Universal Encyclopedia

Who was Genghis Khan?

In 1206 a steppe chieftain united the tribes and built the largest land empire in history — paved with terror, and held together by the best-run postal service on earth.

Last updated: October 2026

The short answer

History’s largest land empire was not built by a civilization. It was built by nomads who had no cities, no written bureaucracy, and no intention of being civilized — and who then ran their conquests with a managerial genius that shames many modern states.

The full file

Encyclopedia

Read the full file

In 1206 a steppe chieftain united the tribes and built the largest land empire in history — paved with terror, and held together by the best-run postal service …

More from the Bureau

All questions Factbook Rankings

Across the Bureau

The first storytellers: Aboriginal Australia — History Ada Lovelace: the first programmer Adolf Hitler: rise, war and the Holocaust Afghanistan — Country Profile Albania — Country Profile Algeria — Country Profile History of Afghanistan — Timeline History of Albania — Timeline