| Born | 1162, Central Asia |
| Died | 1227 (age 65) |
| Name | Genghis Khan |
| Reign | 1206 - 1227 |
| Title | Founder and first Great Khan of the Mongol Empire |
| Legacy | Established the Mongol Empire as a major regional power in Central Asia for centuries |
| Children | |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Other names | Temüjin |
| Conquered territories | Central Asia and surrounding regions |
Genghis Khan, also known as Temüjin, was the founder and first Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, one of the largest empires in history. Born around 1162 in what is now Mongolia, he united the nomadic Mongol and Turkic tribes of Central Asia and launched a series of military campaigns that conquered territory from the Caspian Sea to the Sea of Japan.
Temüjin was born the son of a minor Mongol tribal chief. As a child, he experienced the murder of his father and the abandonment of his tribe, forcing him to fend for himself. Through a combination of cunning, military prowess, and shrewd political maneuvering, Temüjin gradually united the formerly fractious Mongol clans under his leadership in the 1190s.
In 1206, Temüjin was formally declared "Genghis Khan" or "Universal Ruler" at a gathering of Mongol chiefs, solidifying his control over the Mongol homeland. From this base, he launched a series of invasions that expanded Mongol control across the Silk Road trade routes of Central Asia.
Unlike in our timeline, Genghis Khan's military ambitions were largely confined to Central Asia and the surrounding regions. He conquered the Kerait, Naiman, and Tangut kingdoms that bordered Mongol lands, as well as the Khwarazmid Empire centered in modern-day Uzbekistan.
Genghis Khan's armies employed innovative military tactics that emphasized speed, communication, and combined arms warfare. His soldiers were expert horsemen and archers who used terror and psychological warfare to demoralize their enemies. This allowed the Mongols to overcome larger, more technologically advanced foes.
However, Genghis Khan's conquests did not extend as far as they did in our timeline. He never reached Eastern Europe to the west or launched major invasions of China, Korea, or Japan to the east. As a result, the Mongol Empire remained centered in Central Asia rather than becoming a truly global power.
After solidifying control over Central Asia, Genghis Khan established a relatively stable imperial government based in the Mongol homeland. He created a centralized bureaucracy, instituted a uniform legal code, and encouraged religious tolerance and free trade.
The Mongol Empire endured for centuries after Genghis Khan's death in 1227, ruled by a series of his descendants who maintained control over the Mongol heartland. However, the empire never expanded to the same massive geographic scale as in our timeline, and its long-term cultural and political impact on Eurasia was more limited.
Nonetheless, Genghis Khan is remembered as one of history's greatest military commanders and empire-builders. His legacy includes the spread of Mongol and Turkic culture, the stabilization of the Silk Road trade networks, and innovations in military strategy and administration that influenced later civilizations. Yet without the sweeping global conquests characteristic of our timeline, the Mongol Empire remained a regional hegemon rather than a truly world-spanning power.
