Dynasties of ChinaYuan dynastyYuan dynasty lineage
1206—1227
He grew up from an orphan on the grassland to become the co-leader of various Mongolian tribes, established the Great Mongolian Kingdom, and conquered the west and south, laying the foundation of the Yuan Dynasty and the Khanates.
Genghis Khan (Temüjin) is the son of Yesugei, the leader of the Mongolian Qiyan tribe, and his mother is Hoelun. When he was nine years old, his father was poisoned by the Tatar people, and the tribe was separated. The mother and son made a difficult living by gathering, fishing and hunting on the Onan River. He was also captured by the Taichiwu tribe and narrowly escaped. When he came of age, he married Bei Ertie of the Hongji La tribe. With the help of Wang Han and Zha Muhe of the Ke Le tribe, he recaptured his captive wife from the Merle beggars, and his power gradually grew.
After that, he joined forces with Wang Han to conquer Tata'er, and successively defeated Zha Muhe, destroyed the Kelei tribe, and broke the Naiman tribe, and unified the Mongolian plateau. In 1206, a general meeting was held at the source of the Onan River, and he was elected as Cheng Jisihan and established the Great Mongolian Kingdom. He organized his tribe into thousands of households, expanded the bodyguards of Qingxue, promulgated the Zhasa decree, and ordered people to write Mongolian in Uighur letters, laying the institutional foundation of the Mongolian state.
Before and after the founding of the People's Republic of China, he attacked Western Xia many times, forcing Western Xia to accept women's petition for peace in 1209; starting from 1211, he launched a large-scale attack on gold, and conquered Zhongdu in 1215; in 1219, because the caravan was killed, he marched westward to Khwarezm, and his troops reached as far as the Indus River and the grasslands of Eastern Europe. In 1226, he conquered Western Xia again. In July of the following year, he died of illness in the army when Western Xia was destroyed. After his grandson Kublai Khan established Yuan dynasty, he was honored as Taizu.
Cheng Jisihan unified all Mongolian tribes, ended the long-term tribal wars in the grasslands, established a well-organized military state, created writing and promulgated laws, and became one of the most far-reaching conquerors in world history. His Western Expeditions opened up transportation on the Eurasian continent and objectively promoted exchanges between the East and the West. However, the large-scale massacres and plunders during the expeditions caused a sharp decline in population and economic decline in many areas of Central Asia and North China. This cost should not be ignored.
PeopleBirth
Born on the banks of the Onan River. According to "The Secret History of Yuan Dynasty", his father Yesugei named him Genghis Khan (Temüjin) after the newly captured Tatar leader. There are other dates for his birth such as 1155 and 1167.
SocietyFather was killed
Yesugei sent Genghis Khan (Temüjin) to Hongjila tribe to get engaged, but he was poisoned and killed by Tatars on the way back. The Qiyan tribe was immediately separated, and the orphans and widowers were bullied. This experience tempered his tenacity and strategy.
DiplomacyHelp money to ask for Tatar
Join forces with Wang Han of the Kelie tribe, and cooperate with Jin Dynasty Prime Minister Wanyan Xiang to attack the Tatar tribe, kill its leader, and avenge his father. Jin Dynasty awarded him the title "Zhawu Tihuli", which enhanced his status on the grassland.
MilitaryDestroy the Kelei tribe
He turned against Wang Han and his son, and was defeated in the Battle of Helanzhenshatuo. He led only a few of his tribe to retreat to the Banjuni River, where he drank the muddy water with his followers and swore an oath. Then he raided Wang Han's camp and destroyed the Ke Lie tribe.
MilitaryDestroy the Naiman Tribe
Defeated Taiyang Khan of the Naiman tribe at Nahu Mountain and unified the western part of the Mongolian Plateau. After that, Zha Muhe rebelled against his relatives and was executed by Genghis Khan (Temüjin) by his subordinates the following year.
CultureCreation of Mongolian script
He captured Tata Tong'a, a Uighur native who was the chief seal officer of the Naiman tribe, and ordered him to use the Uighur alphabet to spell Mongolian and teach the disciples. From then on, the Mongols had their own writing.
Lasting legacyThe traditional Mongolian script popular in Inner Mongolia today evolved from this Uighur-style Mongolian script, and is still written in vertical lines today.
PoliticsEstablish the Great Mongolia
The Khuliltai Conference was held at the source of the Onan River, and he was elected as Cheng Jisihan, established the Great Mongolia, and awarded meritorious officials, and enfeoffed tribesmen and pastureland to his disciples and brothers.
PoliticsThe Thousand Household System and Qixue
All the herdsmen were organized into ninety-five thousand households, divided into hundreds and ten households. They were nomadic in peacetime and went on expeditions in wartime. They also expanded the guard army Qingxue to 10,000 people, and ordered Lu Jihu and Tuhu to be the chief judge to hear cases and register household registrations.
DiplomacyWestern Xia Uighurs returned
The Mongolian army besieged Zhongxingfu, the capital of Western Xia, and Western XiaXiangzong asked for peace. In the same year, the Uighur governor of Gaochang also killed the supervisor of the Western Liao Dynasty and voluntarily surrendered to Mongolia.
MilitaryGo south to attack gold
He led his army south to attack the Jin Dynasty and defeated the main force of the Jin army at Yehuling. After that, he attacked Hebei, Shandong and Shanxi in successive years. In 1214, he forced the Jin Dynasty XuanzongDuke Xian to sue for peace and move south to Bianjing.
MilitaryConquer Zhongdu
The Mongolian army captured Jinzhongdu and the palaces were burned. In 1217, Cheng Jisihan granted Mu Huali the title of Taishi King and entrusted him with the task of managing North China, while he turned his attention to the west.
MilitaryDestroy Xiliao
Zhe Bie was sent to pursue Qu Chulu, the Naiman prince who had usurped the power of Western Liao. Qu Chulu was defeated and killed, and Western Liao was destroyed. Mongolia's power has since then directly bordered the Central Asian power of Khwarezm.
MilitaryThe Western Expedition to Khwarezm
Previously, the caravan sent by Mongolia to Khwarezm was killed in Nandala, and the envoy was killed and humiliated again. Cheng Jisihan personally led the army to march westward and conquered famous cities such as Bukhara, Samarkand, etc., and many cities were massacred.
MilitaryBattle of the Indus
He pursued Zalandin, the prince of Khwarezm, to the banks of the Indus River and defeated him. Zalandin jumped on his horse and crossed the river to escape. It is recorded that Cheng Jisihan praised his bravery and warned others to follow this person's example.
PeopleQiu Chuji meets
Quanzhen Taoist Priest Qiu Chuji was summoned to travel thousands of miles from Shandong to the east and visited the palace in the Daxue Mountain (today's Hindu Kush Mountain). He advised Cheng Jisihan to respect heaven and love the people, be pure in desire, and reduce killing. He was revered as the "immortal".
Lasting legacyAfter Qiu Chuji returned to the east, he became the abbot of Changchun Palace in Yanjing and was buried in Baiyun Temple in present-day Beijing. Baiyun Temple is still the ancestral home of the Longmen Sect of Quanzhen Taoism.
MilitaryBattle of Kalka River
Zhe Bie and Su Butai led partial divisions to bypass the Caspian Sea, cross the Caucasus Mountains, and defeat the coalition forces of Kipchak and Rus principalities at the Kalka River. This was the first large-scale battle between the Mongolian army and the European army.
MilitaryEliminate Western Xia
Because Western Xia refused to send troops to help the Western Expedition and joined forces with Jin Dynasty, Cheng Jisihan once again conquered Western Xia personally. In June 1227, the last ruler of Western Xia surrendered, and Western Xia, which had been a country for nearly two hundred years, perished.
PoliticsDied of illness in the army
He died of illness in July while on the way to the Western Xia. The specific location is inconsistent in historical records. According to the "History of the Yuan Dynasty", before his death, he left behind the false Southern Song strategy and the strategy of uniting with the Song Dynasty to destroy the Jin Dynasty. After his death, he was buried in Qinan Valley, Mobei.
Lasting legacyThe Cheng Jisihan Mausoleum in Yijinhuoluo Banner, Ordos, Inner Mongolia today is a tomb where ceremonies are held every year; its true burial place has not yet been confirmed.
A member of the Hongji tribe, he was engaged to Genghis Khan (Temüjin) when he was young. After her marriage, she was kidnapped by a beggar named Mi'er, and soon after she was rescued, she gave birth to her eldest son, Jochi. She gave birth to four sons, Jochi, Chagatai, Ögedei Khan, and Tolei, and her status was respected.
The leader of the Zatlan tribe, he married Genghis Khan (Temüjin) three times. The two later parted ways, and he was promoted to Gur Khan by the tribes who opposed Genghis Khan (Temüjin). He was defeated repeatedly in battles, and was eventually executed by Genghis Khan (Temüjin) by his subordinates.
It's also Su Ge's answer that Genghis Khan (Temüjin) treated him like a father in his early years and used his military strength to regain his wife and expand his power. In 1196, he was named king for helping to conquer Tatar, and he was known as Wang Han. Later, he turned against Genghis Khan (Temüjin), was defeated and fled, and was killed by the Naiman people.
A member of the Zhala Yi'er tribe, he was known as the "Four Heroes" together with Borshu, Borhu and Chi Laowen. In 1217, he was granted the title of Taishi King and led the Mongolian and Han coalition forces to march through North China and recruit and surrender a large number of Han armed forces.
Originally a member of the Taichiwu tribe, he once shot and wounded Genghis Khan (Temüjin)'s war horse on the battlefield. After his surrender, he was given the name Zhe Bie (meaning arrowhead). In 1218, he defeated the Western Liao Dynasty, and later went on an expedition to the Caspian Sea and Black Sea with Su Butai.
The members of the Wulianghe tribe followed Zhe Bie across the Caucasus and defeated the Russian coalition forces at the Kalka River. After that, they repeatedly made extraordinary achievements in the campaign to destroy the Jin Dynasty and conquer Europe in the west.
A descendant of the Liao dynasty royal family, he was originally an official of Jin dynasty. In 1218, he was summoned to go north and accompanied Cheng Jisihan on his western expedition. He was trusted for his astronomy, divination and diction, and was called the "long-bearded man".
Named Changchunzi, one of the "Seven Sons of Quanzhen". In 1220, when he was over seventy years old, he was called to the west, met with Cheng Jisihan, and then returned east. He took charge of Taoism in the north and took in a large number of refugees in the war.