The Mongol Empire was the world's greatest empire after the British Empire. It was the world's biggest contiguous empire. It encompassed a massive area of 9.3 square miles or 23 million square kilometers at its greatest extent, accounting for approximately 16.11 percent of the entire geographical area of the World. ¹⁾

Mongols were nomads for as long as the Mongolian Empire existed. They used to roam in quest of food and shelter. ²⁾

Genghis Khan was born as Temujin in 1162 AD. His family was impoverished and struggled to make ends meet. He was kidnapped and imprisoned by a competing tribe, but he managed to escape and hide in a river fissure. Between 1178 and 1206, he unified several nomadic tribes of the Mongolian steppe in northeast Asia, eventually establishing the empire in 1206 AD. ³⁾

Genghis Khan grew up on the frigid Mongolian grasslands. In his youth, he was known as Temujin. Temujin translates to “iron” in English. Ogedei, Tolui, Chagatai, and Jochi were Genghis Khan's four sons. Tolui's son, Kublai Khan, was another renowned Mongolian monarch. ⁴⁾

Mongols waged war against the Western Xia, who governed northwest China and portions of Tibet, from 1207 until 1210 AD. In 1210, the Xia surrendered to Genghis Khan. In 1211, Genghis Khan and his army crossed the Gobi Desert to fight the Jin Dynasty in northern China. Mongols invaded Zhongdu, the capital of the Jin Dynasty, in 1215 AD. ⁵⁾

The Mongols were infamous for their ruthlessness in combat. To conquer the kingdoms, they destroyed everything and ruthlessly killed people everywhere they went. ⁶⁾

Genghis Khan and his troops launched a war against Transoxiana in 1219 AD (Now Central Asia). Mongols overthrew the Khwarezmid Empire in 1221 AD. They attacked and defeated the Kingdom of Georgia in 1223 AD. When Genghis Khan died in 1227 AD, his son Ogedei Khan ascended to the throne, and in 1235 AD, he built Karakorum, which is today in Mongolia. ⁷⁾

Babur, the first Mughal Emperor, was from the Mongol clan of the Barlas. ⁸⁾

Between 1236 and 1260 AD, Mongols invaded and destroyed Korea and the Song Dynasty of China, while also defeating minor kingdoms in Armenia, Georgia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Vietnam, Syria, Egyptian Mamluks, and other places. ⁹⁾

The Mongols were strategists. During combat, they devised a flawless strategy to conquer other kingdoms, and most of the time, their methods were successful. Their crucial phase in the war was to encircle the adversary and instill terror in his thoughts. ¹⁰⁾

Mongols originated amid the steppes and mountains of Euraasia. They were born in severe climates that ranged from extremely hot to extremely cold. Their parents taught them all of the military skills they needed as children. All of these factors contributed to their success in establishing a vast empire throughout Eurasia. ¹¹⁾

According to one estimate, Genghis Khan and his army murdered 40 million people throughout their military operations. Because the Mongols were frightened of being conquered, they killed countless races across Eurasia. ¹²⁾

Following Gedei Khan's death in 1241 AD, a succession conflict erupted among his family members. Töregene Khatun, Gedei's widow wife, gained leadership of the empire and ruled for five years. She was the most powerful woman in the world at the time. ¹³⁾