Conquering A Quarter Of The World, Genghis Khan Dies Of A Plague?

Genghis Khan Monument in Hohhot, Mongolia, China. (Wikipedia Commons / Fanghong)

JAKARTA - Saying his name, anyone will immediately imagine the greatness of one of the most terrifying conquerors in world history. He is one of the leaders of the successful army, Genghis Khan.

Armed with 100,000 troops, Genghis Khan was able to build an empire whose power stretched from the Sea of Japan in Asia, to the Hungarian steppe in Europe. In contrast to his successive series of conquests, the end of this Mongolian ruler's life is still filled with mystery.

A legend passed down from generation to generation says that he died of blood loss after being castrated. Others said he died from being hit by poison arrows in battle.

However, the results of a recent study by researchers from Flinders University recently provided a new perspective on the causes of Khan's death. Called dead at the age of 65, Khan, who once controlled a quarter of the world, is thought to have died of contracting a deadly disease in his final campaign of conquest.

The researchers said that the symptoms that Khan experienced before he died matched the symptoms of Pes disease which was endemic in the Eurasia region at that time. Indeed, it cannot be 100 percent accurate, because no scientist has ever directly examined Khan's body, because it has never been found.

"We cannot be 100 percent sure about the cause of death. But we can say that this clinical scenario is much more realistic and worthy of historical consideration, than any other, more controversial hypothesis," said study author Dr Francesco Galassi of Flinders University, Australia. , told Live Science as reported by The Sun.

According to researchers, his family and followers were ordered to keep Khan's death a secret, so that the campaign for the conquest of the Western Xia empire, which had been fought for 20 years, would not fail.

Wax figure of Genghis Khan and his wife Borte Khatun at the Museum of the Genghis Khan Equestrian Monument Complex in Mongolia (Wikipedia Commons / CeeGee)

In the following decades, friends and enemies of the Mongols spread rumors about the cause of Khan's death, making it difficult for historians to separate fact from fiction.

The focus of this research is the historical text 'The History of Yuan' which was made during the reign of the Ming Dynasty in China. In it, Khan is said to have caught a fever during his campaign against Western Xia, dying just eight days later after catching a fever on August 18 to August 25, 1227.

Suspected disease

Previously, experts had estimated that the murderous ruler had typhoid fever. However, Dr Galassi's team highlighted that other symptoms of the disease, such as stomach pain and vomiting, were not mentioned in the text. Instead, they argue that the plague of Pes, a disease prevalent among the Mongol armies at the time, may have killed Khan.

"The onset of the conqueror's disease, its symptoms, and the short time it takes for it to die all reflect cases of plague. In Europe, about 25 million people are estimated to have died from the Plague plague in the 13th and 14th centuries," say the researchers.

Researchers believe that the legends surrounding Khan's death were most likely discovered after his death. Researchers say the deaths of kings and emperors in the greater China are often mixed with myths.

"The extraordinary and exciting causes of death are associated with extraordinary people, when it makes more sense to look for a more common condition, such as an infectious disease. In general, there is not enough evidence to support this legend," he said.

Born in 1162, Genghis Khan founded and ruled the legendary Mongol empire. Under Khan, violent Mongol armies flourished throughout Asia and Europe.

The tactics used by Khan and his troops were brutal. Every time a new city was conquered, most of the population, including women and children, was wiped out.

Survivors were subjected to looting, torture and rape. Some were used as human shields in front of Mongol soldiers during subsequent attacks.

After conquering a region, Genghis Khan would choose the first woman to be added as his wife. Some estimates suggest he impregnated more than 1,000 different women.

In fact, in one research publication in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases, scientists estimate that 1 in 200 men worldwide are direct descendants of Genghis Khan.

BERNAS Others