The family tree of Genghis Khan is one of the most extensive in the history of the world, and his descendants can be found in the ruling families of a number of modern states. The family tree begins with Genghis Khan’s ancestors, the Borjigin clan of the Mongol people, and it extends through the imperial families of the Yuan Dynasty in China, the Ilkhanate in Persia, the Golden Horde in Russia, and the Chagatai Khanate in Central Asia. The family tree is also the source of a famous claim, first made in a 2003 study, that roughly 8% of the men living in the region of the former Mongol Empire — about 16 million people — carry Y-chromosomes that are likely to be descended from Genghis Khan.
The family tree is also significant for the role it played in the political life of the Mongol world. The imperial family was the basis of the right to rule, and the succession disputes that plagued the Mongol world were, in many cases, disputes over the interpretation of the family tree. The Toluid Civil War of 1260-1264, for example, was fought in large part over the question of which branch of the family had the right to rule.
The Borjigin Clan
Genghis Khan was a member of the Borjigin clan, a patrilineal clan that claimed descent from a legendary common ancestor called Bodonchar. The Borjigin pedigree gave the imperial family a claim to rule that no amount of personal ability could have created on its own, and the Borjigin clan was the basis of the imperial succession throughout the Mongol world.
The Borjigin clan was divided into a number of sub-branches, of which the most important were the Jochid branch (descended from Jochi, the eldest son of Genghis Khan), the Chagataid branch (descended from Chagatai, the second son), the Ögedeid branch (descended from Ögedei, the third son), and the Toluid branch (descended from Tolui, the fourth son). The four branches ruled the four major khanates of the Mongol world: the Jochid branch ruled the Golden Horde, the Chagataid branch ruled the Chagatai Khanate, the Ögedeid branch ruled (for a time) the central khanate, and the Toluid branch eventually came to rule the Yuan Dynasty.
Genghis Khan’s Children
Genghis Khan was the father of a large number of children. His four sons by his principal wife Börte were the most important: Jochi, Chagatai, Ögedei, and Tolui. He also had a number of sons by his other wives and concubines, but the four sons by Börte were the most important, and they were the ones who founded the four imperial lines.
Jochi, the eldest son, was the commander of the western campaigns and the founder of the line that would rule the Golden Horde. Jochi’s relationship with his father was complicated by the circumstances of his birth: he was born after Börte’s kidnapping by the Merkit, and there was a question of his paternity. Genghis Khan treated Jochi as his own son, but the question of his paternity was used by his enemies to challenge his claims. Jochi died in 1227, shortly before Genghis Khan himself, and his line ruled the Golden Horde until the sixteenth century.
Chagatai, the second son, was the founder of the line that would rule the Chagatai Khanate. Chagatai was a traditionalist and a conservative, and he enforced the traditional Mongol way of life in his territories with considerable rigor. Chagatai’s line ruled the Chagatai Khanate until the late fourteenth century, when the khanate was absorbed by the Timurid Empire.
Ögedei, the third son, was the second great khan of the Mongol Empire and the ruler under whom the empire reached most of its maximum territorial extent. Ögedei was a more thoughtful and less aggressive commander than his brothers, and his father is said to have praised him for his ability to keep his subordinates in good order. Ögedei’s line ruled the central khanate until the Toluid Civil War of 1260-1264, when the line was effectively excluded from the succession.
Tolui, the fourth son, was the father of the great khans Möngke and Kublai. Tolui was the youngest of the four brothers, and he was reportedly the favorite of Genghis Khan. Tolui was not a khan himself — he predeceased his father and never ruled the empire — but his sons went on to become the most successful of the imperial line. Tolui’s line ruled the Yuan Dynasty in China from 1271 to 1368, and the Northern Yuan in Mongolia from 1368 to the seventeenth century.
Genghis Khan also had a number of daughters, of whom the most famous was Alaqai Beki, who played an important role in the political life of the Mongol court. Genghis Khan is also reported to have had a large number of concubines, and the total number of his children is not known with certainty. According to the most reliable sources, Genghis Khan had at least 40 children, and the number may have been considerably higher.
The Genetic Legacy of Genghis Khan
A famous study published in 2003 by a team of geneticists at the University of Leicester, led by Professor Patricia Balaresque, claimed that roughly 8% of the men living in the region of the former Mongol Empire — about 16 million people — carry Y-chromosomes that are likely to be descended from Genghis Khan. The claim is based on the fact that a particular Y-chromosome haplotype, which is found in unusually high frequency in the region, is consistent with descent from a single male ancestor who lived around 800 years ago — which is roughly the time of Genghis Khan.
The claim is controversial, and a number of other explanations have been proposed. Some scholars have suggested that the Y-chromosome haplotype is not descended from Genghis Khan himself, but from another powerful Mongol male who lived around the same time. Others have suggested that the high frequency of the haplotype is the result of social selection, in which men who were descended from powerful ancestors had more children than men who were not. Whatever the explanation, the claim is a striking reminder of the demographic legacy of the Mongol Empire, and it has been the subject of much discussion in the scientific and popular press.
The Descendants of Genghis Khan in the Modern World
The descendants of Genghis Khan can be found in the ruling families of a number of modern states. The Borjigin clan of the Mongol people is still represented in the political and cultural life of Mongolia, and the Borjigin pedigree is still recognized as a mark of distinction. The descendants of Genghis Khan can also be found in the ruling families of the Central Asian republics, particularly in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, where the Timurid lineage is still recognized.
The descendants of Genghis Khan can also be found in the wider population of the former Mongol world. According to the 2003 study, roughly 8% of the men in the region of the former Mongol Empire carry Y-chromosomes that are likely to be descended from Genghis Khan. The percentage is highest in Mongolia, where it is estimated to be as high as 30%, and it is also high in the Central Asian republics, where it is estimated to be as high as 10%. The descendants of Genghis Khan are, in this sense, a major presence in the modern world, and they are a reminder of the demographic legacy of the Mongol Empire.
Sources
- John Man, Genghis Khan: Life, Death and Legacy (London, 2004).
- Igor de Rachewiltz, ed., The Secret History of the Mongols (2 vols., Brill, 2004–2013).
- Paul Ratchnevsky, Genghis Khan: His Life and Legacy (Oxford, 1991).