Which conqueror conquered the most land

Mongol leader Genghis Khan rose from humble beginnings to establish the largest land empire in history. After uniting the nomadic tribes of the Mongolian plateau, he conquered huge chunks of central Asia and China. The Mongols were a nomadic tribe to the north of China.

They shared the mountainous areas between China and Siberia with many other such tribes, many of them Turkic. When Ghengis Khan united them as a powerful nation with a mighty army of mounted archers they were irresistible for all but might walled cities. Originating in the steppes of Central Asia , the Mongol Empire eventually stretched from Eastern Europe and parts of Central Europe to the Sea of Japan, extending northwards into Siberia , eastwards and southwards into the Indian subcontinent, Indochina and the Iranian Plateau; and westwards as far as the Levant and the.

The Mongols were a nomadic people from the steppes of Central Asia. Known as fierce horsemen and warriors, the Mongol clans were united in by the powerful chief Temujin, later known as Genghis Khan. However, Genghis Khan was not only a skilled conqueror, but also a great ruler.

Men, women and children wore trousers under the deel. Mongols wore boots and hats outside and inside the gers. Hats were practical, to keep the head warm but were also highly decorated and colorful.

Mongol boots called gutuls were made with horseback riding in mind. Farming was not possible for the most part, so the most prominent foods in the Mongol diet were meat and milk products such as cheese and yogurt. The Mongols were a nomadic, pastoral culture and they prized their animals: horses, sheep, camels, cattle and goats. In Islam dogs are regarded as unclean and so there is a religious prohibition on eating dog meat. Mongols are traditionally nomads and see dogs as guards and staunch companions.

The Tibetans are Buddhist and will not kill animals unnecessarily, and see dogs as loyal companions, so rarely eat them. The most common rural dish is cooked mutton, often without any other ingredients.

In the city, every other local displays a sign saying " buuz ". Those are steamed dumplings filled with meat. Other types of dumplings are boiled in water bansh, manti , or deep fried in mutton fat khuushuur. The Arkhi or milk vodka is the Mongolian traditional vodka. Charlemagne defended a Christian Europe from Muslim Saracens and pagan Saxons, often beheading thousands in a single day.

Although he could not write, he spoke Teutonic, Latin and Greek. He was 6ft 4in, a monstrous height for the period, which has since been confirmed by measurement of his skeleton. Oddly, his father was known as Pepin the Short and was around 5ft tall. Charlemagne's first campaign came at the age of 27, when the Pope sought his aid in repelling the Lombards of Italy. Charlemagne smashed them in the field and took the crown of Lombardy as his own.

From his capital of Aachen in modern-day Germany, he went on to fight 53 campaigns, most of which he led himself. He defended a Christian Europe from Muslim Saracens and pagan Saxons, often beheading thousands in a single day.

He died aged 72 from a fever. Thutmose III never lost a battle in 18 summer campaigns right. Responsible for the obelisk known as Cleopatra's Needle on the bank of the Thames, Thutmose III never lost a battle in 18 summer campaigns. He was one of the first rulers to understand supply lines and sea power. Having inherited the throne of Egypt aged seven, he spent the first two decades as co-regent with his father's wife. When she died, he conquered lands in Palestine, Syria, Nubia and Mesopotamia.

It was Thutmose III who established Egypt as a major power in the eastern Mediterranean and his reign was a golden era of temple building and great riches and he was humane in his treatment of the vanquished. He died aged Born to the Mauryan ancient Indian imperial house, Ashoka loved to hunt and was a warlike young man, the favourite of his father.

When his father died, Ashoka killed all his brothers and went on a brutal rampage to expand the empire. It culminated in the slaughter by the Daya river, where more than , citizens were killed by his army. Afterwards Ashoka was appalled at the carnage and vowed then to embrace Buddhism.

He was a changed man. The laws that followed were relatively just and he set up pillars with his edicts carved on them across India. He even promoted vegetarianism and treated all his subjects as equals regardless of caste.

By the time of his death, he ruled India, Pakistan, Nepal and Afghanistan. Of a minor royal family, Cyrus became the first emperor of Persia, uniting the tribal Medes and Persians. As well as the usual mountains of skulls, he created what may be the first charter of human rights, available to be seen at the British Museum.

He freed the Jews in Babylon when he conquered that city. Despite his benevolent side, Cyrus spent years conquering lands, murdering his enemies and establishing a vast empire that stretched from India to Greece.

Ch'in Shih Huang left inherited a minor throne in China at the age of The boy known as Ch'eng inherited a minor throne in China at the age of just As an adult, he was a superb organiser. His achievement was not just in conquering the different regions of China in just nine years, but unifying them as an empire.

With two trusted ministers, he established a bureaucracy, taxation, standardised weights and measures and a system of ruthless punishments for lawbreaking. The first emperor of China is perhaps most famous for the terracotta army guarding his tomb.

More than 8, life-sized warriors were created, as well as horses and chariots. In the centralised government he created, the emperor was almost a figurehead. The structure of government was so successful that when Shih Huang died at 49, his two most powerful ministers carried on without him for four years before they quarrelled and his death became public knowledge.

Born Octavian, the great-nephew of Julius Caesar was technically the first Roman emperor. They secured their power in Rome by executing thousands. The title Augustus, meaning 'exalted', was granted by the senate. Octavian changed his name to Gaius Julius Caesar to honour his predecessor, creating a tradition that would last 2, years - to the German Kaisers and Russian Czars.

Augustus was not a battle king. Early on, attacks by Mongols targeted states that controlled parts of the Silk Road.

Chandragupta I of the Gupta Empire strategically married the Licchavi princess in order to incorporate mines of iron ore, a valuable trade commodity , into his kingdom. Legendary conquerors, such as Alexander, Julius Caesar, and William the Conqueror, created and then expanded their lands because of a desire to rule, combined with great personal ambition.

This ambition pushed them to continue to expand their influence and spread their empires to include more land, more people, and, by way of taxes and tribute , more wealth. Alexander became king of Macedonia at just 20 years old, killing his enemies before they could challenge him and crushing rebellions.

He led his conquests with an unparalleled military acumen. Julius Caesar held different titles in Rome, ranging from military tribune to praetor to member of the First Triumvirate. In these positions, he consolidated his own power and expanded Rome's influence and wealth through military conquest.

William the Conqueror harnessed a similar resolve as Alexander and Caesar, establishing the power of the state of Normandy and drastically altering English society in his conquest. As king of England, he redistributed the state's wealth, transferring power to his people, the Normans.

One's perceived right to rule, not just desire, has also motivated history's ancient conquests. Alexander believed himself to be the half-human son of of the god Zeus, and thus entitled to his success. William led the Norman Conquest in because he believed he was the rightful heir to the English throne.

King Edward had promised that William would be his successor , but he had also made this promise to several others, causing several nearly simultaneous battles for the crown after his death. William eventually prevailed, assuming what he believed to be his rightful position, and changed England forever in his conquest. Some historians theorize that Genghis Khan also believed that his fate was to rule, although the foundations for this idea are unclear.

The draw of power, which can come in many forms, is difficult to quantify but overwhelms those that desire conquest. Conquerors face overwhelming dangers for a chance to rule but believe the reward outweighs the risk. Largest contiguous land empire in history. The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit.

The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited. Tyson Brown, National Geographic Society. National Geographic Society.

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