5. Genghis Khan may have been the most fearsome warlord of all time, but even he was terrified of dogs, though perhaps his caniphobia was understandable
Genghis Khan was undoubtedly one of the most fearsome and fearless warriors the world has ever seen. Born in 1162, the Mongolian warlord rose to become the leader of his clan and then worked to unite his rivals, crushing those who wouldn’t join him. Under his leadership, the Mongolian Empire stretched from eastern Europe to the Sea of Japan; indeed, after his death, it grew to become the largest contiguous empire in history. But, however powerful he became, Genghis Khan did have one notable weakness – by all accounts, he was terrified of dogs.
Genghis Khan’s methods of conquest were as brutal as they were effective. Upon taking an enemy village, he would kill everyone he would find. What’s more, he also ordered his men to kill any cats and especially any dogs they found in the village. This way, the warlord was able to spread fear throughout his empire, as well as throughout the lands he had not yet conquered, plus he got to kill the animals he hated the most in the world.
But perhaps Genghis Khan’s phobia of dogs wasn’t so irrational. After all, in Mongolia, dogs were huge, powerful beasts, usually bred for hunting or to protect livestock from wolves. They were so vicious that even the most powerful man of the time would have been wary of them. But still, that didn’t prevent Khan’s enemies from exploiting his weakness. Some were foolish enough to criticize him or question his strength or bravery. Even his own father was worried. He allegedly told his wife-to-be’s parents: “my son is afraid of dogs. My kinsmen, don’t let my boy be frightened by dogs.” In the end, however, Khan coped with his phobia and didn’t let it stop him from taking over almost all of the known world.