Pastoralist beginnings
Initially, Mongolia was occupied by five major tribal confederations (khanlig): Khereid, Khamag Mongol, Naiman, Mergid, and Tatar. The Jin dynasty of China, which controlled the region, used a policy of divide-and-conquer to retain supremacy over the individual tribes. It encouraged disputes between the tribes to keep them occupied with infighting and stay away from the Jin.
In 1143, the leader of the Khamag Mongol tribe, Ambaghai Khan, was betrayed by the Tatars and handed over to the Jin and executed. The Khamags responded by raiding the frontier and defeated a Jin counterattack. In 1147, the Jin signed a peace treaty with the Khamags, but the Khamags began invading Tatar lands. They were eventually defeated by the Jin and Tatars in 1161. |
Unity and the Rise of the Great Khan
Known during his youth as Temujin, Chinggis Khan was the son of the Khamag Mongol chieftain. He united the Mongol tribes through a mixture of manipulation and military force after his wife Borte was kidnapped by a rival tribe.
He forbade looting of enemies without permission and implemented a policy of sharing the spoils between the warriors rather than giving it all to the aristocrats. These policies led him to conflict with his uncles, who regarded him as an insolent usurper, and some of his former allies. However, between 1203-1205, he defeated his rivals and, in 1206, was crowned as the Great Khan, marking the beginning of the Mongol Empire. |