Genghis Khan

or Jenghis Khan, a Mongol conqueror; born near the Onon river, Mongolia, in 1162. His father was chief over 30 or 40 clans, but paid tribute to the Tartar Khan. He succeeded his father when only 14 years of age, and made himself master of the neighboring tribes. A great number of tribes now combined their forces against him. But he found a powerful protector in the great Khan of the Karaite Mongols, Oung, or Ung, who gave him his daughter in marriage. After much intestine warfare with various Tartar tribes Genghis was proclaimed Khan of the United Mongol and Tartar_ tribes. He now profe ed to have a divine call to conquer the world, and the idea so animated the spirit of his soldiers that they were easily led on to new wars. The country of the Uigers, in the center of Tartary, was easily subdued, and Genghis Khan was now master of the greatest part of Tarre In 1209 he pa ed the great wall of China, the conquest of which country occupied him more than six years; the capital, Yenking, now Peking, was taken by storm in 1215 and plundered. The murder of the am pa a dors whom Genghis Khan had sent to the King of Kharism (now Khiva) occasioned the invasion of Turkestan in 1218 with an army of 700,000 men; and the two cities of Bokhara and Sam arc and were stormed, pillaged, and burned. Seven years in succe ion was the conqueror busy in the work of destruction, pillage, and subjugation, and extended his ravages to the banks of the Dnieper. In 1225, though more than 60 years old, he marched in person at the head of his whole army against the King of Tangut (Southwestern China), who had given shelter to two of his enemies. A great battle was fought, in which the King of Tangut was totally defeated with the lo of 300,000 men. The victor remained some time in his newly-subdued provinces, from which he also scnt two of his sons to complete the conquest of Northern China. At his death in Mongolia, in 1227, his immense dominions were divided among his four sons.