Known as one of the greatest conquerors in all of Asia, Genghis Khan, through military genius and a strict governmental hierarchy, formed an empire and unified his nation that was made up of once-dispersed tribes. Through meager and rough beginnings, Genghis Khan became one of the most feared names from the Pacific Ocean to the Adriatic Sea. His military battles formed the great Mongol Empire.

While not much is known about the early life of Genghis Khan, also known as Temuchin or Temujin, his father was poisoned and killed by another neighboring nomadic tribe known as the Tatars, who had an ongoing, seemingly eternal feud with Khan’s own people. Mongol legend states that Khan was from a line of wolves that once inhabited the area, and others say his birth was of divine origin. Genghis’ mother was forced to raise her family alone upon the death of their father and was fated to live many years in poverty. As Genghis grew older, he used his title and family name to gain prestige and political followers. Through his connections and friendship with an influential man named Toghril, they were able to raise an army of tens of thousands of men.

Genghis Khan, as he was now dubbed, knew that he would have to first conquer all the nomadic tribes living on the outskirts of Mongolia. He wanted no dissidents like his father had had and he trusted no one. His mission was fiercely adhered to and tens of thousands of people were slaughtered, except children who he knew would someday be his allies. Other prisoners became his servants and army battalions. He was able to turn an entirely nomadic people into one massive clan, or family. He moved families around, broke political ties, and made sure he had taken care of any potential enemies.

Khan’s success at eliminating all his rivals was unprecedented in history. He was able to unify a nation through his military campaigns and no longer were moguls involved in small, petty battles between tribes, but were now working for the cause of one man’s passion for a unified nation in which he was their “Universal Ruler” – their emperor. Once the Mongol empire was formed and stable, Genghis Khan was able to ensure that his entire nation was controlled through systems of apparent feudal colonization.

Genghis Khan believed that his empire was divine in nature, brought about by the will of God. He was revengeful, but had a strong passion to bring his nation together. He massacred thousands, but knew that the future was promising. His prowess in psychological warfare was also great, as he would often simply demand cities to surrender or face extermination. He had taken over all of China, many states in the Middle East, and even parts of Russia.

• Alexander the Great
• Julius Caesar
• Napoleon Bonaparte
• Kublai Khan
• Marco Polo