Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World

Genghis Khan, the founder of the Mongol Empire, is born as Temujin, the son of the warrior Yesugei and his captive second wife, Hoelun. Weatherford’s main hypothesis on Khan’s life is that his upbringing on the outside of Mongol society inspires him to radically alter the fabric of that society once he ascends to power and assumes the title of Khan. He gains influence by making strategic alliances with powerful warlords and eventually defeating them when they pose an obstacle to his rise. Weatherford portrays him as a thoughtful and deeply spiritual figure, a pious adherent to Mongol religious tradition, and a devoted father. In this account, Genghis is motivated towards the goal of world conquest not simply for reasons of power or personal wealth but to spread the Mongol ideals of equality and free thought across the world. Mongol spirituality—from which he takes the idea of the equality of all peoples under the Eternal Blue Sky—is key to his portrayal by Weatherford. The vast majority of the contributions of the Mongol Empire to world culture and the technological innovations made possible by its rise are all credited to Genghis in this account; Weatherford implies that by making such innovations possible, Genghis should be given the most credit for their monumental effects on world history.