August 18, 1162 - Genghis Khan
He rose from a childhood of poverty and abandonment to unify the fractious tribes of the Mongolian steppe, then turned that consolidated force outward in campaigns that reshaped Eurasia. The Mongol conquests under his leadership resulted in the deaths of tens of millions and the destruction of entire cities and civilizations, making the empire he built one of the most consequential — and destructive — in recorded history. What distinguished him was not simply military force but an organizational and strategic capacity that transformed a collection of nomadic clans into a disciplined imperial machine.
From Wikipedia
Genghis Khan (born Temüjin; c. 1162 – August 1227), also known as Chinggis Khan, was the founder and first khan of the Mongol Empire. After spending most of his life uniting the Mongol tribes, he launched a series of military campaigns, conquering large parts of China and Central Asia.
Genghis Khan was born Temüjin between 1155 and 1167 as the eldest child of Yesugei, a Mongol chieftain of the Borjigin clan, and his wife Hö'elün. When Temüjin was eight, his father died and his family was abandoned by its tribe. Reduced to near-poverty, Temüjin killed his older half-brother Behter to secure his familial position. His charismatic personality helped to attract his first followers and to form alliances with two prominent steppe leaders named Jamukha and Toghrul; they worked together to retrieve Temüjin's newlywed wife Börte, who had been kidnapped by raiders. As his reputation grew, his relationship with Jamukha deteriorated into open warfare. Temüjin was badly defeated in c. 1187, and may have spent the following years as a subject of the Jin dynasty; upon reemerging in 1196, he swiftly began gaining power.
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