When was the Mongol empire founded?

The Mongol empire was founded by Genghis Khan in 1206. Originating from the Mongol heartland in the Steppe of Central Asia by the late 13th century, it spanned from the Pacific Ocean in the east to the Danube River and the shores of the Persian Gulf in the west. At its peak, it covered some 9 million square miles (23 million square km) of territory, making it the largest contiguous land empire in world history.

The year 1206, when Temüjin was elected Genghis Khan of a federation of tribes on the banks of the Onon River must be regarded as the beginning of the Mongol empire. This federation not only consisted of Mongols in the proper sense—that is, Mongol-speaking tribes—but also included tribes of Turkish descent. Before 1206 Genghis Khan was but one of the tribal leaders fighting for supremacy in the steppe regions south and southeast of Lake Baikal

The amazing military achievements of the Mongols under Genghis Khan and his successors were due to superior strategy and tactics rather than to numerical strength. Mongol armies were chiefly composed of cavalry which afforded them a high degree of mobility and speed.

The empire was considered to be not the khan’s personal property but the heirloom of the imperial clan as a whole. Already in Genghis’s lifetime, the empire was divided among his four favourite sons into ulus.