Genghis Khan

While it was mainly famous for the crusaders, they got overshadowed by Genghis Khan, who emerged as the beast of the east. He managed to conquer twice as much land as Alexander and was determined to bring the whole world under one sword. But unlike Alexander or Caesar, he did not see himself as god or a messiah.

He knew he was a tyrant and boasted openly about it in these words, the greatest happiness is to scatter your enemy, to drive him before you, to see his cities reduced to ashes, to see those who love him shrouded in tears and to gather into your bosom his wives and daughters. There are several accounts of his death. Rashid-ul-Din writes he fell victim to the bubonic plague while Marco Polo, the famous Italian traveler, writes that he was shot on horseback and succumbed to his wounds a few days later. Another report says he was castrated fatally by a princess of the western Shia empire whom he had kept forcibly as a concubine.

 The reason why his death is not well documented as other conquerors is because it was meant to be a secret. Before dying, Khan instructed his family and followers to keep his death a secret as it occurred at the worst possible time. The Mongols were at the vital stage of their 20-year long desired conquest of the western Shia empire. That conquest was more important for the dying Genghis Khan than his own grand funeral.

Even his corpse brought death. Khan’s followers slaughtered everyone on the route where his funeral procession was carried to keep it a secret.