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Jun 1, 1162
Birth
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. -
Jun 1, 1177
Temujin Captured
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. -
Jun 1, 1186
Elected Khan of the Mongols
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. -
Jun 1, 1197
Victory Against the Tatars
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. -
Jun 1, 1206
Mongol Plains Unified
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. -
Jun 1, 1218
Westward Expansion
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. -
Aug 18, 1227
Genghis Khan Dies
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.
