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KF5JRV > TODAY 18.08.26 09:28z 50 Lines 3960 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 29948_KF5JRV
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Subj: Today in History - Aug 18
Path: HB9ON<DK0WUE<K7EK<VA2RIZ<PU2XTC<KF5JRV
Sent: 260818/0917Z 29948@KF5JRV.#NWAR.AR.USA.NA BPQ6.0.24
Genghis Khan, the Mongol leader who forged an empire stretching from the east coast of China west to the Aral Sea, dies in camp
during a campaign against the Chinese kingdom of Xi Xia. The great Khan, who was over 60 and in failing health, may have succu
mbed to injuries incurred during a fall from a horse in the previous year.
Genghis Khan was born as Temujin around 1162. His father, a minor Mongol chieftain, died when Temujin was in his early teens. T
emujin succeeded him, but the tribe would not obey so young a chief. Temporarily abandoned, Temujinâ€Ös family was left to fend
for themselves in the wilderness of the Steppes.
By his late teens, Temujin had grown into a feared warrior and charismatic figure who began gathering followers and forging all
iances with other Mongol leaders. After his wife was kidnapped by a rival tribe, Temujin organized a military force to defeat t
he tribe. Successful, he then turned against other clans and tribes and set out to unite the Mongols by force. Many warriors vo
luntarily came to his side, but those who did not were defeated and then offered the choice of obedience or death. The nobility
of conquered tribes were generally executed. By 1206, Temujin was the leader of a great Mongol confederation and was granted t
he title Genghis Khan, translated as “Oceanic Ruler” or “Universal Ruler.”
Khan promulgated a code of conduct and organized his armies on a system of 10: 10 men to a squad, 10 squads to a company, 10 co
mpanies to a regiment, and 10 regiments to a “Tumen,” a fearful military unit made up of 10,000 cavalrymen. Because of thei
r nomadic nature, the Mongols were able to breed far more horses than sedentary civilizations, which could not afford to sacrif
ice farmland for large breeding pastures. All of Khanâ€Ös warriors were mounted, and half of any given army was made up of armo
red soldiers wielding swords and lances. Light cavalry archers filled most of the remaining ranks. Khanâ€Ös family and other tr
usted clan members led these highly mobile armies, and by 1209 the Mongols were on the move against China.
Using an extensive network of spies and scouts, Khan detected a weakness in his enemiesâ€Ö defenses and then attacked the point
with as many as 250,000 cavalrymen at once. When attacking large cities, the Mongols used sophisticated sieging equipment such
as catapults and mangonels and even diverted rivers to flood out the enemy. Most armies and cities crumbled under the overwhel
ming show of force, and the massacres that followed a Mongol victory eliminated thoughts of further resistance. Those who survi
ved–and millions did not–were granted religious freedom and protection within the rapidly growing Mongol empire. By 1227, K
han had conquered much of Central Asia and made incursions into Eastern Europe, Persia, and India. His great empire stretched f
rom central Russia down to the Aral Sea in the west, and from northern China down to Beijing in the east.
On August 18, 1227, while putting down a revolt in the kingdom of Xi Xia, Genghis Khan died. On his deathbed, he ordered that X
i Xia be wiped from the face of the earth. Obedient as always, Khanâ€Ös successors leveled whole cities and towns, killing or e
nslaving all their inhabitants. Obeying his order to keep his death secret, Genghisâ€Ö heirs slaughtered anyone who set eyes on
his funeral procession making its way back to Karakorum, the capital of the Mongol empire. Still bringing death as he had in l
ife, many were killed before his corpse was buried in an unmarked grave. His final resting place remains a mystery.
The Mongol empire continued to grow after Genghis Khanâ€Ös death, eventually encompassing most of inhabitable Eurasia. The empi
re disintegrated in the 14th century, but the rulers of many Asian states claimed descendant from Genghis Khan and his captains
.
73 de Scott KF5JRV
Pmail: KF5JRV@KF5JRV.#NWAR.AR.USA.NA
Email KF5JRV@gmail.com
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