There is still no single assessment of Genghis Khan’s personality. Under his unlimited power, he gathered all the Mongol tribes living to this day from Altai to Argun and from the Siberian taiga to the Great Wall of China. However, being a pedantically strict adherent to the rule of law, he wanted this power to be officially recognized. In the 52nd year of the ruler’s life, his long-standing dream came true: at a general tribal meeting, kurultai, he proclaimed the Divine Genghis Khan (Rossabi, 2011). Having firmly established himself on the throne, Genghis Khan created a hierarchy based on the traditional tribal life of the then-Mongolian society, distinguished by solidarity and religiosity. As a ruler, Genghis Khan was fair and wise: he founded writing and culture’s origins, respected women’s rights and restored the Great Silk Road.
However, asserting his dominance, the Great Conqueror sowed death everywhere: in the steppes of his native Mongolia, in the war with Northern China, and on a campaign in Central Asia. Khan adhered to his main principle: not to leave enemies behind him. There is much evidence that the Mongols walled up the townspeople alive in the city walls and built towers from them, shifting the bodies with layers of clay (Rossabi, 2011). This cruelty of Genghis Khan, apparently, came from the psychology of a warrior for whom strength was always in the foreground and, consequently, military affairs. At the same time, he did not practice cruelty for the sake of cruelty. In his orders, he often forbade the aimless beating of civilians. As a rule, the population of cities that voluntarily surrendered was spared and subjected to a moderate tribute.
Genghis Khan’s disagreements with his co-workers and family are mentioned only concerning his son Jochi. As a result, his third son Ogedei became the heir, but conflicts on this basis began only after his death. The Secret History of the Mongols has a more negative connotation in the description of the conquests and reign of Genghis Khan since, according to the version of detailed history, the battle of Dalan-Baljiut was won, and in secret, it was lost by the army of Genghis Khan (Rossabi, 2011). However, the reliability of both sources is still doubtful due to the high degree of propaganda from each side of that time: both the authorities of Genghis Khan and their opponents.
References
Rossabi, M. (2011). The Mongols and global history. WW Norton.