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Genghis Khan was born in Mongolia and named Temujin after a cheiftan that his father had captured.
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After his father was poisoned by the enemy, the clan refused to recognize Khan's leadership. He tried to claim his position as clan chief which caused conflict in his family. He killed his half- brother, Bekhter, which made others see him as the leader.
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At about age 16, he married Borte, according to an arragement his father had made when he was about nine years old.
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At the age of 20, he was captured in a raid and temporarily enslaved. He escaped and, along with his brothers, formed a fighting unit. Khan began his ascent to power by building a large army of 20,000 men.
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Council of three strongest Mongol tribes unites under Temujin and gives him the name, Genghis Khan, which means "Oceanic Ruler of the Universe".
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The Xi Xia kingdom surrendered to Khan in 1211. Next came the defeat of the Jin Dynasty after 20 years of battle. Lastly, the Khwarzim Dynasty surrended to Khan's 200,000 Mongol soldiers in the year 1221.
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Under Khan's rule, major trade centers of China and Europe were connected. Culture flourished as people could travel within the Mongol Empire. A new legal code known as Yassa was also developed.
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The cause of Genghis Khan's death has not been determined but one theory is that he fell off his horse on the way home from battle. He was buried in an unmarked grave somewhere in Mongolia. His descendents stretched the Mongol Empire across most of Eurasia. It is estimated that about 8% of Asians can be traced back to Genghis Khan.
