The Khan Legacy

In the old days, people learned about their ancestry through family stories, photos, or papers hidden in grandma's attic.

Maybe even a deep dive on an old microfilm machine at a local historical society.

But that only got you so far-a few generations at most.

Nowadays, you can take a medical swab, collect a few cells from the inside of your cheek, and get a full accounting of where your ancestors came from, going back hundreds, even thousands of years.

This new technology has changed the way we think about our families.

People have found long-lost cousins, uncovered affairs, and revealed long-buried secrets.

The past does feel so distant, and the world feels much smaller.

But it turns out, maybe we're all a lot closer than we think.

On today's episode, The Khan Legacy.

This

a twist of history.

It's the year 1170, and a young Mongolian boy named Tamujin guides his horse along a rocky mountain path.

Behind him, his father shouts a word of caution.

Temujin is moving too fast.

They can't rush this tricky part of their journey.

Temujin slows down, but only a little.

Even though though he's only nine years old, Temujin is an excellent horseman.

He learned to ride after he took his first steps, typical for a child in a nomadic tribe.

Temujin has spent his entire life moving with his clan, six times a year, following food, fresh water, and the seasons.

But today, he's traveling for a different reason.

Nine-year-old Temujin is about to meet his future wife.

As the myth goes, the Mongolian clans are descended from a woman who became pregnant by divine intervention.

A mysterious being as yellow as the sun entered her tent and shone his light on her womb.

Then he crept out under the cover of night disguised as a dog.

Her five sons spread out over the grasslands of Central Asia, but their descendants formed clans and constantly warred with each other.

They murdered and tortured their enemies, took clan members as slaves or concubines, and even killed their own family if it meant securing power.

Generations later, one of the descendants had an idea.

If the clans recognized one singular ruler, it could put an end to the needless violence.

The Mongolians would be united, and it worked.

He was named their leader and called himself Kabul Khan.

That man was Temujin's great-grandfather.

But after Kabul Khan's death, The Mongols went back to their warring ways, with clans killing, kidnapping, and pillaging without mercy.

The time of peace and prosperity seemed gone for good.

Then, in 1162, Tamujin was born.

He came into the world holding viscera in his fist that looked like a large blood clot.

This was an omen, a prediction that Tamujin would grow to be as strong as iron, a powerful leader just like his great-grandfather.

The Mongols took visions and omens seriously.

So from his first breath, many believed Tamujin was destined for greatness.

As As a child, Tamujin was told this story countless times, until he started to believe it too.

Now, Tamujin and his father ride east, and the mountains start to give way to the Gobi Desert.

Although he's only nine, Tamujin understands the significance of this moment in his culture.

He's excited but a little nervous.

The girl he's going to meet is a complete stranger.

He knows Mongolian men often take multiple wives, but the first one is the most important.

Finally, they reach the new clan's camp.

They approach the largest yurt, and the felt tenth flap opens.

A powerful chief wearing fur emerges, followed by a 10-year-old girl.

She's certainly pretty, but Tumujin senses that there's something more than that.

She has a face filled with light and eyes filled with fire.

She walks straight up to him and introduces herself.

Her name is Borta, and Tomujin thinks she'll make an excellent wife someday.

Later that night, the two families sit down for a dinner of mutton and mare's cheese, and Tomujin looks on as his father negotiates the marriage contract.

Borta's father demands a high price for his daughter.

His father is a chieftain, a prestigious position.

But they don't have the kind of riches Borta's father expects.

But finally, the men reach an agreement.

Tomujin's father offers a horse as a down payment with a promise to pay the full price later.

In the meantime, Tomujin will remain with Borta's family and work for his future father-in-law.

Tomujin can feel his cheeks burning red.

He doesn't want his future wife to look at him as a servant.

He's the great-grandson of the legendary Kabul Khan.

But Tomujin has no say in the matter.

His childhood has ended.

and he's one step closer to fulfilling his destiny.

Just a few days later, Tomujin is shaken from his sleep in the middle of the night.

As his eyes adjust to the dark, he sees that the man inside his yurt is his father's best friend.

If this man has crossed the desert to find him, something must be wrong.

He tells Tomujin the bad news.

It's his father.

Something happened to him on his return journey.

And he's very sick.

Tomujin needs to come home as quickly as possible.

Tomujin bids a quick farewell to Barta, unsure if he'll ever see her again.

Then he gets on his horse and races home.

He gets back as fast as his horse will allow.

He reaches his old clan to find his young siblings sitting outside their yurt, crying.

Tomujin enters to find his father dead, lying on a pile of blankets.

Tomujin's mother enters after him and pulls her son close.

As they embrace, she explains what happened.

Tomujin's father was riding across the vast vast Mongolian grasslands known as the steppes when he encountered members of another clan, the Tatars, having a celebratory feast.

The Tatars invited him to share their food and drink, but by the time Tomujin's father arrived home, he was so sick he could barely stand.

He was poisoned, tricked by a clan looking to take out another leader.

Tomujin knows it's up to him now.

Though he's just a boy, the time has come for him to lead their clan.

And yet, he's not scared.

Deep down, he believes.

He knows he's ready.

He promises his mother everything will be okay.

He'll protect her.

The whole clan will.

But at this, his mother's face hardens.

She tells Tomujin that their clan is abandoning them.

Tomujin races out of the tent to see everybody packing up their horses.

He shouts at them to stop.

Why are they abandoning their leader's family?

His father's best friend gives Tomujin the hard truth.

With his father dead, Tomujin is next in line to lead the clan, but this leaves them vulnerable.

If their rivals learn that a child is in charge, they're sure to attack.

They need to cut ties with Tomujin's family, pick a new leader who can protect them, and move on.

Tomujin protests.

They can't leave women and children alone without protection.

His family is sure to starve or be killed on the open plains.

Abandonment is a death sentence.

But no one makes eye contact.

They pack their tents and load their horses even as Tomujin screams and shames them.

He watches, helpless, as the long line of his clan rides away from him.

Tomujin's family, his father's two wives and seven young children, are left with no food, no supplies, nothing.

They're entirely alone.

Five years later, Tomujin and his brothers walk along the banks of a river.

It's winter, but spring is on the horizon, and the ice has melted enough to go fishing.

They're still without a clan, but against all odds, Tomujin's family has survived.

His mother and his father's second wife have become master foragers.

Tomujin hunts and fishes as well as a grown adult, even though he's only 14.

Tomujin finds a promising spot on the river and unpacks his fishing supplies when his youngest brother comes running.

Horsemen are circling the woods.

The men are associated with their old clan, the ones who abandoned them, and they're calling Tamujin's name.

Tomujin knows this is bad news.

They probably learn that he's still alive and are here to finish him off for good.

Tomujin has to act fast.

He and his brothers quickly construct a barricade of logs and branches.

The boys hide behind it, readying their bows and arrows.

One of them calls out, they're only here for Tomujin.

If he comes forward, they promise to leave the rest of the family in peace.

Tomujin is torn.

He wants to protect his family, but if he's captured, he's sure to be enslaved or even put to death.

He needs to make an escape.

He tells his brothers to ready their bows.

Then, in unison, they let their arrows fly.

The enemy horses buck and scatter.

Tomujin uses the diversion to mount his own horse and ride for his life through the melting snow.

He reaches a narrow valley between two heavily wooded mountains, and there, he barricades himself in a crevasse and waits.

Tomujin hides there for days, vowing not to emerge until he's sure the enemy is gone.

But eventually, hunger gets to him.

He's ridden high on the mountain, and it's too early in the season.

Nothing is growing up here.

If he stays, he's sure to starve to death.

His best chance is to cut a new path down the mountain.

Carefully and quietly, Temujin hacks his way through the dense brush, walking his horse behind him.

He breaks through a particularly large branch to find a wall of men on horseback.

His old clan has been tracking him, and now there's nowhere left to run.

The men dismount and grab Temujin by the arms.

He kicks and struggles, but he's no match against so many of them.

He's tied up and thrown on the back of a horse.

He's captured and as good as dead.

It's a few weeks later, just before the summer solstice in the year 1171.

Tomujin sits on the dirt floor of a yurt.

He's being held prisoner and every few days he's passed around to a different tent to be gawked at and teased.

He wears a heavy square wooden board around his neck.

It's too large for Tomujin to lie down or sleep.

His hands are bound, and he can only eat or drink if his captors decide to feed him.

It's a humiliating and painful punishment.

As Tamujin sits in the yurt, he's exhausted, hungry, and miserable.

He was expecting to be dead by now.

But clearly, the clan has other ideas.

And Tamujin doesn't want to wait around and find out what they are.

He has people he loves, his family and his future wife Borta.

and a destiny to fulfill.

If he wants to lead the Mongol people like his great-grandfather, he needs to find a way to free himself.

His captors for the evening are a family, a man named Zorkhan Shira, his wife, and their young sons.

But Tomujin doesn't recognize them.

He listens to their conversation and realizes that this family is from a subject clan, outsiders who were recently conquered.

Finally, something he can use to his advantage.

Tomujin joins their conversation to commiserate.

It's an awful feeling to be on the outside, especially when clan leaders don't respect you.

Tomujin knows what it's like to be under someone's thumb, to have other people dictate your life for you.

Sorkhan Shira doesn't respond, but Tomujin can tell his young sons are listening.

Later that night, the sons creep out of bed and offer Tomujin some food and water.

They also loosen the knot that affixes the rope to his wooden board.

They're too afraid to set him free, but he's one step closer.

The next night, Tomujin is being held in a new location, right in the center of the empty camp.

In the distance, he can hear everyone at the river celebrating Red Circle Day, the first full moon of the summer.

No one wants to miss out on the feasting, singing, and dancing, so Tomujin has been left behind with the youngest, weakest guard.

This is the chance he's been waiting for.

The guard holds onto the rope that's attached to Tomujin's wooden collar, but he isn't paying much attention.

His eyes are on the river, and he is muttering curses about having to stay behind to guard the prisoner.

He doesn't notice that Tomujin is using his hands to untie the rope that Sorakan Shira's sons loosened the previous night.

Finally, Tomujin works the rope loose.

He still has a wooden board around his neck, but now he can escape.

He drops the rope to the ground, startling his captor.

Just as the guard turns, Tomujin swings his neck with all his might.

The wooden board meets the guard's head with a sickening crack.

The guard drops to the ground, and Tomujin takes off running.

He heads for the river, downstream of where the clan is celebrated.

He rushes into the water until it's up to his neck.

His wooden collar has become a flotation device.

As Tomujin floats, he hears the clan take off in pursuit.

Men search the woods, the other yurts, the shoreline.

But in the dark, no one can see him in the middle of the river.

His path downriver takes him near Sorkhan Shira's tent.

Tomujin kicks his way to shore and sneaks into the familiar yurt.

He sits by the fire, shivering and dripping wet until the family returns home.

They're quietly relieved to find the young captive safe and sound, but they need to get him out of camp before anyone searches their tent.

They take off his wooden collar and burn it in their fire pit.

Sorkhan Shira leads Tomujin to a mare and offers him a bow with two arrows to protect him on his journey.

As Tamujin rides back to his family, he makes a decision.

He doesn't want to go back to a life of scavenging and living on the margins.

It's too dangerous, too vulnerable.

It's time for Tamujin to build his own clan.

Why does every recipe I try need 18 ingredients, including a jar of something paste I'll never use again, but will sit in my fridge for nine months?

I just want dinner in the oven fast.

That's why I love Blue Apron's new one-pan assemble and bake meals.

They send you fresh ingredients that are already chopped.

All you do is put it all together and bake.

That's it.

No chopping, no weird leftovers, just delicious, easy-to-make meals.

Get 20% off your first two orders with code APRAN20.

Terms and conditions apply.

Visit blueapron.com/slash terms for more.

Several years later, 18-year-old Timujin wakes up in his very own yurt in the center of a bustling camp.

He turns over to look at the beautiful young woman sleeping next to him, his wife Borta.

Tomujin gives her a soft kiss on the cheek.

He is finally made Borta his wife and he's the happiest he's ever been.

For the first time, Timujin feels like he's in charge of his own destiny.

Tomujin's experience as a captive showed him the cracks in the clan system.

When you rule by force, the people you conquer have no real loyalty to you, as Sorkanshira demonstrated.

If Tomujin was going to be a great leader, he would do it a new way.

And so, Tamujin set about ambushing weaker clans.

He was skilled on a horse and with an arrow, and soon became quite rich.

But instead of keeping the spoils for himself, as was custom, Tamujin shared with anyone who helped him.

People from all over Mongolia began abandoning unfair rulers and joining with Tamujin.

Soon, he amassed enough money to finally make good on his father's promise.

And that's when he rode back across the Gobi Desert, paid the balance of the bride price, and finally married his beloved Borta.

Now, in their yurt, Borta stirs in her sleep and opens her beautiful brown eyes.

Temujin doesn't think he'll ever get tired of looking into them.

Their reverie is interrupted by the distant galloping of hooves.

Tomujin immediately bolts upright.

There aren't any hunting parties due back at camp.

These horses must belong to outsiders, which can only mean one thing, raiders.

Tomujin whips open the tent flap and sees his camp is being invaded.

Someone has sent a large army, at least 300 horsemen, who look to be part of the Merkit clan.

Tomujin knows the Merkits are old enemies of his father's.

They probably heard Tamujin is gaining power and want to cut him down at the knees.

But Tamujin has prepared for this.

He shouts orders to his men, who grab their bows and mount their horses, ready to fight.

The women, children, and elderly pile onto smaller horses and carts, leaving camp as quickly as they can.

This is nothing they haven't faced before.

Everyone knows the part they're supposed to play.

The women and the children head for safety in the direction of a sacred mountain while Tomujin and the other men try to provide cover for their escape.

Arrows fly in every direction, but Tomujin and his men are wildly outnumbered.

There's nothing to do but make their own escape to the mountain.

Sheltered on a cliffside, Tomujin and his men set up a guard, waiting for the Merkits to follow them and attack, but they never arrive.

Tomujin thinks that Maybe this raid was just a warning shot.

He's not sure why they let his people escape, but he's counting counting his blessings.

Eventually, Tomujin's men stand down and survey their people.

They're shaken up, but largely unharmed.

He checks on his mother and siblings who are all safe and accounted for.

But then, his heart sinks.

He can't find Borta.

A deep shame washes over Tomujin.

He was so quick to attack the enemy that he forgot to protect his wife.

He left her alone to fend for herself.

And now, she might be dead.

He runs down the mountain path, shouting her name.

Finally, an old servant shares the bad news.

After Temujin and his men took all the horses, there was no way for Borta to escape.

The servant helped her hide in an ox-drawn carriage, but an axle broke on the way to the mountain.

The Merkits swarmed.

They quickly identified Borta as Tamujin's wife.

She fought and struggled, but the Merkits tied her to one of their horses and rode away.

Borta is now their prisoner, and it's all Tamujin's fault.

Weeks later, Tamujin and his followers ride across the grasslands in pursuit of Borta, but they're not headed for the Merkut camp yet.

The Merkuts number in the tens of thousands.

There's no way he can take them on his own.

Tamujin and his men crest a small hill and look out at the huge campsite spread along the river.

It belongs to the Jadarad clan, and one of their chieftains is an old childhood friend.

He's Tamujin's only hope.

When Tamujin was a boy, before his clan abandoned his family, he had a best friend named Jamoka.

They swore an oath by drinking each other's blood from a cow's horn.

This made them Anda, or brothers.

Even though they were only six years old, this was a lifelong pact.

A few years later, Young Jamaka was kidnapped by the Merkits, the same clan that kidnapped Borka.

Jamaka escaped from captivity and started building his own clan.

He built a reputation as a crafty, vengeful leader.

Jamaka was a dangerous enemy, which is exactly why Tomujin wants his old friend on his side.

Jamaka doesn't hesitate to come to Tomujin's aid.

In almost no time at all, he gathers 12,000 men to rescue Borta.

They ride across the grasslands until they arrive at the river across from the Merkit camp.

Under the cover of darkness, Tomujin and Jamaka lead their army across the river.

Some men swim alongside their horses.

Others gather reeds to build rafts and float to the other side.

It's not exactly stealthy.

The Merkit hear them approach and start to scatter.

Tomujin's men mount their wet horses and race into camp.

Arrows fly, hitting targets indiscriminately.

Tomujin is focused on those who are escaping.

He's sure Borta will be with the guards on a horse.

She's too precious to be left behind.

Tomujin races through the chaos and darkness, calling Borta's name.

Then, he spots her on the back of a cart, being whisked away like a prisoner.

He gallops towards her, calling out her name.

Recognizing his voice, Borta jumps off the cart and races to meet him.

She grabs the bridle of his horse and swings herself onto the saddle behind him.

Tomujin feels his wife's arms wrap around him and vows to never let her out of his sight again.

Tomujin rides to the center of the Merkut camp and finds Jamaka slashing a young warrior's throat with his sword.

He calls out to his friend, he's found Borta.

There's no need for more violence.

Jamaka yells back.

He has his own vendetta against the Merkut.

They'd kidnapped him years earlier, and now, everyone in this camp deserves to die.

But that isn't what Tomujin wants.

If they slaughter the Merkut, they're just asking for for even more violent payback in the future.

It's the same cycle of needless violence that Tomujin's great-grandfather put a stop to.

He leaves Borta in the safety of his guards and pulls Jamaka aside to speak privately.

They've already won the battle.

What more does he want to accomplish?

Wouldn't he rather be known as a fair leader than a bloodthirsty one?

Jamaka can't believe Tomujin doesn't want revenge.

The 300 warriors who attacked Tomujin's camp and captured Borta are now riding free.

If Tomujin lets them live, all of Mongolia will know he's weak.

But Tomujin holds firm.

When he asked for help, Jamaka promised to follow his lead.

Tomujin doesn't want to escalate the violence.

He needs Jamaka to back him up as his Anda, his brother.

Jamaka agrees through gritted teeth.

Tomujin breathes a sigh of relief and returns to Borta.

But now, in the early morning light, he notices something different about her.

Her previously flat stomach has a small but unmistakable bump.

Borta confesses with tears in her eyes, she's pregnant.

Tomujin does the math, counting the weeks they've been separated.

Borta sees her husband's mental anguish and answers the unasked question.

The child could be his, but she's also been raped in the camp.

There's no way to know who the father of this baby is.

Tomujin holds her close and reassures her that he will love the child as his own, no matter what.

But inside, he burns with deep shame.

He couldn't protect his wife, and now his firstborn child might not even be his.

He sits Borta by the fire and returns to Jamaka.

Tomujin tells him he's had a change of heart.

The Merkit do need to be punished, but Tomujin wants to do it on his terms.

The 300 men who attacked his camp will be found and executed.

Their wives and concubines will be taken back with Tamujin and Jamaka, but the rest of the Merkut will go free.

It's vengeance, but it's a punishment he hopes his men can respect.

18 months later, Tamujin is riding across the wide grasslands with Jamaka and Borta riding on either side.

Their ever-growing clan follows along behind them.

It's technically Jamaka's clan, the Jatarad.

But after their victory over the Merkit, Tamujin's people were officially welcomed into the fold.

The past year and a half have been the happiest of Tomujin's life.

He and Jamaka have led their people side by side.

They eat together, celebrate together, and even share the same tent.

It's like their childhood friendship has been reignited without skipping a beat.

But now suddenly, Jamaka motions for Tomujin to ride ahead with him.

His face is oddly serious.

Once they have privacy, Jamaka tells his friend that he had a vision the other night.

The two of them no longer shared the same tent.

They didn't even sleep in the same camp.

This must be fate telling them that their time together has come to an end.

It's probably for the best if Tomujin leaves the clan for good.

Tomujin's jaw drops.

All his childhood fears and embarrassments wash over him.

He swore he would never be clanless again.

But here he is, about to be abandoned by his best friend.

Before Tomujin can formulate a response, Jamaka rides even further ahead, leaving Tomujin in the dust.

Borta catches up with her husband and asks if something is the matter.

Tomujin tells her about the vision, but Borta just shakes her head.

She thinks Jamaka is making it all up.

In fact, she's been expecting Jamaka to do something like this for months.

She knows Tomujin loves Jamaka.

Borta even owes him her life.

But Jamaka will always put himself first.

and he's probably starting to notice that the clan prefers Tomujin over him.

Tomujin is fair.

he shares the spoils evenly, and he promotes people based on merit.

He's a better leader, and Jamaka wants to nip him in the bud.

Borta tells her husband it's time to make a break for it and strike out on his own.

She's certain people will follow him, and he can finally have his own clan where he answers to no one.

Tomujin isn't so sure.

If he leaves Jamaka's clan, he will have broken the bond of Anda, which would make them rivals and sworn enemies.

Any clan members who break away to follow Tomujin will be risking Jamaka's wrath.

He knows that if he wants to fulfill his destiny and unite the Mongols like his great-grandfather, he can't do it with Jamaka by his side.

Tomujin knows he'll have to face Jamaka again in the future.

But now, it's time to strike out on his own.

That evening, Jamaka leads his clan to a river to make camp, but Tomujin and Borta keep riding straight on through the night.

He keeps his eyes focused on the horizon, too afraid to look back.

He prays that people will follow him, but he also reminds himself that he's been abandoned before, and he built back up from nothing.

He's prepared to do it again.

Tomujin and Borta stop and look back.

He sees the leaders of a few sub-clans crest over the horizon.

There are dozens of horses following them.

Hundreds, maybe even thousands.

As they close the distance, it becomes clear to Temujin.

They all want to follow him.

Three years later in 1186, Tomujin stands on the crest of a hill with 13,000 troops on horseback behind him.

Men he has steadily recruited by offering horses, fine furs, and equal share of the spoils.

It's by far the largest army he's ever had.

But as he looks across the marshland, he sees almost three times as many men on horseback staring back at him.

Easily 30,000 troops, all led by Jamaka.

Tamujin can't believe it has come to this.

The two former friends are at war.

From opposite sides of the battle, Jamaka and Tamujin each give the signal for their armies to attack.

Archers on horseback gallop toward each other, unleashing rapid-fire arrows.

As the first wave of riders exhaust their quivers, they circle out of the way and a second wave charges forward.

This is traditional Mongolian warfare, the way both Tomujin and Jamaka had been trained.

But as Tomujin watches his men ride bravely at the enemy, he's overcome with a wave of regret.

He's already failed them.

They're using the same tactics as their enemy.

But that enemy is three times their size.

His archers' aim is true, but they're overpowered.

They fall from their horses and keep fighting in close combat, drawing swords and knives, anything they can find.

But it will never be enough.

Tomujin knows that if he stays in the open, he's sure to be captured.

He calls for a retreat, and his men flee back to their camp on the other side of the river.

A few days later, one of Tomujin's most talented archers stumbles back into camp.

He had been captured by Jamaka and only recently escaped.

Tomujin helps the man into his yurt.

He wants to know everything he saw.

The archer tells Tomujin how Jamaka's men were celebrating their victory.

They ate, drank, and celebrated just like any army would.

Then, Jamaka ordered the men to bring him 70 of Tomujin's captured officers.

He wanted them put to death, but not stabbed with a sword or shot with an arrow.

These men were to be boiled alive.

The archer struggles to describe the horror, the screams of his friends as they were slowly and painfully killed.

Tomujin stops him.

He doesn't need the man to relive the memory, but Tomujin does have one more question.

How did Jamaka's men react?

The archer tells him that a few of the men cheered, but most were silent.

Their food and drink went untouched.

The celebration stopped.

A number even walked away.

Tomujin thanks the archer for his story and steps outside to think.

His mind is reeling from what he's he's just heard.

While he hates that his men lost their lives,

he's encouraged that the cracks in Jamaka's leadership are starting to show.

His men are losing respect for him.

If Tamujin can get stronger, learn new techniques, and make new allies.

He just might break Jamaka for good.

But in order to do that, Tamujin needs to leave Mongolia, and he doesn't know when he'll be able to return.

Ten years after being defeated by his former friend Jamoka, 34-year-old Tamujin is riding across the eastern steppes along the Chinese border.

He's once again leading an army of his own, but this time, he knows they'll be victorious.

Instead of endless waves of archers all riding in different directions and listening to countless voices, Tomujin's new army has a strict hierarchy.

Each unit has 10 men organized into larger groups of 100, 1,000, and 10,000.

This ensures that messages can be passed clearly and efficiently.

And at the top is the singular commander whose orders will be followed exactly, Tamujin.

This innovation is thanks to the second army accompanying Tamujin.

It belongs to the Chinese Jin Dynasty, Tamujin's new, unlikely allies.

And with their help, he's out to avenge his father's death.

After his loss to Jamaka, Tamujin needed a place to safely regroup and plan his next move.

So he went to China.

Unlike the Mongols, the Jin weren't nomadic and had built up powerful cities.

They were happy to provide shelter to Mongol lords who had fallen out of power.

They could be helpful in battle and help solidify allies for the future.

Tamujin, his family, and a number of his supporters stayed in China for an entire decade.

In that time, he built up his own army, offering a refuge to Mongol warriors who were unhappy with their clans.

The Jin were also aligned with the Tatars.

Tamujin tried to keep his distance from the clan that killed his father.

But when squabbles between the Tatar and Jin leadership caused the Jin to lose an important battle, Tamujin saw an opportunity.

He pledged his new army in service to the Jin.

Together they can eliminate the Tatar threat, and Tomujin can finally get justice for the murder of his father.

Now, for the first time in almost a decade, Tamujin is fighting on Mongolian soil again.

Back on the steps, Tomujin gives orders to his commanders, who seamlessly pass them down the organizational structure.

They're not going to charge straight at the enemy.

It's time for a little deception.

Tomujin's men and the Jinn cavalry ride out, surrounding the Tatar camp on all sides.

Then, one unit attacks from the front.

The cavalry charges the camp.

Light armored archers weave in and out of the enemy, perfectly choreographed to cause maximum confusion.

Arrows fly from every direction.

Tatar soldiers grab their bows, desperate to mount a counterattack.

But before they can string their arrows, Heavy cavalry is upon them, spearing the men with lances and cutting them down with swords.

The entire Tatar camp swarms to the front to defend their position, which is exactly what Tamujin wanted.

From his command position, he gives the second signal.

This time, his men and the djinn attack the camp from the rear.

The Tatars never see them coming.

The Tatars are fighting the enemy on all sides and losing, badly.

Before long, they lay down their weapons and surrender.

Tomujin is victorious, but that's the easy part.

Tomujin has never forgotten the lesson he learned from Sorkan Shira, the man who helped him escape captivity when he was a child.

How a leader treats conquered people determines the strength of his clan, and he doesn't want to be like Jamaka, who boiled his enemies alive and lost the support of his own men.

Even though the Tatars killed his father, Tomujin needs to be ferocious, but fair.

So he sets up a tribunal.

Tomujin may be the leader, but he wants to make sure he has the buy-in of his people.

His burgeoning clan is too delicate to survive a fracture.

Together, Tomujin and his men decide to kill every Tatar male who is taller than the axle of a cartwheel, about three feet in height.

This will destroy the Tatar bloodline and prevent future rebellions.

The women and small children will be spared and absorbed into Tomujin's clan as slaves.

Tomujin ends the meeting with a call for secrecy.

The Tatars can't know about the plan or they run the risk of rebelling.

The next day, Tomujin's men line up the male Tatar prisoners.

They march the first man past a cart.

His head is far higher than the axle.

Tomujin's soldiers ready a knife to slit the man's throat.

But then the Tatar man pulls a knife out of his sleeve.

Someone has tipped off the enemy.

The Tatar prisoners attack.

but Tomujin orders his men not to yield.

It's a brutal, bloody melee.

Tomujin loses a number of his own men, but eventually, the Tatar men are completely eliminated and his father's enemy is defeated.

Soon, all of Mongolia will know that opposing Tamujin means certain death.

Eight years later, in the summer of 1204, Temujin meets with his commander in his yurt.

It's filled with riches from all the clans he has conquered.

Since defeating the Tatars, Temujin has marched his army across Mongolia with a simple message, join us or die.

If a clan surrenders, he treats them with respect.

If they try to fight back, they end up slaughtered just like the Tatars.

Today, he and his commanders are celebrating a recent victory over one of the few Mongolian clans that remained independent.

Today, they're under Temujin's control, and he's one step closer to ruling all of Mongolia.

The tenth flap opens and a messenger enters.

He comes bearing news about Jamaka, Tomujin's blood brother and his greatest rival.

There had been reports that Jamaka had sought shelter with the clan they fought yesterday, but he was nowhere to be found on the battlefield.

Now, the messenger explains why.

Jamaka defected.

He was intimidated by the size of Tomujin's army and decided to run rather than face certain death.

His commanders anxiously await the plan.

Are they going after Jamaka?

Does Tomujin have any idea where his old rival could have gone?

Tomujin shakes his head.

He won't chase Jamaka.

Instead, he'll make Jamaka come to him.

Tomujin orders his messengers to spread the word.

He's putting a bounty on Jamaka's head.

He's sure word will spread that Jamaka is a deserter, so he won't have much loyalty left.

All he needs to do is give whoever shelters Jamaka a little incentive to flip.

A few months later, five men approach Tomujin's camp, carrying a man tied to a pole.

It's Jamaka.

They place their captive at Tomujin's feet.

They explain that they had been hiding in the mountains, surviving as bandits when they got news of the bounty.

They would rather have the money than hide in the shadows with their former leader.

But instead of reaching for coins or jewels, Tomujin grabs his largest ceremonial sword.

He approaches the bandits.

and with five quick motions, he cuts off their heads.

Tomujin lives by a simple code.

If a man deserts his leader, he deserves to be put to death, even if that leader is Tomujin's enemy.

Tomujin unties Jamaka and makes him an offer.

He can join Tomujin and be absorbed into the ruling Mongolian clan, as a subordinate, of course.

Tomujin promises to treat him fairly, just like all the people he conquers.

But Jamaka would rather die than allow himself to be dominated.

He only has one request of Tomujin.

He would like an honorable death, one where none of his blood is spilled on the ground.

Tomujin looks into his old friend's eyes.

He sees the young boy who became his Anda, the young man who rode beside him to rescue Borta, and the friend who was by his side day and night.

And he agrees.

Tomujin will not kill Jamaka himself.

It's disgraceful to have the blood of an Anda on one's hands, even one who has betrayed you.

And besides, Temujin has plenty of followers who would do his dirty work for him.

So he calls for his nephew and has the boy wrap Jamaka in blankets.

Then, he orders him to get heavy stones and put them on Jamaka's body one by one.

Temujin stands by and watches while his friend, his blood brother, his greatest rival, is slowly crushed to death.

The next year, in 1206, nobility from every Mongol clan congregate on the banks of a river in northern Mongolia.

A temporary structure has been built with wooden pillars and a golden roof.

Foreign dignitaries arrive and each receives lavish gifts.

These general assemblies are a regular occurrence, but this one is special.

The Mongol nobility gather under the golden ceiling.

It's time for them to name a Khan that will rule over all clans and tribes, the entire entire Mongolian Federation.

They ask Tamujin to accept this honor.

Tamujin sits on a white felt throne, and a shaman offers him a new title, Genghis Khan, the universal ruler.

Tamujin holds a golden sword aloft as the Mongol nobility raise his throne into the air and cheer their new leader.

Temujin has finally united all the Mongol tribes, over 2 million people whose lands stretch over 1,000 miles.

He has fulfilled his destiny and finally become a man of greatness.

Genghis Khan knew the Mongols were a warring people.

If they didn't have an external enemy to fight, they would turn inward and let old clan grievances erupt into violence.

So Genghis Khan launched a military campaign to produce one of the greatest empires the world has ever seen.

His first stop was China, where he used the war-fighting tactics he learned from the Jin to occupy their walled cities.

He then went on to conquer much of Central and Eastern Asia, where he controlled the famous Silk Road trade route.

And befitting a baby born holding a blood clot, Genghis Khan ruled with an iron fist.

He would slaughter enemies who refused to surrender, killing an estimated 40 million people or 11% of the world's population during his rule.

But anyone who surrendered or survived was welcome into his empire, no matter their race, culture, or religion.

As was customary at the time, women were taken as spoils of war.

Genghis Khan had 44 wives and concubines, though some sources estimate his harem may have included as many as 500 women.

Genghis Khan had nine children with Borta, who remained his best-loved first wife and empress.

We'll never know for sure how many total children he fathered, but some estimates range up into the thousands.

Genghis Khan died in 1227.

His sons took over, then his grandsons.

The most famous was Kubla Khan, who ruled over the prosperous regions of Mongolia and China.

The empire continued expanding until infighting amongst Genghis Khan's descendants weakened their clans, and they were eventually conquered by other dynasties in the late 14th century.

In 2003, a study of DNA in Asian populations showed that 8% of men living in territory once ruled by the Mongols are direct descendants of a single man.

That common ancestor is almost certainly Genghis Khan.

That's roughly 20 million men.

We can estimate that the same number of women are likely also related, which makes 40 million people total.

That's one of every 200 people in the world.

So the next time you take a DNA test or look at a family tree, think about how maybe, just maybe, that long line of relatives leads all the way back to one of the most powerful rulers the world has ever seen.

From Balin Studios, this is a twist of history.

A quick note about our stories.

They're all heavily researched, but some details and scenes are dramatized.

A Twist of History is hosted by me, Joel Blackwell, executive produced by Mr.

Ballin and Zach Levitt.

Our head of writing is Evan Allen.

Produced by Perry Kroll.

This episode was written by Margaret LeBron.

Story editing by Luke Baratz and Aaron Land.

Sound design and audio mixing by Colin Lester Fleming.

Post-production supervision by Jeremy Bohm and Cole Lacasio.

Research and fact-checking by Abigail Shumway, Camille Callahan, Evan Beamer, Alex Paul, Patricia Nicole Florentino, Calvin Riley-Holgate, Matt Gilligan, Matt Teemstra.

Production coordination by Delena Corley and Samantha Collins.

Artwork by Jessica Kloxton-Kiner and Robin Vane.

Thanks for listening to A Twist of History.

You can listen to more of me over at the Let's Read podcast and Let's Read YouTube channel.

See you next time.