22. Temujin’s Predecessor
The closest analog to Temujin’s medieval eruption was that of Attila (reigned 434 – 453) in the dying days of the Roman Empire. By the fifth century AD the Huns, a Steppe tribe, ruled an empire that reached into Eastern and Central Europe. Scary to begin with, the Huns became outright terrifying under the leadership of Attila, who became known as “The Scourge of God”. He terrorized the Eastern and Western Roman Empires, plundered the Balkans, extorted tons of gold from Constantinople, invaded Gaul, and struck into Italy, before drinking himself to death on his wedding night. Centuries later Temujin’s people, the Mongols, were an obscure tribe roaming the Steppe north of China. Just as they had done for centuries, when not fighting neighboring tribes, Mongol clans and factions fought each other. Then came Temujin, a charismatic and capable leader who, through a combination of violence and diplomacy, united the Mongols.
