Temüjin was still a boy when his father was killed in the second half of the 12th century AD. The consequences for his family were devastating. Although Tem¸jin’s name meant ‘blacksmith’, he was not the latest in a long line of sedentary metalworkers. Instead, it reflected the importance of iron – and an ability to make it – among the clans of steppe nomads that collectively made up the Mongols. Temüjin’s father had been a leading figure among one of these groups, but his death brought a dramatic reversal of fortune. Tem¸jin was too young to assume his father’s position; instead, his family was ostracised by their clan and reduced to poverty. It was a brutal fate in the unforgiving world of the steppe, and brought real suffering. But Temüjin was a clever boy with an adventurous streak: a combination of his wits, a favourable marriage – agreed before his father’s death, but still honoured after it – and a knack for knowing when to make or break alliances saw him rise far higher than his father ever had. In 1206, Temüjin was recognised as the emperor of all Mongols, and received the title by which he is known to history: Genghis Khan (now commonly spelled ‘Chinggis Khan’).
By then, Genghis Khan was already in his 40s, which was a venerable age for a steppe nomad of that era. Becoming emperor did not mark the culmination of his career, though. Instead, Genghis Khan set about increasing his territory with a stunning series of conquests in northern China and central Asia. The empire that he forged continued to grow after his death in 1227. At its greatest extent, in 1279, the Mongol Empire stretched from the Sea of Japan to eastern Europe, covering about 22% of the landmass of the Earth. Among the many profound consequences of this was that East and West became more closely connected than ever before. While European travellers and merchants – most famously Marco Polo – were drawn to the empire, so too its influence was felt far beyond its bounds. Italian paintings, for example, began to include Asian faces. Therecan be no doubt that the little boy who suffered so much left a legacy that changed the world.
Traditionally, suffering is also something that has been closely associated with the rise of the Mongol Empire. Today, Genghis Khan is often viewed as a bloodthirsty warlord whose forces were responsible for massacres and cruelty beyond measure. He is infamous for reputedly issuing a simple ultimatum to cities in his path: surrender or die. That the Mongol Empire did not just deal in violence, though, is illustrated by an array of remarkable artefacts presented in a fascinating new exhibition at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds. Genghis Khan: how the Mongols changed the world (see ‘Further information’ box below) broadens perspectives of what the Mongols accomplished by examining a wealth of subjects, including nomadic life, administration of the empire, women’s roles, religious policy, craft and technology, and – of course – warfare. The result shows how the Mongol reputation for cruelty has obscured another side to their empire, which was also a place of religious tolerance, technological and artistic innovation, cultural exchange, and promotion based on merit. The exhibition explores, too, how it was that these nomads came to establish the largest contiguous land empire that the world has ever seen.
