Why Are Ten Years Missing From Genghis Khan’s History?

Official records are silent over what happened to the Great Khan between 1186 and 1196

Genghis Khan at the seige of Beijing (Zhongdu), from Rashid-al-Din’s Jami’ al-tawarikh. Source: Wikimedia

In 2012, I saw the film Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan, directed by Sergei Bodrov. As the title suggests, it was about Genghis Khan’s early life. The movie begins in 1192 with Genghis as a prisoner in the Tangut kingdom in northwestern China. He has flashbacks of his early life.

Note the date 1192.

Years later, when I researched Mongol historical records about Genghis Khan’s early life, I found that his imprisonment in the Tangut kingdom, shown in the movie, was missing. It wasn’t just official accounts. Popular history books such as Jack Weatherford’s Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World say nothing about Genghis being taken as a prisoner.

Did the filmmakers take liberties?

A cinematic interpretation of historical figures is nothing new, but depicting Genghis Khan imprisoned and mocked by onlookers felt out of place.

I was surprised why historical records omitted such a crucial detail.

Later, I found an interesting book, “Genghis Khan: His Life and Legacy,” by Paul Ratchnevsky. The book mentions a ten-year gap in Genghis Khan’s life, from 1186…