The death of Genghis Khan in 1227 is one of the most debated events in the history of the Mongol Empire. The basic facts are well established: Genghis Khan died in August 1227, while on campaign against the Tangut Western Xia, in circumstances that are not entirely clear. The cause of death is uncertain, and a number of theories have been proposed, including illness, injury in battle, and even assassination.
The uncertainty about the cause of death is partly the result of the secrecy that surrounded the burial of Genghis Khan. The Mongols took elaborate precautions to conceal the location of the tomb, and they killed everyone who might have known the route of the burial procession. The destruction of the people who might have known the circumstances of the death has made it difficult to reconstruct the events of 1227 with certainty.
The Official Account
The most widely accepted account of the death of Genghis Khan is that he died of an illness contracted during the campaign against the Western Xia. According to this account, the campaign was launched in 1226, and the Mongols were conducting a final assault on the Western Xia capital in 1227 when Genghis Khan fell ill. The illness was not specified in the original sources, but it may have been a fever or a contagious disease.
The official account is supported by a number of sources, including the Secret History of the Mongols and the chronicles of Persian historians such as Juvaini and Rashid al-Din. The account is also consistent with the timing of the death, which occurred in the late summer of 1227, when the campaign against the Western Xia was at its height.
The Alternative Theories
A number of alternative theories about the cause of death have been proposed. One of the most popular is that Genghis Khan was killed in battle against the Western Xia. According to this theory, Genghis Khan was wounded in a skirmish or in an accident during the campaign, and he died of his wounds. The theory is supported by a number of sources, including some Chinese histories, which report that Genghis Khan died of injuries sustained in a fall from his horse.
Another popular theory is that Genghis Khan was assassinated. According to this theory, Genghis Khan was killed by a member of the Western Xia court or by one of his own followers. The theory is supported by the fact that the Western Xia were eventually destroyed by the Mongols in retaliation for the death of the great khan, but the theory is not supported by any reliable source.
A third theory is that Genghis Khan died of natural causes, such as heart disease or stroke. The theory is supported by the fact that Genghis Khan was about 65 years old at the time of his death, which was old by the standards of the steppe. The theory is also supported by the fact that the official account does not mention any specific cause of death.
The Aftermath
The death of Genghis Khan was followed by a series of events that would have a profound effect on the Mongol Empire. The first of these events was the destruction of the Western Xia. According to a widely repeated story, the Mongols, in their grief, killed the entire population of the Western Xia capital and destroyed the city, in order that no trace of the place that had caused the death of the great khan might remain. The story is almost certainly exaggerated, but the destruction of the Western Xia was real, and the kingdom was annexed to the Mongol Empire.
The second of these events was the succession of Ögedei Khan. Genghis Khan had designated Ögedei as his successor before his death, and the kurultai that should have elected the new great khan was delayed for two years by internal squabbles. Ögedei was eventually elected in 1229, and the empire continued to expand under his rule.
The third of these events was the burial of Genghis Khan. The burial was conducted with great secrecy, and the Mongols took elaborate precautions to conceal the location of the tomb. According to the tradition recorded in the Secret History, the body of the khan was brought back to Mongolia and buried at an undisclosed site, probably in the Khentii Mountains near the Burkhan Khaldun. The exact location of the tomb has never been confirmed, and the Mongols have traditionally refused to disclose it.
The Legacy of the Death
The death of Genghis Khan was a major turning point in the history of the Mongol Empire. The death marked the end of the first phase of the empire’s expansion, and it marked the beginning of a new phase in which the empire was ruled by the successors of Genghis Khan. The death also marked the beginning of the long process of fragmentation that would eventually lead to the decline of the Mongol Empire.
The death of Genghis Khan was also a major event in the cultural history of the Mongol people. The death was marked by elaborate mourning rituals, and the Mongols maintained a tradition of mourning the death of the great khan for centuries. The tradition was eventually codified in the Yassa code of law, which included specific provisions for the mourning of the great khan. The provisions included a prohibition on the wearing of bright colors and a requirement that the body of the khan be accompanied by a retinue of attendants and animals to the burial site.
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).