When Genghis Khan Tried to Play Nice
Genghis Khan had hoped to establish diplomatic and trade relations with the Khwarezmian Empire, which encompassed most of Central Asia, and stretched from today’s Afghanistan to Georgia. The Khwarezmian ruler, however, was suspicious of Genghis’ intentions, and went out of his way to initiate a dispute. 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 tried to keep things diplomatic. To contain the dispute before it turned into a war, he sent three envoys to Muhammad II, to request that he disavow the governor’s actions, and hand him over to the Mongols for punishment.
Muhammad executed the envoys, and followed it up with the execution of all members of the earlier embassy and trade mission. Those turned out to be bad decisions. Genghis interrupted his campaign in China, and concentrated a force of over 100,000 against the Khwarezmian Empire. It was smaller than Muhammad II’s forces, but the Mongols struck in 1218 with a whirlwind onslaught that caught Muhammad off balance, and he was never given an opportunity to recover. Genghis’ invasion was a military masterpiece that overwhelmed Muhammad’s empire, and extinguished it by 1221.