History UsefulNotes / GenghisKhan

In fact, Genghis Khan's conquests possibly caused an evolutionary shift, as wild species populations in Central Asia exploded because all the humans who would otherwise till the arable lands and keep them at bay were dead or refugees; this also led to a brief reversal of global temperatures as the takeover of farmland by forests caused a noticeable dip in atmospheric carbon levels. One of the worst Mongol atrocities was the destruction of Baghdad, led by one of Genghis Khan's grandsons. At the time, Baghdad was a jewel of world civilization since it had been ''the'' Islamic center of commerce and learning for centuries. It is said that the Tigris River ran not only red with blood, but ''black'' due to the ink from the quantity of books thrown in the river. Ironically, Hulagu Khan (the Khan who did all that) later got his ass kicked from the Muslim Khans of the Mongol Hordes, particularly Berke Khan. This civil war eventually ended with Nogai Khan, a Muslim, ending as the most powerful figure and kingmaker amongst the Mongolian tribes excepting Kublai Khan. Before that, Hulagu's advance into Palestine was decisively defeated by the up-and-coming Mamluk Dynasty at the Battle of Ain Jalaut.

In fact, Genghis Khan's conquests possibly caused an evolutionary shift, as wild species populations in Central Asia exploded because all the humans who would otherwise till the arable lands and keep them at bay were dead or refugees; this also led to a brief reversal of global climate as the take over of farmland by forests caused a noticeable dip in atmospheric carbon levels. One of the worst Mongol atrocities was the destruction of Baghdad, led by one of Genghis Khan's grandsons. At the time, Baghdad was a jewel of world civilization since it had been ''the'' Islamic center of commerce and learning for centuries. It is said that the Tigris River ran not only red with blood, but ''black'' due to the ink from the quantity of books thrown in the river. Ironically, Hulagu Khan (the Khan who did all that) later got his ass kicked from the Muslim Khans of the Mongol Hordes, particularly Berke Khan. This civil war eventually ended with Nogai Khan, a Muslim, ending as the most powerful figure and kingmaker amongst the Mongolian tribes excepting Kublai Khan. Before that, Hulagu's advance into Palestine was decisively defeated by the up-and-coming Mamluk Dynasty at the Battle of Ain Jalaut.

He's mentioned far more in Chinese and ''especially'' Central Asian stories and culture than in Western Europe; the latter was spared much of his wrath, save for sporadic raids that begin in the 1240s. In Western European (and by extension North American) culture, [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation he is either shown as]] a tolerant and just ruler who helped bring order in a chaotic period, or as a [[BarbarianTribe ruthless barbarian who slaughtered swathes of innocents for personal gain]]. While it's easy to cherry-pick his deeds to make him look unambiguously like one or the other, the truth is a mixture of the two. He was a revolutionary conqueror in Asia for the time in that he allowed almost total freedom of religion, did not impose on the cultures of the defeated, and established a vast and effective trade and postal network that were of great benefits to most parts of Asia - particularly given the long disintegration and decline of the Southern Song dynasty under the strain of fighting their [[ForeverWar fifty-year stalemate war]] with the Jin dynasty founded by the Jurchens (a Tungusic tribe ancestral to the Manchus who had taken the entire north China plain from them, thus the 'Southern' Song). On the other hand, [[TheresNoKillLikeOverkill he was absolutely ruthless]] to anyone who dared to resist his [[TheHorde Mongol hordes]]. He was noted to have used early forms of biological warfare [[note]]While this was done knowingly, the expansion of his empire may have unknowingly played a part in introducing the Black Death pandemic to Europe more than a century after his death. [[https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/did-black-death-rampage-across-world-more-century-previously-thought-180977331/ This hypothesis in 2021]] suggests that the marmots brought by the Mongols to the Tian Shan area during the conquest of the Kara-Khitai circa 1216 picked up a strain of plague; when the Mongols besieged Baghdad in 1258, the hypothesis is that marmots with the plague managed to infect rodents in Baghdad, laying the seeds for future devastation.[[/note]], used living prisoners as {{human shield}}s, and massacred civilian populations as punishment for resistance. The Iranian plateau lost three-quarters of its population during his conquest and didn't fully recover until the mid-20th century. Entire cities were leveled to the ground [[MakeAnExampleOfThem as examples]]; to this day, some areas in Central Asia are disproportionately populated compared to their surroundings thanks to these ''13th century'' tactics.

* His clone is a recurring character in ''WesternAnimation/CloneHigh'', but is instead a hulking dimwitted GentleGiant.

In fact, Genghis Khan's conquests possibly caused an evolutionary shift, as wild species populations in Central Asia exploded because all the humans who would otherwise till the arable lands and keep them at bay were dead or refugees; this also led to a brief reversal of global climate as the take over of farmland by forests caused a noticeable dip in atmospheric carbon levels. One of the worst Mongol atrocities was the destruction of Baghdad, led by one of Genghis Khan's grandsons. At the time, Baghdad was a jewel of world civilization since it had been ''the'' Islamic center of commerce and learning for centuries. It is said that the Tigris River ran not only red with blood, but ''black'' due to the ink from the quantity of books thrown in the river. Ironically, Hulagu Khan (the bloke who did all that) later got his ass kicked from the Muslim Khans of the Mongol Hordes, particularly Berke Khan. This civil war eventually ended with Nogai Khan, a Muslim, ending as the most powerful figure and kingmaker amongst the Mongolian tribes excepting Kublai Khan. Before that, Hulagu's advance into Palestine was decisively defeated by the up-and-coming Mamluk Dynasty at the Battle of Ain Jalaut.

* He also joined ''Film/BillAndTed'' on their Excellent Adventure.

* ''Film/TheMongols'' (in which he's played by Italian actor Roldano Lupi - yellowface applies to him and every other actor playing Mongols in the film, Creator/JackPalance as his son Ögedei included) anachronistically shows Genghis attempting to conquer Poland in 1240, while he actually died in 1227 when he besieged the rebellious Western Xia in China.

* ''Film/{{Mongol}}'', a much better 2007 biopic where he's played by Creator/TadanobuAsano.

* In ''VideoGame/TheAncientArtOfWar'', Genghis Khan is the only opponent accompanied by another character: his general, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subutai Subotai]].
* Shows up in ''VideoGame/CrusaderKings II'' as a historical character, and as of ''The Old Gods'' DLC, he and the massive army he brings with him are playable. He is however referred to (marginally more accurately) as Temujin Khagan. The ''Horse Lords'' DLC gave him and other steppe nomads an unique form of "nomadic" government. It's also possible for a Mongol PlayerCharacter other than Temujin himself to declare themselves Genghis Khan.
* Part of the backstory of the eponymous jewel in The Diamond heist in VideoGame/PAYDAY2. The trailer for the heist's release states that according to legend, the beginning of its travels was with the great Khans, and it holds the nickname (among others) of the "Eye of Temujin".
* ''VideoGame/EscapeFromHell'' has Genghis Khan bored in Hell's reception area and eager to join your party.
* Although Genghis Khan doesn't appear in ''VideoGame/GhostOfTsushima'', as the game is set during the historical 1274 Mongol invasion of Japan, BigBad Khotun Khan proclaims himself as the warlord's grandson and cousin of Kublai.
* Genghis Khan is one of the non-Chinese people to be included in the mostly Chinese roster of ''VideoGame/HonorOfKings'' as an marksman-type hero that rides on a beast and can lay traps on the battlefield to catch enemies off guard.

* OutWithABang: One legend say that he died after [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil raping]] a Chinese princess captured as a war prize, either from a heart attack or because she [[KarmicDeath killed him with a blade she kept hidden]]. This is almost certainly false, modern historical consensus is that he died of the bubonic plague.

In fact, Genghis Khan's conquests possibly caused an evolutionary shift, as wild species populations in Central Asia exploded because all the humans who would otherwise till the arable lands and keep them at bay were dead or refugees; this also led to a brief reversal of global climate as the take over of farmland by forests caused a noticeable dip in atmospheric carbon levels. One of the worst Mongol atrocities was the destruction of Baghdad, led by one of Genghis Khan's grandsons. At the time, Baghdad was a jewel of world civilization since it had been ''the'' Islamic center of commerce and learning for centuries. It is said that the Tigris River ran not only red with blood, but ''black'' due to the ink from the quantity of books thrown in the river. It's worth noting that Hulagu Khan (the bloke who did all that) later got his ass kicked from the Muslim Khans of the Mongol Hordes, particularly Berke Khan. This civil war eventually ended with Nogai Khan, a Muslim, ending as the most powerful figure and kingmaker amongst the Mongolian tribes excepting Kublai Khan. Before that, Hulagu's advance into Palestine was decisively defeated by the up-and-coming Mamluk Dynasty at the Battle of Ain Jalaut.

Speaking of disproportionate population, in 2003 it was discovered that a y-chromosomal lineage found in about 8% of the population of his former territory (and .5% of the entire world) [[http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/02/0214_030214_genghis.html probably came from him]]. His descendants -- the Genghisids -- made up a large part of the aristocracy of the various Imperial regions and vassals, and its successor states across Asia for centuries afterwards. Many leaders more dubiously claimed the "Golden Lineage" as a source of legitimacy, and the latest aspiring Khan ''in spirit'' was a mystically-minded Baltic German Tsarist, Baron UsefulNotes/RomanVonUngernSternberg.

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: In Mongolia and Central Asia he's the BigGood, China is mixed-to-positive-in-retrospect after Yuan rule displayed benefits for the country, Eastern Europe tends to be rather negative on him as his son's hordes actually hit there, held Russia for centuries and devastated Poland and Hungary, the Middle East is very negative on him as his troops wiped out a large portion of Persia's population and his grandson sacked Baghdad. In Western Europe, which was TheUnfought except the Italian trade colony of Caffa in his descendants' time (which survived but had a role in ThePlague), as stated above either seen as a just ruler, a vicious barbarian or EvilIsCool.

* FieryRedhead: He was red-haired and violent according to Mongol and Kazakh folk tales, generally depicted as black or brown haired by Western accounts. An exception would have to be {{Film/Mongol}}, which is actually a joint Russo-Kazakh-German film which is noted to be the only half-way historically accurate depiction of his life, where Genghis is played as a kid by Odnyam Odsuran, a red-haired child actor of Mongol descent. (Of course, Creator/TadanobuAsano, the guy who played adult Genghis, was black-haired and Japanese and didn't look a a thing like him except for the beard and hairstyle.)

* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: Most Europeans think of him as a barely sentient barbarian warlord, leading his [[TheHorde horde]] on an orgy of RapePillageAndBurn. In reality, he outlawed the kidnapping and selling of women, opposed slavery and torture, lowered taxes, usually made a point of sparing women and children in his raids [[note]]emphasis on the usually[[/note]], and introduced total religious freedom (virtually unheard of at the time). However, he perpetrated the scary rumors about himself and his hordes to enhance his reputation as a MemeticBadass so he's as much to blame for this trope as anyone else.
** Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire is also despised in the Middle-East since a large bulk of his victims originated from that region with some going as far as saying he embarked on a genocidal campaign against Muslims attributing destruction of the Khwarazmian Empire and Baghdad as evidence. As evidenced by his religious tolerance, Genghis didn't have a bone to pick with Islam itself, only some of his opponents such as the Kwarazmians happened to be Muslims - and they had slighted him first by [[ShootTheMessenger executing his emissaries]]. Personally a Tengrist, he really didn't care if sworn enemies - or valued friends, were Christian, Muslim, or Buddhist. In addition, the sack of Baghdad perpetrated by his grandson Hulagu was criticized by Mongols that converted to Islam such as the Golden Horde's Berke, who fought Hulagu's Ilkhanate partially for this reason.

* RapePillageAndBurn: Downplayed or exaggerated depending on where the writer falls on the AlternateCharacterInterpretation. He certainly tolerated it all to some degree, and certainly could and did control and regulate it more than most, but that didn't mean it didn't happen. A lot. Indeed, a lot of the control he exerted was so that he could ''weaponize'' it against those that would try to resist.

* ''Anime/MazingerZ'': During a speech, [[MadScientist Dr.]] [[BigBad Hell]] declared that he would achieve that Genghis Khan was unable to do ([[TakeOverTheWorld conquering the world]]).

* ''Film/TheConqueror'', an unfortunate 1956 movie where the part of Genghis Khan is [[WhatTheHellCastingAgency played by]] Creator/JohnWayne in {{yellowface}}. Also unfortunate in that it was filmed downwind from a nuclear testing site, leading to the possibly-exaggerated story that an unusually-high number of people involved in the film - including Wayne himself - developed cancer in the following years.

-->-- '''Genghis Khan'''

To say that he was brutal was an understatement, but those who got it the worst were [[RewardedAsATraitorDeserves traitors]] and anyone who [[ShootTheMessenger those who killed his messengers]]. The former were killed in horrific fashions such as [[CruelAndUnusualDeath boiling them in oil]], while he razed any nation stupid enough to do the later.

* ''Film/GenghisKhan'', an only slightly less unfortunate 1965 one where he's played by Omar Sharif.

* BuryMeNotOnTheLonePrairie: Legend has it he requested to be returned to Mongolia and buried in an unmarked grave, which to this day has never been found. ''The Secret History of the Mongols'' lists the year he died and no other details, while ''Literature/TheTravelsOfMarcoPolo'' suggests it was a Mongolian custom for khans to be buried in a mountain called Altaï. There are many legends surrounding his grave, such as a river being diverted over it (like Alaric I and King Gilgamesh), that it was trampled by horses, that trees were planted over it, or that permafrost was involved.