Temujin was born in Mongolia circa 1162. At his death in 1227, Genghis Khan had created the largest world empire before British rule. One school of thought posits that it was Khan’s ruthlessness and cruelty that made him so successful at conquering his enemies. Yet, with each invasion, Khan increased his army, gaining a stronger foothold across the world. While a cruel ruler can be effective, it was through his strategic maneuvers and laws which made allowances for women and children that have had a more lasting impact on the modern world.
Temujin received the name “Genghis Khan”, mongolian for Universal Ruler, after several victories over rival Mongol tribes. These defeats led other tribal leaders to agree to peace. The title of Genghis Khan was not only a political move, but also a spiritual one elevating him to a divine status. Khan made his warriors better with tightly clad gear, riding smaller horses for faster speeds and enhanced maneuverability. Each were highly disciplined and trained for combat with coordinated attack patterns and ingenious tactics. Khan organized mobile military operations, which served as a political bureaucracy ruled by a body of laws he created.
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Included in the laws, Khan outlawed the kidnapping of women as his first wife had been kidnapped and he devoted himself to finding her. His laws included declaring all children legitimate regardless of their mother and prohibited women from being sold into marriage. Animal stealing became a capital offence, along with taking the land of another. These laws serve as a precursor to modern day women’s rights laws.
Khan was the first ruler to introduce record keeping as he had decreed his native language be in written form. There was a supreme law officer, assigned the duties of collecting and preserving all judicial decisions, presiding over trials, and the authority to hand out death sentences. Khan’s system of government serves as a model for modern day judicial systems.
Khan also made laws that made it possible for any member of the army to receive promotion regardless of familial background. Any warrior who proved himself had a chance to rise in rank. As Khan’s empire expanded many other tribes were absorbed the fold with people having different religious beliefs. Philosophy intrigued Khan and he was interested in moral lessons from other religions; consulting Buddhist and Taoist monks, Muslims and Christian missionaries. This interest made him tolerant of other religion and possible for the members of his army to practice their native religions. Khan had established freedom of religion, one of the main reasons America’s first settlers escaped to the new world.
Khan’s influence on the new world can be found in modern day judicial systems, the rights of women, fairness in promotion, and religious freedom. He is known as being a cruel and relentless conqueror, yet it is intelligence as an administration that has influenced the structure of many modern day policies and governmental structures. Without his administrative abilities, Khan would not have been the successful ruler he was.
