The Life and Legacy of Chingis Khan
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- Date Submitted: 03/03/2010 12:15 PM
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The Life and Legacy of Chingis Khan
What's in a Name?
Chingis Khan's first name can also be spelled Chinggis, Genghis, Genghiz, Jengiz, or Tchingis—depending on the language in which it was written and on conventions of transliteration, and his name may be written with a hyphen between the two words. At birth he was named Temuchin (also spelled Temujin), meaning "blacksmith" from the Turkic words temur (iron) and jin (smith).1 This association with a strong metal, which Temuchin shares with Amir Timur (Tamerlane), would later be adopted by Joseph Stalin (Stalin means "man of steel"). Temuchin earned the title Temuchin Khan, or "Temuchin the Ruler," by leading his clan, but when he was elected emperor of all Mongol people in 1206 AD, he gave up being as strong as iron for something even greater. He was given the title Chingis Khan. The exact meaning of chingis is unknown, but it is associated with the ocean and is thought to mean "limitless as the sea," making him a "most righteous ruler" or "great sovereign."2 Whatever its etymology, the word implies a superlative power.
His Origins
Chingis Khan made significant contributions to history, but in order to understand what he accomplished, it is necessary to provide some background to his story. He was born to a clan of Mongols on the steppes of Eurasia sometime between the years of 1155 and 1167 AD.3 Steppes are flat, grassy areas with few trees—similar to the plains of North America. (Compare the ecology of these two geographies.) The steppes of Eurasia form "the largest unified area of flatlands in the world," an area too dry for farming without irrigation.4 Such geography created unique conditions that shaped Mongol history. Without farming, the Mongols had to rely heavily on the animals they kept: they rode horses, used oxen and camels to transport things, drank milk and ate meat and dairy products, and covered their homes with felt that they made from their sheep's wool. Their herds lived on native...
What's in a Name?
Chingis Khan's first name can also be spelled Chinggis, Genghis, Genghiz, Jengiz, or Tchingis—depending on the language in which it was written and on conventions of transliteration, and his name may be written with a hyphen between the two words. At birth he was named Temuchin (also spelled Temujin), meaning "blacksmith" from the Turkic words temur (iron) and jin (smith).1 This association with a strong metal, which Temuchin shares with Amir Timur (Tamerlane), would later be adopted by Joseph Stalin (Stalin means "man of steel"). Temuchin earned the title Temuchin Khan, or "Temuchin the Ruler," by leading his clan, but when he was elected emperor of all Mongol people in 1206 AD, he gave up being as strong as iron for something even greater. He was given the title Chingis Khan. The exact meaning of chingis is unknown, but it is associated with the ocean and is thought to mean "limitless as the sea," making him a "most righteous ruler" or "great sovereign."2 Whatever its etymology, the word implies a superlative power.
His Origins
Chingis Khan made significant contributions to history, but in order to understand what he accomplished, it is necessary to provide some background to his story. He was born to a clan of Mongols on the steppes of Eurasia sometime between the years of 1155 and 1167 AD.3 Steppes are flat, grassy areas with few trees—similar to the plains of North America. (Compare the ecology of these two geographies.) The steppes of Eurasia form "the largest unified area of flatlands in the world," an area too dry for farming without irrigation.4 Such geography created unique conditions that shaped Mongol history. Without farming, the Mongols had to rely heavily on the animals they kept: they rode horses, used oxen and camels to transport things, drank milk and ate meat and dairy products, and covered their homes with felt that they made from their sheep's wool. Their herds lived on native...