Different Opinions about Whether Genghis Khan Was a Hero or Villain
Discuss different opinions about whether Genghis Khan was a hero or villain.
While Genghis Khan’s intent was and still is very clear, putting the label of hero or villain next to his name is still an awfully hard task to perform. Genghis Khan can be labelled a hero because of his incredible leadership and his advanced military skills that helped him to create undoubtedly one of the largest empires the world has ever seen. Although Genghis Khan did achieve some great things, if you look at his ‘achievements’ from a non-Mongol perspective he was one of the worst villains to ever have existed. Violence is the main factor in the label of villain he has been given. He is also said to be a villain because of his incredibly gracious sexual appetite. Genghis Khan is a man of many different reputations and depending on the place in the world you visit you will get a very different opinion.
Genghis Khan’s ability as a leader is one of the stronger reasons as to why he is believed to be a hero in modern day Mongolia. After Genghis’ father was killed by poison, he became the chief or the Yakka clan at the age of 13. Genghis Khan is said to be the man who united all of the Mongols. Temüjin was first given the name of Genghis Khan (‘Universal Lord’) by his Tribe in 1189, and was agreed upon by all the Mongols in 1206.1 Uniting the Mongols allowed Genghis to gain control of an army much bigger and stronger, this may have been one of his best moves as it allowed him to conquer bigger more powerful enemies, Genghis had an army of over 200,000 on his conquest of Khwarizm.2 When Genghis united all the Mongols he decided to create a large empire, this allowed him to rule over 8 million square miles, Genghis’ empire was the largest the world has ever seen. Genghis once said “If you 're afraid - don 't do it, - if you 're doing it - don 't be afraid!” He was a very confident leader. Judging from the previous points, it is evident that in some cases, Genghis Khan should indeed be
While Genghis Khan’s intent was and still is very clear, putting the label of hero or villain next to his name is still an awfully hard task to perform. Genghis Khan can be labelled a hero because of his incredible leadership and his advanced military skills that helped him to create undoubtedly one of the largest empires the world has ever seen. Although Genghis Khan did achieve some great things, if you look at his ‘achievements’ from a non-Mongol perspective he was one of the worst villains to ever have existed. Violence is the main factor in the label of villain he has been given. He is also said to be a villain because of his incredibly gracious sexual appetite. Genghis Khan is a man of many different reputations and depending on the place in the world you visit you will get a very different opinion.
Genghis Khan’s ability as a leader is one of the stronger reasons as to why he is believed to be a hero in modern day Mongolia. After Genghis’ father was killed by poison, he became the chief or the Yakka clan at the age of 13. Genghis Khan is said to be the man who united all of the Mongols. Temüjin was first given the name of Genghis Khan (‘Universal Lord’) by his Tribe in 1189, and was agreed upon by all the Mongols in 1206.1 Uniting the Mongols allowed Genghis to gain control of an army much bigger and stronger, this may have been one of his best moves as it allowed him to conquer bigger more powerful enemies, Genghis had an army of over 200,000 on his conquest of Khwarizm.2 When Genghis united all the Mongols he decided to create a large empire, this allowed him to rule over 8 million square miles, Genghis’ empire was the largest the world has ever seen. Genghis once said “If you 're afraid - don 't do it, - if you 're doing it - don 't be afraid!” He was a very confident leader. Judging from the previous points, it is evident that in some cases, Genghis Khan should indeed be
Bibliography: Ancients Behaving Badly (2009) History Channel, A+E Networks (watched in class) Genghis Khan, Rise of a Conqueror (watched in class) documentary Grossman, Mark. "Genghis Khan." World Military Leaders: A Biographical Dictionary. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007. Ancient and Medieval History Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp? ItemID=WE49&iPin=WML0091&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 6, 2014). Upshur, Jiu-Hwa Lo. "Genghis Khan." In Ackermann, Marsha E., Michael Schroeder, Janice J. Terry, Jiu-Hwa Lo Upshur, and Mark F. Whitters, eds. Encyclopedia of World History: The Expanding World, 600 CE to 1450, vol. 2. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Ancient and Medieval History Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp? ItemID=WE49&iPin=WHII099&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 7, 2014).