The Wrath of (Genghis) Khan
In 1218, Genghis Khan was busy with the conquest of China, when he sent an embassy and trade mission to Muhammad II. In addition to diplomatic emissaries, it included numerous merchants with valuable goods. Genghis wanted to establish diplomatic and trade relations with the Khwarazmian Empire, which encompassed most of Central Asia, and stretched from today’s Afghanistan to Georgia. Shah Muhammad, however, was suspicious of Genghis’ intentions. So he had one of his governors halt the Mongol embassy at the border, accuse it of espionage, arrest its members, and seize its goods. Despite the insult, Genghis sent three more envoys, in an attempt to keep things diplomatic.
They requested that the Khwarazmian ruler disavow the governor’s actions, and hand him over to the Mongols for punishment. Muhammad executed the envoys, then executed all members of the earlier embassy and trade mission. In response, Genghis interrupted his campaign in China, and concentrated a force of over 100,000 against the Khwarazmian Empire. It was smaller than their foe’s forces, but the Mongols struck in 1218 with a whirlwind campaign that caught Muhammad off balance, and he never got an opportunity to recover. Genghis’ invasion was a military masterpiece that overwhelmed Muhammad’s empire, and extinguished it by 1221.