Alex Gendler.

He became one of the maximum fearsome warlords who ever lived,

waging an unstoppable conquest across the Eurasian continent.

but was Genghis Khan a vicious barbarian

or a unifier who paved the manner for the current international?

we will see in "records vs. Genghis Khan."

"Order, order. Now who is the defendant nowadays?

Khan!"

"I see Your Honor is familiar with Genghis Khan,

the thirteenth century warlord whose military campaigns killed hundreds of thousands

and left nothing however destruction of their wake."

"Objection. initially, it's mentioned Genghis Kahn."

"sincerely?"

"In Mongolia, sure.

Regardless, he became one of the finest leaders in human history.

Born Temüjin, he was left fatherless and destitute as a child

however went on to overcome steady strife to unite warring Mongol clans

and forge the finest empire the world had seen,

ultimately stretching from the Pacific to Europe's heartland."

"And what was so outstanding approximately invasion and slaughter?

Northern China misplaced 2/three of its population."

"The Jin Dynasty had lengthy harassed the northern tribes,

paying them off to combat each different and periodically attacking them.

Genghis Khan wasn't about to suffer the identical destiny

because the final Khan who attempted to unite the Mongols,

and the demographic exchange can also mirror terrible census keeping,

not to say that many peasants had been delivered into the Khan's military."

"you may pick out aside numbers all you need,

however they worn out whole towns, together with their population."

"The Khan preferred enemies to give up and pay tribute,

but he firmly believed in loyalty and diplomatic regulation.

The cities that were massacred have been ones that rebelled after surrendering,

or killed as ambassadors.

His become a strict information of justice."

"a couple of bills show his military's brutality going past justice:

ripping unborn children from moms' wombs,

the usage of prisoners as human shields,

or moat fillers to aid siege engines,

taking all ladies from conquered towns--"

"sufficient! How barbaric!"

"Is that surely so much worse than other medieval armies?"

"that doesn't excuse Genghis Khan's atrocities."

"but it does make Genghis Khan unexceptional for his time

instead of some bloodthirsty savage.

In fact, after his unification of the tribes abolished bride kidnapping,

girls within the Mongol ranks had it higher than maximum.

They controlled domestic affairs,

ought to divorce their husbands,

and had been depended on advisors.

Temüjin remained together with his first bride all his lifestyles,

even elevating her probable illegitimate son as his own."

"Regardless, Genghis Khan's legacy was a disaster:

as much as forty million killed across Eurasia at some stage in his descendents' conquests.

10% of the arena populace.

that's now not even counting casualties from the Black Plague

introduced to Europe by means of the Golden Horde's Siege of Kaffa."

"truely that wasn't intentional."

"without a doubt, when they noticed their very own troops demise of the Plague,

they catapulted infected our bodies over the town walls."

"Blech."

"The bills you're referencing

were written over 100 years after the fact.

How reliable do you suspect they're?

Plus, the survivors reaped the benefits of the empire Genghis Khan based."

"advantages?"

"The Mongol Empire practiced religious tolerance among all topics,

they dealt with their squaddies properly, promoted primarily based on merit, instead of beginning,

installed a giant postal system,

and inforced regularly occurring rule of law,

not to say their contribution to subculture."

"You mean like Hulagu Khan's annihilation of Baghdad,

the era's cultural capital?

Libraries, hospitals and palaces burned, irrigation canals buried?"

"Baghdad was unfortunate,

but its Kalif refused to give up,

and Hulagu turned into later punished by Berke Khan for the wanton destruction.

It wasn't Mongol coverage to destroy way of life.

generally they saved docs, scholars and artisans from conquered places,

and transferred them at some point of their realm,

spreading understanding the world over."

"What about the devastation of Kievan Rus,

leaving its human beings within the dark a while

while the Renaissance unfold throughout Western Europe?"

"Western Europe became rarely peaceful on the time.

the steadiness of Mongol rule made the Silk street flourish yet again,

allowing change and cultural change between East and West,

and its legacy cast Russia and China from warring princedoms

into unified states.

In truth, long after the Empire,

Genghis Khan's descendants can be discovered

a number of the ruling the Aristocracy all over Eurasia."

"no longer unexpected that a tyrant might encourage similarly tyrants."

"cautious what you call him. you'll be associated."

"What?"

"sixteen million men nowadays are descended from Genghis Khan.

this is one in ever 200."

For every superb conqueror, there are thousands and thousands of conquered.

Whose stories will live on?

and might a pacesetter's ancient or cultural signifigance

outweigh the deaths they caused along the way?

these are the questions that stand up while we put records on trial.