The Evolution from Temujin to Genghis

Birth

Jun 1, 1162

The great Genghis Khan was born as Temujin, an obscure plainsman in the Khentii Mountains of Mongolia. His mother, Hoelun, gave birth sometime in the summer of this year.

Temujin Captured

Jun 1, 1177

Temujin was apprehended in a raid by the Tayichi'ud tribe. He was enslaved for a number of months until a sympathetic guard facilitated his escape. Two of his future generals, Jelme and Bo'orchu, joined forces with him following this escapade.

Elected Khan of the Mongols

Jun 1, 1186

Through the gradual amalgamation of followers (albeit from the lower classes) in line with his meritocratic and skill-based government system, Temujin was thrust into a position of real power.

Victory Against the Tatars

Jun 1, 1197

In a combined strike with the much-stronger Jin tribe, Temujin and his Mongols helped to remove the threat of the Tatar forces. For his actions, Temujin gained the respect and allegiance of many fresh warriors.

Mongol Plains Unified

Jun 1, 1206

By this point in his life, Genghis Khan had either subdued or absorbed the Merkits, Naimans, Mongols, Keraites, Tatars, and Uyghurs; at last, the Mongol Plains were united under a sole leader.

Westward Expansion

Jun 1, 1218

Kuchlug, the deposed Khan of the Naiman confederation, controlled lands to the west of Temujin's growing empire. At Kuchlug's last stand, he was soundly defeated by the up-and-coming Khan's forces. Subsequently, Temujin earned his land and his empire expanded west to Lake Balkhash.

Genghis Khan Dies

Aug 18, 1227

After a life devoted to conquest, Temujin died in the summer heat of 1227. His cause of death remains a mystery, historians debate its true nature: Whether he died from battle wounds, fell off his horse while hunting, or an orchestrated assassination.