Genghis Khan may have prevented an early global warming, making him an eco-friendly warrior, if nothing else. He killed about 40 million people, erasing 700 million tons of carbon from the atmosphere.
One in 200 men today are direct descendants of Genghis Khan. About 16 million men or 0.5 % of the male population today are his direct-line descendants, which means that they all carry Y chromosomes that have been passed down from a single individual who lived about a thousand years ago. The Y chromosomes are also passed from father to son. We will never know the total number of descendants which include females.
He was captured and enslaved in 1177 but eventually managed to escape after befriending one of his captors. His reputation grew manifold after his escape. When Genghis Khan’s father was poisoned, Genghis was just nine and living with the tribe of the girl he was supposed to marry. When he heard the news, he went back to his tribe to take his father’s place as their chief. However, they refused to harbor the family and turned them out refusing them any protection. In 1177, during a raid, Genghis Khan was captured by that same tribe, called the Tayichi’ud. They tied him to a cangue (something like a yoke) which prevented him from moving his head or arms but left his legs free. He escaped with the help of one of the guards which earned him a fearsome reputation. He later appointed the guard’s son, Chilaun, as one of his generals.
In 1218, when Genghis Khan sent a trade caravan to the Khwarezmid Empire, the governor of the town of Otrar seized it and killed the traders. Genghis Khan retaliated by invading the empire with 200,000 men killing the governor by pouring molten silver down his eyes and mouth.
He would control the areas he conquered by marrying his daughters into the ruling families. He would then send his son-in-laws to war, thereby ensuring that his daughters rule in their stead. The son-in-laws usually died, and his daughters proved to be more successful at holding the kingdom together than his sons.
In adherence to Genghis Khan’s wishes, not a single soul was told of his burial site. Not one person who knew the location of his grave was left alive, including the soldiers who carried out the killing.
