GENGHIS KHAN; my own words #82 My Death

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"The Arrow", Alakus, Badu, Boyrak, Bulay, Caliph Mohammed Amin Billah, Chamuka, Dilon Ildak, Erkekara, Friedrich Nietzsche, Genghis Khan, Gurkhan, Hakembu, Hujaku, Idikut, Jacob Abbott, Jin Dynasty, Jughi, Jurchens, Kan-ki, Karakorom, Karasher, Khan of Kurga, Kishlik, Kokza, Kushluk, Menglik, Mergus, Mongolia, Mongolian Felt, Mongolian Herds, Mongolian Hordes, Mongul, Nawr, Prester John, Shah Al-Din Muhammad, Sugujin, Tanguts, Taychot, Tayian, Temujin, The Khan of Katay, transported villages, Tukta Bey, Turkili, Vang Khan, Wisulujine, Xia Dynasty, Yemuka, Yezonkai Behadr, Yong-tsi, Yurt

I died in August 1227, during the fall of Yinchuan, which is the capital of Western Xia. The exact cause of my death remains a mystery to such people as Vickie Pedia. Intermittently as well as variously, she attributes it to my being killed in action against the Western Xia, illness, falling from my horse, or wounds sustained in hunting accident (hunting accident such as; I was cleaning my bow and arrow and didn’t realize it was loaded;  IT WENT OFF!)

According to The Secret History of the Mongols (and other cocka-maimy-conspiracy theories), I fell from my horse while hunting and died because of the injury.  Does anyone believe that after conquering the entire known world while astride a horse that I would fall off my trusty steed while hunting? They offer the wild story that I was already old and tired from my journeys. This is pure cognitive dissonance if I ever heard it.

The Galician–Volhynian Chronicle alleges I was killed by the Western Xia in battle, while Marco Polo wrote that I died after the infection of an arrow wound received during my final campaign.

Now who are you going to believe; a crazy Ukrainian or “Marco the Embellisher?”

Hells bells; no one is sure where or who wrote the Galician-Volhynian Chronical or if it was the original; to wit:

The Galician–Volhynian Chronicle is a historical record covering 1201–1292 regarding the history of a principality in modern Ukrainia. The original chronicle did not survive; the oldest known copy is in the Hypatian Codex.The compiler of the Galician–Volhynian Chronicle attempted to justify Galician claims to the Principality of Kiev. The first part of the chronicle (Daniel of Galicia chronicle) was written in Kholm, Germany and possibly by a boyar; Dionisiy Pavlovich (yet another wanna-be prince). My deepest thanks to Vickie Pedia for this fine insight!

Later Mongol chronicles connect my death with a Western Xia princess taken as war booty. One chronicle from the early 17th century even relates the legend that the princess hid a small dagger and stabbed me, though some Mongol authors have doubted this version and suspected it to be an invention by the rival Oirads. Boy-oh-boy; those Oirads sure are a hoot.

Years before my death, I asked to be buried without markings, according to the customs of my tribe. After I died, my body was returned to Mongolia to my birthplace in Khentii Aimag, where I am buried close to the Onon River and the Burkhan Khaldun mountains. I ordered the entire funeral escort killed and anyone else killed that came across their path.

 I did this to conceal where I was finally buried. I didn’t want anyone else digging up dirt on me!  Get it? I made a bit of morbid humor. He-he.

Maybe that is why people say I am an evil man; because I could kill others even after my own death.

Well – – – that’s my story and I am sticking to it.

Thanks to Jacob Abbott and Vickie Pedia I have been able to remember most of it.

Always good to go out with a bang!

 

GENGHIS KHAN; my own words #81 Attacking Georgia, Crimea, The Ukraine and Bulgaria by the Volga

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"The Arrow", Alakus, Badu, Boyrak, Bulay, Caliph Mohammed Amin Billah, Chamuka, Dilon Ildak, Erkekara, Friedrich Nietzsche, Genghis Khan, Gurkhan, Hakembu, Hujaku, Idikut, Jacob Abbott, Jin Dynasty, Jughi, Jurchens, Kan-ki, Karakorom, Karasher, Khan of Kurga, Kishlik, Kokza, Kushluk, Menglik, Mergus, Mongolia, Mongolian Felt, Mongolian Herds, Mongolian Hordes, Mongul, Nawr, Prester John, Shah Al-Din Muhammad, Sugujin, Tanguts, Taychot, Tayian, Temujin, The Khan of Katay, transported villages, Tukta Bey, Turkili, Vang Khan, Wisulujine, Xia Dynasty, Yemuka, Yezonkai Behadr, Yong-tsi, Yurt

 

 

My “Great Genghis Khan” coin,

minted in the year of your lord 1221

in Afghanistan

After the defeat of the Khwarazmian Empire in 1220, I gathered my forces in Persia and Armenia to return to the Mongolian steppes. Under the suggestion of Subutai, my Mongol army was split into two forces.

I led the main army on a raid through Afghanistan and northern India towards Mongolia, while another 20,000 man contingent marched through the Caucasus and into Russia under generals Jebe, aka “The Arrow” and Subutai. We pushed deep into Armenia and Azerbaijan. My Mongols destroyed the kingdom of Georgia, sacked the Genoese trade-fortress of Caffa in Crimea and overwintered near the Black Sea. Heading home, Subutai’s forces attacked the allied forces of the Cuman–Kipchaks and the poorly coordinated 80,000 Kievan Rus’ troops led by Mstislav the Bold of Halych and Mstislav III of Kiev who went out to thwart my Mongols’ actions in the area. Subutai sent emissaries to the Slavic princes calling for a separate peace, but the emissaries were executed. At the Battle of Kalka River in 1223, Subutai’s forces defeated the larger Kievan force. My Mongols defeated the Bulgars; who had made up stories to tell the recently crushed Russians that they had beaten my Mongols and driven them from their territory.

The Russian princes then sued for peace. Subutai agreed but was in no mood to pardon the princes. As was customary in Mongol society for nobility, the Russian princes were given a bloodless death. Subutai had a large wooden platform constructed on which he ate his meals along with his other generals. Six Russian princes, including Mstislav III of Kiev, were put under this platform and crushed to death.

My Mongols learned from captives of the abundant green pastures beyond the Bulgar territory, allowing for the planning for conquest of Hungary and Europe. I recalled general Subutai back to Mongolia soon afterwards, and General Jebe died on the road back to Samarkand. The famous cavalry expedition led by Subutai and Jebe, in which they encircled the entire Caspian Sea defeating all armies in their path, remains unparalleled to this day, and word of my triumphs began to trickle to other nations, particularly Europe. The two campaigns of General Subutai and Jebe reconnaissance campaigns to get an insight of the political and cultural elements in these regions. In 1225 both divisions returned to my main camp. These conquests were in modern-day Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, southern Kyrgyzstan, and southwest Kazakhstan; geographically, it is the region between the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers.

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Next post;  #82    The Death of Genghis Khan

GENGHIS KHAN; my own words #80 The End of the Khwarazmian Empire

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"The Arrow", Alakus, Badu, Boyrak, Bulay, Caliph Mohammed Amin Billah, Chamuka, Dilon Ildak, Erkekara, Friedrich Nietzsche, Genghis Khan, Gurkhan, Hakembu, Hujaku, Idikut, Jacob Abbott, Jin Dynasty, Jughi, Jurchens, Kan-ki, Karakorom, Karasher, Khan of Kurga, Kishlik, Kokza, Kushluk, Menglik, Mergus, Mongolia, Mongolian Felt, Mongolian Herds, Mongolian Hordes, Mongul, Nawr, Prester John, Shah Al-Din Muhammad, Sugujin, Tanguts, Taychot, Tayian, Temujin, The Khan of Katay, transported villages, Tukta Bey, Turkili, Vang Khan, Wisulujine, Xia Dynasty, Yemuka, Yezonkai Behadr, Yong-tsi, Yurt

 

It was 1221 and I was terribly upset by the Shah of Khwarazmia who had deeply insulted me.

 

The Mongol army under I, The Great Genghis Khan, my generals, and my sons crossed the Tien Shan mountains by entering the area controlled by the Khwarazmian Empire. After compiling intelligence from many sources, I carefully prepared my army, which was divided into three groups. my son Jughi led the first division into the northeast of Khwarazmia.

THE ARROW

The second division under The Arrow marched secretly to the southeast part of Khwarazmia to form, with the first division, a pincer attack on Samarkand. The third division under myself and Tolui marched to the northwest and attacked Khwarazmia from that direction.

The Shah’s army was split by diverse internal feuds and by the Shah’s decision to divide his army into small groups concentrated in various cities. I watched in amazement as the Khwarezmi Shah, Jalal ad-Din’s Army fell apart at the seams. This fragmentation was decisive in Khwarazmia’s defeats, as it allowed my Mongols, although exhausted from the long journey, to immediately set about defeating small fractions of the Khwarazmian forces instead of facing a unified defense. My Mongol army quickly seized the town of Otrar, relying on superior strategy and tactics that I executed.

I ordered the wholesale massacre of many of the civilians, enslaved the rest of the population and executed Kushluk by pouring molten silver into his ears and eyes, as retribution for his actions. Near the end of the battle the Shah fled rather than surrender. I allowed two years for The Arrow to hunt him down and gave him 20,000 men to do this. The Shah died under mysterious circumstances on a small island within his empire.

My conquest, even by my standards, was brutal. After the capital Samarkand fell, the capital was moved to Bukhara by the remaining men, while I ordered two of my generals and their forces to completely destroy the remnants of the Khwarazmian Empire, including not only royal buildings, but entire towns, populations, and vast swaths of farmland.

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Next post;  #81    Attacking Georgia, Crimea, The Ukraine and Bulgaria by the Volga

GENGHIS KHAN; my own words #79 The Shah, the Ambassadors and the Silk Road

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"The Arrow", Alakus, Badu, Boyrak, Bulay, Caliph Mohammed Amin Billah, Chamuka, Dilon Ildak, Erkekara, Friedrich Nietzsche, Genghis Khan, Gurkhan, Hakembu, Hujaku, Idikut, Jacob Abbott, Jin Dynasty, Jughi, Jurchens, Kan-ki, Karakorom, Karasher, Khan of Kurga, Kishlik, Kokza, Kushluk, Menglik, Mergus, Mongolia, Mongolian Felt, Mongolian Herds, Mongolian Hordes, Mongul, Nawr, Prester John, Shah Al-Din Muhammad, Sugujin, Tanguts, Taychot, Tayian, Temujin, The Khan of Katay, transported villages, Tukta Bey, Turkili, Vang Khan, Wisulujine, Xia Dynasty, Yemuka, Yezonkai Behadr, Yong-tsi, Yurt

 

Khwarazmia was governed by Shah Al-Din Muhammad.

I immediately saw the potential advantage in Khwarazmia as a commercial trading partner using the Silk Road, and I initially sent a 500-man caravan to establish official trade ties with the empire.

I then sent a second group of ambassadors (Mongols and Muslims) to meet with the Shah. My main ambassador was escorted to a private room where the Shah interrogated him.

“Tell me” said the shah, “has Genghis Khan really made all these supposed conquests and is he as powerful and his territory as extensive as is said?”

My ambassador replied, “It is the truth, Your Majesty.” And he continued, “He is as powerful as you have heard, Your Majesty, and you will soon find out if you cause difficulty with him.”

The Shah became livid with hearing such a braggadocios comment.

The Shah screamed “I do not know what your master intends by sending such flagrant messages to me. He is not my father and I am not his son. Does he think he will intimidate me with messages of great conquests and tales of such a wide empire? I will not honor him because of these wild stories.”

My ambassador realized he was on dangerous ground and softened his message.

I then sent three merchants as my ambassadors, one of them a Muslim, to discuss farther matters with the Shah.

Once again, they attempted to convince the Shah that I was indeed as powerful as my ambassador had said.

The Shah had all the men shaved and the Muslim man beheaded; the shah sent this head back to me with the two remaining ambassadors.

My Ambassador

This was an affront and insult to me.

Outraged, I planned one of my largest invasion campaigns by organizing together around 100,000 soldiers, my most capable generals and some of my sons. I left a commander and number of troops in China, designated my successors to be only my family members and appointed my son, Jughi, to be my immediate successor in the event that something would happen to me. 

I then went directly to Khwarazmia.

Me; Marching on the Shah

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Next post;  #80    The End of the Khwarazmian Empire

GENGHIS KHAN; my own words #78 The Tanguts Request Help from the Jin Dynasty

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"The Arrow", Alakus, Badu, Boyrak, Bulay, Caliph Mohammed Amin Billah, Chamuka, Dilon Ildak, Erkekara, Friedrich Nietzsche, Genghis Khan, Gurkhan, Hakembu, Hujaku, Idikut, Jacob Abbott, Jin Dynasty, Jughi, Jurchens, Kan-ki, Karakorom, Karasher, Khan of Kurga, Kishlik, Kokza, Kushluk, Menglik, Mergus, Mongolia, Mongolian Felt, Mongolian Herds, Mongolian Hordes, Mongul, Nawr, Prester John, Shah Al-Din Muhammad, Sugujin, Tanguts, Taychot, Tayian, Temujin, The Khan of Katay, transported villages, Tukta Bey, Turkili, Vang Khan, Wisulujine, Xia Dynasty, Yemuka, Yezonkai Behadr, Yong-tsi, Yurt

 

 

I had completed my desire to combine the Mongolian people under one nation. However, I grew restless when, in 1207 AD, I realized there was more territory that my Mongolian people had wandered to.

I organized my people, army, and state to first prepare for war with Western Xia, or Xi Xia, which was close to the Mongolian lands. I correctly believed that the more powerful young ruler of the Jin dynasty would not come to the aid of Xi Xia.

When the Tanguts requested help from the Jin dynasty, they were refused.

Despite minor difficulties in capturing its well-defended cities, I managed to force the emperor of Xi Xia to submit to vassal status.

In 1215, I, the Glorious and Most Feared Genghis Khan, besieged, captured, and sacked the Jin capital of Zhongdu (Beijing). This forced the Jin ruler, Emperor Xuanzong, to flee his capital and establish his court south to Kaifeng, abandoning the northern half of his empire to the me.

Me, as I entered Beijing

Meanwhile, a deposed khan of the confederation that I had previously defeated and folded into my ever-growing Mongol Empire, fled west and usurped the territory of the Khan of Katay. (now known as the Western Liao).

The deposed khan’s name was Kushluk.

I bravely decided to conquer the Katay and defeat Kushluk to take him out of power. By this time my army was exhausted from ten years of continuous campaigning in China against the Western Xia and Jin dynasty. Therefore, I sent only 20,000 soldiers against Kushluk, under my younger general, “The Arrow”.

With such a small force, The Arrow was forced to change strategies and resort to inciting internal revolt among Kushluk’s supporters, leaving the Katay more vulnerable to Mongol conquest. As a result, Kushluk’s army was defeated. Kushluk fled again, but was soon hunted down by The Arrow’s army and executed.

By 1218, as a result of defeat of Katay, my Mongol Empire extended its control west finally bordering on Khwarazmia, a Muslim state that reached the Caspian Sea to the west and Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea to the south.

Khwarazmia was governed by Shah Al-Din Muhammad.

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Next post;  #79    The Shah, the Ambassadors and the Silk Road