Argumentative Essay on Genghis Khan as an Enlightened Ruler

Genghis Khan was the founder and paramount ruler of the Mongol Empire, which is said to be the largest kingdom that has ever existed in the world. Born in 1162, Khan rose from a humble background and managed to become one of the most influential leaders of his time after uniting several nomadic tribes. While at the beginning the Mongol Empire only had about 1 million inhabitants, Genghis Khan managed to expand his territory through invasions into parts of Asian and China. He died in 1227 after handing over power to his third son called Ogedei Khan. Genghis was an enlightened leader since he managed to better the lives of his people and conquered various territories.

Reasons why Genghis Khan was an Enlightened Ruler

First, Genghis showcases his open-minded kind of leadership when he decides to unite desperate nomadic tribes to create the Mongol Empire. It is important to note that Khan founded the vastest realm ever in the world after he realized the need to bond the nomadic tribes based in the region. Khans decision to merge these people displays that he was interested in ensuring that the inhabitants of Mongol lived in peace and harmony. Moreover, it would have been difficult for Genghis Khan to take over other regions such as Jin Dynasty and Khwarezm if he would not have first united his people who assisted him in fighting the stated territories.

Second, Genghis Khan deserves the title of an enlightened leader since he embraced religious freedom immediately after creating the Mongol Territory. Unlike his decision to tolerate Muslims, Buddhists, and Christians, other rulers of the neighboring zones were biased and banned other religions apart from the ones which they were affiliated. However, Khan was even curious to learn about the morals of the different faiths, since he knew that everybody had a right to choose their worshipping method.

Third, the ruler in the discussion is also wise and easygoing since he managed to advance womens rights in the society. Notably, before Khan created the Mongol Empire, women privileges were limited, and they worked as slaves. Furthermore, women did not have the right to own property and underwent torture in the hands of men. Nevertheless, it was the leadership of Genghis that changed this notion as women earned the power to live freely just like men. Arguably, Genghis Khans verdict to improve females freedoms depicts that he was intelligent and believed that women also had equal potential to assist in the development of the empire.

While it is argued that Genghis Khan used violence to take over other territories, it is forgotten that he ruled meritocratically. Meritocratic leadership style is one which provides the people with the power, while the role of the head is to give the right direction. Application of meritocratic form during his reign proves that he was not selfish, but had the peoples interest at heart. Furthermore, it is important to note the Genghis Mongol was the first emperor to introduce trade during the thirteenth century. While most of the inhabitants were participating in nomadism as an economic activity, Mongol thought that it would be better to include trade as a source of livelihood so that the empire could earn a fortune. Introduction of commerce in the region was strategic and sensible because it ensured that they accumulated wealth and managed to acquire crude weapons which helped them to conquer the other empires.

Lastly, Genghis Khan displayed his liberal thinking every during his last days on earth through his succession strategy. Jochi was the eldest son and was supposed to take over the leadership of Mongol. Conversely, his second son Chagatai was against the rule of his brother, and he even claimed that he would not support Jochi if Genghis handed him the governance. Since Genghis was interested in the prosperity of the kingdom, he knew that an anointment of any of any of the two would lead to the fall of the empire since they would fight and divide the people. Therefore, Khan went ahead and prepared Ogedei, his third son, as his successor. Genghis decision to ignore Jochi and Chagatai was liberal since he noticed that the two were not ready to support each other, but they would appreciate the headship of any other person, hence settling on Ogedei.

In summation, Genghis was the founded and led the Mongol Empire before handing over to his son Ogedei. The creation of the territory started when Khan decided to unite several nomadic tribes who did not have any form of government. While the Kingdom began with about 1 million persons only, it is today referred to as the most extensive land territory to have ever happened. The paper has discussed some reasons why Genghis is said to be an enlightened leader. First, it is significant to note that he encouraged freedom of worship in the region, as there were Christians, Muslims, and Buddhists. Furthermore, he displayed wisdom as a ruler since he banned women mistreatment and provided them with equal rights.