Bedtime Biography: Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World summary

A teenaged girl and her husband galloped furiously across the steppes of central Asia, pursued by three horsemen from a different tribe. The man –⁠ Chiledu –⁠ attempted to create a diversion by circling around the base of a nearby mountain. But the girl –⁠ Hoelun –⁠ knew her husband’s efforts were doomed to fail. These lands belonged to their attackers, and the cargo she and her husband were carrying was far too valuable to ignore.

Hoelun was probably no more than sixteen years old. Yet she was about to make a decision that would forever change the course of history.

Temujin and his childhood friend, Jamuka, stood in front of a tree at the edge of a steep cliff. They’d come together to make vows of sworn brotherhood to one another –⁠ vows they’d already taken twice before in their younger years. This time, though, they were doing it as two grown men. The two exchanged horses and golden sashes. Through these gifts, Temujin and Jamuka were offering parts of their souls and symbols of their manhood. That day, they swore never to forsake each other. 

Temujin’s small band would now join with Jamuka’s and learn about the herding way of life. For a while, Temujin was content with that arrangement, allowing Jamuka to take the lead. But Temujin was still the man who’d once preferred to kill his older half-brother rather than submit to his dominance. And so over the next few months, as Jamuka began to treat Temujin less like an equal and more like a younger brother, Temujin’s resentment grew. He couldn’t stand it.

What happened in the wake of Ong Khan’s betrayal became the stuff of legends among the Mongol people. 

After being on the run all day, Temujin eventually reached the shores of Lake Baljuna. He and the nineteen men that had come with him were at risk of starving in this remote, inhospitable land. But, suddenly, a wild horse approached from the north. A potential source of food, Temujin’s brother, Khasar, rode out and killed the animal so the group could eat.

In the thirteenth century, the area south of Mongolia –⁠ or modern-day China –⁠ consisted of many independent states and kingdoms. All together, they comprised about a third of the world’s population. In this region, between 1207 and 1209, Genghis Khan subdued the Tangut people and, in 1211, decided to invade and conquer a group that had once been an ally, the Jurched. His raid on the Jurched would eventually develop into a war that would be fought for the next fifteen years, and the lands he took would be bequeathed to his descendents for generations to come.

After Genghis Khan and the Mongols defeated the Jurched, they brought back with them caravans of people, animals, and goods. Particularly vast was their bounty of silk. The Mongols were so replete with the textile that they used the surplus as packing material and wrapping for their other goods. 

You’ve reached the end of this Bedtime Biography. Thank you for listening. Why not pause listening now so you can stay in a relaxed state? And if you’re off to bed now, I wish you a good night’s sleep.