Throughout the history of the Mongol Empire, there were a multitude of fantastic Mongol leaders. In this article, five of the very best Mongol leaders will be examined, ranging from the infamous Genghis Khan, to the last of the Mongol leaders, Timur, better known as Tamerlane.
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Perhaps the most famous of all Mongol leaders is the first one on our list — Genghis Khan. To this day, his name conjures up images of Mongol warriors, riding on horseback, tearing across the Asian Steppe, expanding westward to Europe. The fierce Mongol hordes were at their largest and most formidable under Genghis Khan, but let’s first look into his early life before he became a Mongol leader.
Gengis was born under the name Temüjin Borjigin around 1162. He was part of a mountain clan that resided in the Khentii Mountains, in northeast Mongolia, just north of Ulaanbaatar. His father was the clan’s chief.
When Temüjin was eight years old, his father was poisoned and died; the new clan leaders (who were likely responsible for the poisoning) banished Genghis, his brothers, half-brothers, and his mother from their clan. During this period, it is reported that Genghis and his family had to forage for food, living on everything from carrion and mice to berries and nuts.