****an Account Of The Mongol Emperor-Gengis Khan! Poem by RAJ NANDY

AN ACCOUNT OF THE MONGOL
EMPEROR – CHENGHIS KHAN!
(1162-1227)

INTRODUCTION
For nearly 300 years they ruled over history’s
largest contiguous land empire;
Almost twice the size of Caesars’ Roman Empire,
And as world shaking as that of Alexander the Great!
These were the Mongols of the Eurasian Steppes!
They had pioneered a style of warfare during the
early thirteenth century,
Which was unparalleled in cunning and cruelty!
Inspiring our military strategists even to this day, -
For their art of warfare was totally revolutionary!
Like a swarm of locust herd out of the Gobi desert,
They swept east into China and into the Persian
Kingdom of the west,
Destroying everything in there path - laying it
barren and desolate!
And carved out a new world order, till at the age
of sixty five, -
The great Khan, in an unmarked secret grave, was
laid to rest!

BACKGROUND
During the end of 12th century when Europe lay mired
in the Dark Ages,
The Islamic state of Persia and the ancient kingdom
of China, -
Lying on the western and eastern flanks of the land
mass of Eurasia,
Were the two dominant cultured nations, -
Which set the standards of human civilization!
And between these two flanks, - lay vast stretches
of inhospitable semi-desert land!
Those flat, low grass lands with hardly any trees,
Were the great Eurasian Steppes where the nomads
grazed their animals free!
But these steppes were also inhabited by fierce tribes;
The Tatars, Markits, Uyghars, Kerait, the Mongols, -
Who led a challenging and a grim life!
With their ancient rivalries and divided loyalties,
Only the fittest could survive in Nature’s such climatic
extremities! @

‘TEMUJIN’- MONGOLIAN FOR ‘IRONWORKER’!
During this period of upheaval there rose a Mongol
rising sun,
Called Temujin, who united all the warring tribes into
One!
In 1175, his father who was a leader of a Mongol tribe,
Was poisoned by his old enemy the Tartars, who
spared his son and wife!
Leaving Temujin with his mother in the barren steppes
abandoned, -
At the mercy of unknown fate for their survival!
But this young boy of nine promised vengeance!
For the next thirty grueling years he fought to unite,
The warring factions of his Mongol tribes!
Next he subdued his old enemy the Tartars and in
1206, -
Was acclaimed as the universal leader Genghis Khan -
the Mongol King! !

HIS EMPIRE!
Temujin became a charismatic leader who like Hitler
and Alexander,
Drew people to follow him as a great cult figure!
Though outnumbered many a time in the fields of
battle,
The great Khan always won and never got rattled!
With his swift horses he formed tactical groups,
The finest of horse cavalry against his rival’s troops!
Attacking and retreating to draw out his enemies,
To annihilate them with blitzkrieg-like attacks, –
completely! #
During the 12th and 13th centuries his Empire to say
the least, -
Stretched from the Danube to the Sea of Japan in the
East!
And from the Artic in the north, to our modern day
Cambodia,
Covering 22% of entire earth’s area!
During his reign both East and the West exchanged
knowledge and goods,
Through the well protected and prosperous 5000 miles
of Silk Routes! **
After his death the vast empire got divided between his
sons and grandsons; $
Till the Great Mongol standards was raised once again
by the great Kublai Khan!

-Raj Nandy
04 Nov 09
New Delhi

FOOT NOTES: -
@ The inhospitable Steppe area has extreme of temperatures, ranging from plus 40 degrees C in summer, to minus 40degrees C
in Winter! The Steppes run from modern day Hungary to Mongolia
in CentralAsia!
#Blitzkrieg is the type of attack Hitler used during World War II, with his
fast moving ground troops and rapid air strikes- to surprise and also
immobilise his enemies!
** Silk Routes =from the 2nd century BC to the end of 14th century AD -
Great trade route originated from Chang’an (now Xian) in the East and ended at the Mediterranean in the West! It also diverged into 3 separate trade routes; in the North to the Black Sea area; the
Central Route to Persia, the Mediterranean & connected to Rome by Sea! Southern Route to Iran & India! In 1877 German geographer Ferdinand Richthofen called it -'Silk Route', because Silk was an
important commodity carried by the caravans!
Marco Polo also used this route, & gives us a glimpse of those historic times!
$ =Death of Genghis Khan remains a mystery! Was it an accident or battle fatigue, -remains a speculation of History! His Empire was know for its religious tolerance, & cultural exchanges between the
East & the West! After his death his vast Empire began to crumble!
But his grandson Kublai Khan(1260-1294) restored the Mongol Empire to its former days of glory! Genghis was given the title of -
'Khagan'-the Emperor, only after his death!
*****ALL COPY RIGHTS ARE RESERVED BY RAJ NANDY****