23. A Brilliant Tribal Politician
Temujin had an instinct for tribal politics, which he demonstrated with his exploitation of a series of tribal alliances. He used his band of freebooters to tip the balance in various rounds of tribal warfare, and eventually became a powerful warlord. He then brought the disparate Mongol clans under his sway, one after another, until they were all united under his leadership. Temujin then implemented sweeping reforms, with which he erased intra-tribal distinctions. He accomplished that with an extreme but effective expedient: he exterminated the Mongols’ fractious tribal aristocracy. Temujin then combined the commoners into a unified tribe, bound by their personal allegiance to him.
Next, he set his sights on neighboring tribes. His first target were the formidable rival Tatars. After he defeated them, Temujin executed all Tatar males taller than a wagon’s axle. By 1206, he had destroyed all Steppe rivals, and the formerly squabbling tribes had been united into a Mongol nation. So a grand assembly known as a Kurultai was held that year, where he revealed a vision, endorsed by shamans, in which he claimed that the heavens had ordained that he rule all under the sky. The Mongols supported that vision and proclaimed Temujin “Genghis Khan”, the Great Khan or Universal Ruler.