war

Genghis Khan

From the Onon to the Caspian, 1206–1227

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Twenty-one years in which a confederation of steppe tribes became the largest contiguous land empire yet seen. The armies march, the empire spreads behind them, and two generals ride eight thousand kilometres around the Caspian to a river in Ukraine and back.

30events
15routes
1 January 1206 – 31 December 1227span
Wars & Empirescategory
Mongol EmpireCampaignsThe great raid

What is on the map

  • 23 Campaigns
  • 7 The great raid

Chronology

  1. At the source of the Onon, Temüjin is proclaimed Genghis Khanproclamation▸
  2. The Mongol heartland, 1206territory▸
  3. Wulahai fortress falls: the Western Xia campaign openssiege▸
  4. Zhongxing besieged — the Yellow River dykes are cutsiege▸
  5. The Western Xia submit and become a vassaltreaty▸
  6. The Western Xia made vassal, 1210territory▸
  7. The Great Wall crossed: war on the Jin dynastycampaign▸
  8. Huan'erzhui: the Jin field army is destroyedbattle▸
  9. Jebe forces the Juyong Passbattle▸
  10. Zhongdu falls after a year of famine and blockadesiege▸
  11. North China to the Yellow River, 1215territory▸
  12. Jebe annexes Qara Khitai without a siegeconquest▸
  13. Qara Khitai absorbed, 1218territory▸
  14. Otrar: the governor seizes the caravan and kills the merchantsincident▸
  15. The army rides west: the Khwarazmian Empire is invadedcampaign▸
  16. Otrar falls after five months; Inalchuq is executedsiege▸
  17. Bukhara, reached across the Kyzylkum, falls almost unopposedsiege▸
  18. Samarkand surrenders on the fifth daysiege▸
  19. Shah Muhammad II dies a fugitive on a Caspian islanddeath▸
  20. Merv surrenders to Tolui, then is put to the swordsiege▸
  21. Gurganj: the hardest fight of the war, the city floodedsiege▸
  22. Nishapur stormed in three days; 400 craftsmen sparedsiege▸
  23. Herat taken after eight days — it will rebel and be razedsiege▸
  24. Bamiyan, where a grandson of the Khan is killedsiege▸
  25. Parwan: Jalal al-Din beats a Mongol detachmentbattle▸
  26. The Indus: Jalal al-Din spurs his horse off the cliff and escapesbattle▸
  27. From the Caspian to the Yellow Sea, 1221territory▸
  28. Khunan: the Georgian army broken, King George IV mortally hurtbattle▸
  29. Derbent: guides taken by force for the mountain crossingcrossing▸
  30. Alans and Cumans split by envoys, then destroyed one by onebattle▸
  31. The Kalka: the princes of the Rus’ annihilatedbattle▸
  32. Samara Bend: the Volga Bulgars rout the raidersbattle▸
  33. Jebe and Subutai rejoin the Khan on the Irtysh; Jebe diesreturn▸
  34. The Western Xia rebel: the last campaign beginscampaign▸
  35. Genghis Khan dies at Xingqing; the Xia are eraseddeath▸
  36. The empire at his death, 1227territory▸

Routes and campaigns

  • South to the Western Xia
  • Across the Gobi against the Jin
  • Jebe rides into Qara Khitai
  • The Irtysh to Otrar
  • The Kyzylkum crossing to Bukhara
  • Hunting the Shah round the Caspian
  • Tolui through Khorasan
  • Into Persia and the Mugan steppe
  • The pursuit of Jalal al-Din to the Indus
  • Georgia, twice
  • Over the Caucasus by Derbent
  • West across the Cuman steppe
  • North to the Volga, and a beating
  • Home along the Kazakh steppe
  • Back to finish the Western Xia

Background reading: the parent article.

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