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The second part of Temujin's goal was to conquer the rest of the world. The first part was not achieved until 1206 and took a great deal of Temujin's energy. Nevertheless, he was able to award himself the title of Genghis Khan - Universal Ruler - at the age of 42. He did not rest but ordered armies into a series of powerful, swift and crushing campaigns against the Khwarisms of modern Uzbekistan, Persia and modern Iraq, Russia and eastern Europe, China and southeast Asia as far as Java. The attempt to conquer Japan only failed because unseasonal winds scattered the mighty Mongol fleets before they could land. These winds came to be known as the Divine Wind - kamikaze - that the Japanese believed demonstrated that divine providence existed to protect their homeland. Of the lands conquered, the agricultural systems of the fertile valleys of the Tigris were destroyed and the population of some areas today remains less than when the Mongols descended like some terrible scourge unleashed by God. Cities that attracted the wrath of the Mongol commanders were left in ruins: this was the fate of fabled Samarkand. Genghis Khan himself deputed able commanders to lead most of these campaigns and, indeed, the scale of his victories seems almost to be beyond his own expectations. For example, it seems that he was far from committed to trying to rule the whole of China. Still, the Mongol military machine smashed its way around the known world. Genghis Khan, in the meantime, was able to devote much of his time to the life of a great emperor. Among his pursuits seems to have been consorting with women on a heroic scale. Recent DNA evidence, for example, has revealed evidence that approximately 0.5% of the male population alive in the world today, some 16 million people, is a descendant on the great emperor. After his death, the Mongol Empire was divided among four of Genghis Khan's sons and continued to dominate the Asian and Eurasian worlds for years to come. As a terror of the earth, Genghis Khan had few equals. References and Further Reading Mayell, Hillary, "Genghis Khan a Prolific Lover, DNA Data Implies, National Geographic News (February 14th, 2003), downloaded from: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/... Go To Page: 1 2 |
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