Running head: GENGHIS KAHN AND HOW HE SHAPED THE WORLD

Genghis Kahn and how he shaped the world
Joshua Padilla
American Military University
History
HIST111
Brian Carey

Genghis Kahn and how he shaped the world
For one to really know who Genghis Kahn really was, we must go back to the early years of his life. He was born in Mongolia around 1155 to a Borjogin tribal leader by the name of Yesukhei (Gentzel, n.d.). The Borjigin tribe is said to be decedent of Khabul Khan. Genghis khan’s mother taught him one of the most important skills that would lead to his great success, that is, to form alliances and make many allies.
When Genghis Kahn was a young boy of just nine years old, he was taken to live with his future wife Borte, by his father. As his father made the long journey home, he had fallen victim to a rival tribe (McKay, 2009). This tribe was known as the Tartars. The Tartar’s poisoned his father, and when Genghis Kahn herd what had happened to his father, he returned home to claim his throne as tribal chief. But due to his young age, many of the tribal people could not look to him as a leader (McKay, 2009). Him and his mother were treated terribly and lived in poverty.
At the age of twenty, he was captured by a different rivaling tribe, which marked the beginning of Genghis Kahn, the great Kahn, and worldwide domination of the eastern continents. He did not remain in captivity long; he escaped with the help of a few other captured men, and sought revenge. Once he returned to his home, he enlisted the help of his friends and allies. They formed an assault squad that went back to the rival tribe and killed everyone in the village (McKay, 2009). It was from here, he built an army of vast proportions that would develop into the world’s first modern military.
Genghis Kahn developed what is considered to be the world’s most technologically advanced and most powerful military for his time (Matteucci, 2004). He was successful at building such a great military due to his keen leadership and ability to make allies. Those that chose not to join him would be struck down and massacred. This gave strong motivation for surrounding tribes to join the Mongolian empire. Genghis Kahn’s armies grew from twenty thousand to over seven hundred thousand during his rule as great Kahn. They were more than just forced fighters; they were highly trained and equipped with the most technologically advanced equipment (Matteucci) (McKay, 2009). They also developed the world’s first ranking structure which is much similar to the ones seen in today’s modern world. This made the soldiers want to fight for him, for those who performed great were rewarded and held higher ranking positions.
Although Genghis Kahn was a ruthless individual, he was highly tolerant of many religions (McKay, 2009). The diversity of religion’s and cultural beliefs with in the Mongolian empire consisted of everything from Christianity to Hinduism. This was a very uncommon tradition during the 13th century. One would even see leaders of different religions coinciding with one another. This was in part because of the tax exempt status that they received, which most often kept the peace amongst the different religions (McKay, 2009). Religious temples were built along major trade routes and serve the purpose of sanctuaries. Much like todays typical solicitors, they would try to recruit the travelers that passed by, by taking some in and sheltering them. This aided in the expansion of the