 21 years
- AGE AT DEATH
- about 65
He united the steppe and built the largest land empire of his age
Born Temüjin, Genghis Khan survived abandonment, captivity, and years of conflict on the Mongolian steppe. He built power by rewarding loyalty and absorbing defeated rivals into a new political order.
Timeline
History, Step by Step
His rise transformed scattered alliances into an empire. Every victory brought new people, resources, and resistance.
- 1170
A FAMILY ABANDONED
After Temüjin’s father dies, allied families desert his household, forcing the young family to survive alone.
THE OUTCAST - 1180s
ALLIANCES AND RIVALS
Temüjin builds a following through personal loyalty while friendships and blood ties turn into political contests.
POWER BUILDS - 1206
DECLARED GENGHIS KHAN
A great assembly recognizes him as supreme ruler after he defeats or absorbs the major steppe rivals.
THE UNIFIER - 1211
WAR AGAINST THE JIN
Mongol armies cross into northern China, adapting steppe warfare to fortified cities and a wealthy state.
NEW FRONTIER - 1219
THE KHWARAZM CAMPAIGN
A dispute over merchants and envoys triggers a devastating invasion across Central Asia and Persia.
VAST CONQUEST - 1227
DEATH ON CAMPAIGN
Genghis Khan dies during war against the Western Xia. His sons inherit an empire designed to keep expanding.
SUCCESSION
