According to today's Washington Post, one in every 200 men alive today is related to Genghis Khan. (The title means Emperor of All Emperors. His given name was Temujin, "Blacksmith.") Sixteen million men in central Asia alone have his Y chromosome.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/05/AR2006100501534.html

This may have something to do with the fact that in the 13th Century he founded an empire that ultimately covered two thirds of the land mass of the "known world," extending from Korea to Hungary. I can't find any good breakdown by continent of the consistently estimated world population of 400 million at that time, but it's safe to say that at least half of them lived under Mongol rule.

The 15 million people who died in their conquest constituted nearly four percent of the human race, making the Mongol Invasion the worst bloodbath in history and Genghis Khan the cruelest despot who ever lived--by a wide margin. World War II, for example, only killed one percent of the earth's population, and Abraham Lincoln's still not-quite-healed American Civil War was a localized horror that killed three percent of the population of one relatively small country.

Nonetheless, after the astoundingly rapid conquest--it was largely complete in five years--the Mongols settled down and established a precise, careful government noted for progressive reforms that were centuries ahead of their time. Women were allowed to express their opinions in public, religious tolerance was practiced, and diplomatic protection was provided to convoys from other lands.

There is a long thread on the subject of the most powerful empire in history currently active. The Mongols have been nominated by several posters and if measured by sheer size their empire has no competition.

Apparently they're also out in front if measured by contribution to the gene pool. :)

The way I interpreted it, the Mongol empire was more a vast protection racket than anything else....either you paid tribute to the Mongols or you all died horribly.

Those under their "protection" actually did get their protection, but it's a pretty different form of empire from we would describe as an empire these days.

The way I interpreted it, the Mongol empire was more a vast protection racket than anything else....either you paid tribute to the Mongols or you all died horribly.

Those under their "protection" actually did get their protection, but it's a pretty different form of empire from we would describe as an empire these days.

What would you describe as an empire these days?

Knowing Schleebenhorst, that would be anything that fitted his argument.

off topic (sort of):
apparently I am a descendant of the Rhodes that founded rhode island. I don't think I have any "Temujin" in me though, as most of my ancestry is from northwest Europe.

Fraggle,

Are you saying that the noble Genghis would actually take advantage of his power to have sex with women?
How barabaric of him!!

Hmm.
I wonder if this explains those intermittent dreams of sweeping across the plains on a mongol steed and chopping down the round-eyed barbarians of Europe?

And would this explain my inexplicable desire to build a yurt in my back yard and set fire to my house?

Hmm.


By the way. Did you know that Mongolian horses were specifically trained to not bob up and down as they run? This is part of the mongol secret of success. It made them excellent shots from horseback.

Funniest thing to see though. It's impossible to describe, the leg motions of the horses required to keep their backs from bouncing....
Closest thing I've ever seen to it is how my little Yorkie used to bound around the room when he was excited.

And would this explain my inexplicable desire to build a yurt
ha!

Are you saying that the noble Genghis would actually take advantage of his power to have sex with women? How barabaric of him!!Well, let's see. If he only had two sons, and each of them had only two sons... At five generations per century he would have a couple of hundred billion descendants by now instead of just a few million.

So apparently he did not often exercise his droit de seigneur. :)

What would you describe as an empire these days?

What do "these days" have to do with it?

The way I interpreted it, the Mongol empire was more a vast protection racket than anything else....either you paid tribute to the Mongols or you all died horribly.

Those under their "protection" actually did get their protection, but it's a pretty different form of empire from we would describe as an empire these days.

What do "these days" have to do with it?

Exactly what I was wondering.

Ah, you got me there.

Well, it's not something I should have to explain to you samcdkey. I've always seen you as someone who had a pretty good grasp of this kind of thing.