Genghis Khan
Born c. 1167 A.D., "Universal Ruler" 1206-1227A.D.
Jital of debased silver. 16 mm.
Ghazna mint.
Circa 1220-1 A.D.
The great Mongol leader Genghis Khan was one of the great conquerors in the
history of the world. Named "Temujin" he was born to a leader
of a small tribe in northeastern Mongolia. His father was poisoned when he was
about 10 years old. In 1206, Temujin united the warring
Mongol tribes and was proclaimed Genghis Khan ("universal ruler") of
the Mongol chieftains. In 1207, Genghis Khan led the Mongols on the first
of the series of destructive, bloody invasions that would result in the conquest
of much of the Asian mainland, occupying Beijing (Peking) in 1215.
Extending their expeditions to the shores of the Caspian Sea, the Mongol
warriors penetrated the steppes of Russia and totally defeated the Russian army
by 1223. They did not, however, follow up their victory with a conquest
of the cities to the west; instead they returned eastward. The
empire established by Genghis Khan eventually extended from the Pacific Ocean
in the east to the Black Sea in the west.