Börte was the first wife of Temüjin, who became Genghis Khan, the founder of the Mongol Empire. Börte became the head of the first Court of Genghis Khan, and Grand Empress of his Empire. Little is known about the details of her early life, but she was betrothed to Genghis at a young age, married at seventeen, and then kidnapped by a rival tribe. Her husband's daring rescue of her may have been one of the key events that started him on his path to becoming a conqueror. She gave birth to four sons and five daughters, who, along with their own descendants, were the key bloodline that further expanded the Mongol Empire.
The Merkit was one of the five major tribal confederations (khanlig) of probably Mongol or Turkic origin in the 12th century Mongolian Plateau.
Hoelun Ujin, also known as Hoelun Eke, was the mother of Genghis Khan and the wife of his father Yesügei, the chief of the Khamag Mongol confederation. Much of the current knowledge about her life comes from The Secret History of the Mongols. She came from the Olkhunut clan of the Khongirad tribe. She was accorded the posthumous name Empress Xuanyi (宣懿皇后) by Kublai Khan.
The Keraites were one of the five dominant Mongol or Turkic tribal confederations (khanates) in the Altai-Sayan region during the 12th century. They had converted to the Church of the East (Nestorianism) in the early 11th century and are one of the possible sources of the European Prester John legend.
Jamukha was a Mongol military and political leader and the chief rival to Temüjin in the unification of the Mongol tribes.
Kuchlug was a member of the Naiman tribe who became the last emperor of the Western Liao dynasty. The Naimans were defeated by Genghis Khan and he fled westward to the Qara Khitai, where he became an advisor to his future father-in-law Yelü Zhilugu. He later rebelled, usurped the throne and took control of the empire, putting an end to the rule of the House of Yelü. He was killed in 1218 by the Mongols and the domain of the Qara Khitai was absorbed into the Mongol Empire.
Wolf of the Plains (2007) is a historical novel from English author Conn Iggulden. It is the first book in the Conqueror series based on the Mongols of the Asian steppes. It is titled Genghis: Birth of an Empire in the United States.
Mongol (Монгол), also known as Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan in the United States and Mongol: The Rise to Power of Genghis Khan in the United Kingdom, is a 2007 period epic film directed by Sergei Bodrov, about the early life of Temüjin, who later came to be known as Genghis Khan. The storyline was conceived from a screenplay written by Bodrov and Arif Aliev. It was produced by Bodrov, Sergei Selyanov, and Anton Melnik and stars Tadanobu Asano, Sun Honglei, and Chuluuny Khulan in the main roles. Mongol explores abduction, kinship, and the repercussions of war.
Genghis Khan, also known as Chinggis Khan, was the founder and first khagan of the Mongol Empire, which later became the largest contiguous land empire in history. Having spent the majority of his life uniting the Mongol tribes, he launched a series of military campaigns that conquered large parts of China and Central Asia.
Khamag Mongol was a major Mongolic tribal confederation (khanlig) on the Mongolian Plateau in the 12th century. It is sometimes considered to be a predecessor state to the Mongol Empire.
Bo'orchu was one of the first and most loyal of Genghis Khan's friends and allies. He first met Genghis Khan as a boy. At that time, Genghis Khan was looking for his stolen horses. Bo'orchu helped to win back the horses, and returned with Temujin to his father, Nakhu Bayan, who scolded him, having feared he was dead. Later, Temujin sent Hasar to get Bo'orchu and bring him to Temujin's camp. Bo'orchu refused any reward for helping Temujin to recover the stolen horses, but recognized his authority and attached to him as a nökör, leaving his own family.
Yesugei Baghatur or Yesükhei was a major chief of the Khamag Mongol confederation and the father of Temüjin, later known as Genghis Khan. He was from the Borjigin family, and his name means "like nine", meaning he had the auspicious qualities of the number nine, a lucky number to the Mongols.
The Mongol Empire conquered the Qara Khitai in the year 1218 AD. Prior to the invasion, war with the Khwarazmian Empire and the usurpation of power by the Naiman prince Kuchlug had weakened the Qara Khitai. When Kuchlug besieged Almaliq, a city belonging to the Karluks, vassals of the Mongol Empire, and killed their ruler Ozar, who was a grandson-in-law to Genghis Khan, Genghis Khan dispatched a force under command of Jebe and Barchuk to pursue Kuchlug. After his force of 30,000 was defeated by Jebe at the Khitan capital Balasagun, Kuchlug faced rebellions over his unpopular rule, forcing him to flee to modern Afghanistan, where he was captured by hunters in 1218. The hunters turned Kuchlug over to the Mongols, who beheaded him. Upon defeating the Qara Khitai, the Mongols now had a direct border with the Khwarazmian Empire, which they would soon invade in 1219.
Tayang Khan — was a khan of the Naimans. According to The Secret History of the Mongols, he was physically weak when he was born and his father Inanch Bilge did not believe his son would survive to adulthood, therefore he was also called Torluq Tayang.
Buyruq khan — was the younger son of Inanch Bilge and a brother of Tayang khan.
The rise of Genghis Khan involves the events from his birth as Temüjin in 1162 until 1206, when he was bestowed the title of "Genghis Khan", which means something along the lines of "Universal Ruler" or "Oceanic Ruler" by the Quriltai, which was an assembly of Mongol Chieftains.
Qurchaquz Buyruk Khan was a 12th-century Nestorian leader of Keraites. He was a son of Marqus Buyruk Khan.
There were many wives and concubines of Genghis Khan, as was common for powerful Mongol men of the time. Wives and concubines were frequently acquired from conquered territory, and, in the case of Genghis Khan, sometimes whole empires, and the women enrolled as either his wives or concubines were often princesses or queens that were either taken captive or gifted to him.
The Baljuna Covenant was an oath sworn in mid-1203 AD by Temüjin—the khan of the Mongol tribe and the future Genghis Khan—and a small group of companions, subsequently known as the Baljunatu. Temüjin had risen in power in the service of the Kereit khan Toghrul during the late 12th century. In early 1203, Toghrul was convinced by his son Senggum that Temüjin's proposal of a marriage alliance between his and their families was an attempt to usurp their power. After escaping two successive Kereit ambushes, Temüjin was cornered and comprehensively defeated at the Battle of Qalaqaljid Sands.
