The Iron Conqueror

Genghis Khan (Temujin)

BRANDON SUMALINOG | PSYC 1F | MIDTERM OUTPUT: Personality Review

Instructor: Reynan S. Salo
1st Semester, S.Y. 2016-2017 | Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan

I: BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
Temujin (means iron or ironsmith, symbolized his iron will) was born on 1167 (the
accepted date) near the Onon River in Mongolia. His father, Yesugei was the minor
chieftain of the Kiyat-Borjigid tribe, and was also a son of a chieftain of the larger tribe
the Tayichigud. Temujin got his name from a rival Tatar tribe member his father captured.
When he was born, he was clutching a small blood clot in his fist, which is an omen to
them symbolizing that the boy would grow up to be a mighty warrior. Temujin's mother,
Ho'elun, was kidnapped by Yeusgei from another rival tribe, the Merkits, from her Merkit
husband because he was enchanted by her beauty and decided he must have her and
shortly became his wife. Temujin had two older half brothers from another mother and
four younger siblings.
When Temujin was nine years old, his father decided to arrange him a marriage. So
they travelled to the Merkit tribe, his mother's clan, planning to marry an eligible young
woman as peace offering over the theft of his mother, Ho'elun, a decade ago. But on the
way there they stopped at the camp of another tribe, Onggirat, where Temujin met the
beautiful 10-year old Borte who later became Temujin's wife. It was decided that Temujin
would live with Borte's tribe until they were old enough to be married. So, Temujin's
father headed back to his tribe but on his way back, he unwisely accepted the hospitality
of another tribe who turned out to be the Tatars. They poisoned Yesugei's food as revenge
for the capture of their former leader. Yesugei became sick on his way back to his tribe
and to his tent and eventually died. Before he died he recongnized his killers to be the
Tatars and told everyone.
Temujin came back to his family after the death of his father, leaving his fiance
Borte with the Onggirats until he return to reclaim her as his bride. Tribal leaders did not
want Temujin to succeed his father's position as chieftain because he was still too young.
On spring migration, the tribe decided to abandon Temujin's family behind because his
mother was alone with seven children and is not one of them to begin with. Temuijn
became the head of the family helping her mother in raising his siblings and survive. One
day, his two half-brothers began to bully Temujin and Qasar, his younger brother, again.
Temujin could not take it anymore and decided to kill the the older of the two. That was
the time the stories of Temujin's ability of strength and ruthlessness began to spread.
The Taichiguds began chasing Temujin trying to capture him. They captured him
once but he managed to escape and evade them thanks to a man named Sorkan who
helped him. When Temujin was about 16 years old, he claimed Borte as his bride from the
Merkit tribe and brought her back to his camp where he began to take steps necessary to

become a conqueror of many.

Shortly after, Temujin approached the head of the Kerait tribe, Toghrul (also the
blood-brother of his father) seeking allegiance for the revenge against the tribe who killed
his father, the Tatars. They began gathering men which the Tayichigud-Merkit alliance
feared so they tried to capture Temujin again. But everyone except Borte, managed to
escape the night of the attack thanks to his mother's servant's warning. Borte was taken
to the Merkits camp and was given as a wife to the younger brother of the man who had
first married Ho'elun.
He then went to Toghrul for help in rescuing Borte. He managed to raise an army of
500 men from other tribes just as Toghrul said Temujin should do. Toghrul also called
Temujin's childhood friend, Jamuka, who also had 500 men. The two armies attacked the
Mekits and successfully freed Borte. The two became close friends again but it didnt last
long due to Temujins growing reputation in leadership that made Jamuka's men
eventually changed sides. Eventually, the two became enemies when one of Temujin's
men killed Jamuka's brother. Jamuka raided Temujin's but he managed to escape.
Unfortunately, 70 of his men were captured by Jamuka and boiled to death as retribution.
During the next few years, Temujin continued building an army, organizing it and
making strategies for war. He conquered many tribes through constant fighting for 15
years and acquired large areas of land. Then, Temujin and Toghrul united once more to
fight against the Tatars who were raiding the camps of Chin, in China. Temujin and
Toghrul's army helped the Chin and killed nearly every Tatar (except one boy who Temujin
adopted and raised as his own) marking Temujin's revenge for the murder of his father.
Shortly after Temujin declared war on the tribes who refused to participate in the war
against the Tatars and killed them all.
Toghrul became the most powerful ruler in mongolia with Temujin by his side and
after some time Temujin decided to avenge his 70 men who Jamuka killed inhumanely. At
that time Jamuka was appointed to be the supreme leader of the allied forces of the
Merkit, Naiman, Jaijirat and Saljut, ready to attack Temujin and Toghrul's army, because
they felt threatened of their growing power. The two opposing armies fought but was
halted due to a snowstorm. Jamuka's alliance then disbanded. After a while, Toghrul grew
old and he needed to name a successor. He wanted Temujin but his son,Senggum, was
jealous and told his father that he will kill Temujin because the elders were afraid of
Temujin's growing power. But Temujin managed to avoid the assassination and escaped
because someone told him of the plan. He lost a few men but after that he managed to
recruit a number of warriors to prepare him for the attack against the now Toghrul and

Jamuka whos soldiers were drifting. In the year 1203, they attacked Toghrul and Jamuka's
army and defeated them. Temujin offered his old friend Jamuka a chance but Jamuka
insisted to be put to death. Temujin's clan began to grow larger as he conquered Tohgrul's
Kerait clan. Immediately after, Temujin attacked the last remaining powerful tribe and
conquered it, uniting all tribes in Mongolia under his rule. He was then named Genghis
Khan meaning supreme oceanic ruler.
He then put a system of government into place. He organized his military for future
purposes and also adequate supplies for his people. It was a time of prosperity under his
rule. He then conquered the turks who immediately submitted. Then he conquered the
Chinese which they had a hard time due to the chinese' advanced weapon technology.
But after six years of attacks in China he succeded leveling every city in his path. It was a
destruction of epic proportion. There were many cassualties from both sides. But despite
all that, Genghis Khan always give his enemies a chance to surrender and if they do not,
then He will destroy them brutally. In 1214, entered the capital city of China were they
showed no mercy yet again. Then he turned to west of asia, Persia an islamic country. He
conquered Persia due to miscommunication of trade where hismen were killed in a
caravan headed for Persia. He began moving further to areas of Afghanistan and eastern
Iran. The leader unfortunately for Genghis, escaped to an island. He took over most
Islamic cities in the west, destroying tombs of past leaders. He became more brutal and
cruel when his favorite grandson was killed in battle. He then conquered other muslim
tribes. After some time He got sick, died and buried somewhere. The location of his tomb
was kept hidden and nobody knew the reason of his death up to this day.
II: SALIENT POINTS IN LIFE

Temujin's Birth he was raised and disciplined by his family to become a mighty

warrior because he was born with a blood clot in his hands which was an omen and
mongols take shamanistic nature, like omens, seriously. He was taught to hunt and many
things at an early age. He was also taught beliefs by the elders of his tribe specially the
value of family and religion. At a very early age he knew this things and was accustomed
to this lifestyle for a brief perion of time. The community around him forms his early
personality.

Killing his brother out of anger when he killed his brother at the age of nine out of

anger, it unlocked his inner beast, his mother was angry at first but accepted it
immediately. That is probably why Temujin's perception of 'doing things you want' is
acceptable despite the consequence, like killing out of anger. He developed a self

importance and that nothing can stop him from doing things, not even his older brother.

The murder of his father he lost his father at an early age, poisoned by a rival

tribe. His father was very dear to him and the one he looked up to become the next
chieftain. He held a very deep grudge and anger against that rival tribe for too long. That
was why he shows no mercy against his foe's, specially the ones who killed his father. His
mother also told him at his father's deathbed to never forget the true enemy. As a kid,
Temujin took his mothers words as sacred and hid them deep within his heart until
vengeance is achieved. When he got his revenge years later, his personality did not
revert back instead it became worse showing no mercy in killing his enemies even babies
are brutally burned.

Abandonment of their family from the tribe For a long period of time, Temujin

grew up in a very hostile place in mongolia and was in charge for the survival of his
mother and sibings. This was where he learned that the only thing important to him at
that time was surviving, and forging specific skills for fighting. His mind revolves only in
surviving, hunting for food, evading other tribes, etc.

The death of his favorite grandson his favorite grandson died in a battle. As a

family-man, Temujin finally became as cruel as the books would say, a demon. Ordering
the death of millions without any feeling of remorse. Bur.ning cities and leveling an entire
civilization could never fill his heart when one of his family die. It made him very
didicated on conquering most of the world. His will became iron and no one could stop
him at that point

III: APPLICATION OF THE PERSONALITY THEORY

Using Freud's theory, Temujin must have been fixated in the anal stage of his
development from her mother because he grew up to become very strict, dicatorial and
organized leader. A perfectionist, which is an improtant personality for leadership. He was
mature at such a young age and his life may not have been easy but thanks to his
mother he became one of the greatest conqueror of the world. Most of the time in his life
the only thing in his mind was surviving. His Id developed, overpowering his superego
due to harsh environment and an uncivilized society. That is why killed his brother when
he was nine. His Id, specifically his Thanatos, really wanted to kill his brother because he
could no longer bear the teasing and bullying. Despite knowing it still was his brother and
that it would not be moral, he killed him without hesitation because that was what his
instinct told him. He became really aggressive in the later years, for him and his family

to survive. In his adulthood his ego somehow balanced his Id and Superego. He must've
learned morals from his mother, He valued his family more than anything yet he was
cruel to his enemies specially the ones who harms his family. Temujin must also have
developed Regression as defense mechanism when he captured his old friend for
mercilessly killing and boiling most of his men and trying to assassinate him. Still he
offered him another chance despite all of that. He was anxious because he could not bear
the fact of killing his friend. His personality regressed back to the time when he and his
friend was just young and playing most of the time, and to him it was rational to forgive a
friend. He also developed Denial in most of his lifetime, because his tales of conquest
involves killing innocent women and infants sometimes burning infants while their mother
was forced to watch. He is also denying the fact that his wife could've gotten pregnant
from another man while she was captured for a long time. Denial also may have been
rampant for Temujin due to lack of moral standards and norms at his time and sometimes
are in conflict with each other resulting to total anxiety. Most of his life time was focused
in suriving, for mongolians, it means conquering other rival tribes and killing everyone
who will try to do so first. Becoming more and more aggressive as he developed his
instict. He then manifested most of this aggression to his opponents leaving stories of
how brutish his conquest were.

IV: PERSONAL ANALYSIS

Genghis Khan's personality is shaped through the nature of his environment.
Constant war against tribes and surviving in the wild with deadly creatures lurking
around. His personality is mostly instinctive after years of adapting. He is simple yet
powerful. He loves his allies and hate his enemies, murdering them brutally. He was
focused as a leader and has the charisma to unite soldiers to fight for him. Most of his
decisions were affected wether it was for the survival of his clan. By conquering all of his
enemies, he achieved that goal but still he wasnt satisfied because his instinct became
his ego. He became obsessed for war, resulting to mass genocides and deaths of his
soldiers. He became a Khan (great leader) not because he wanted to, but because he
needed to for the sake of his family and his tribe.

V: REFERENCES
Lange, Brenda. Genghis khan p. cm.(Ancient world leaders) ISBN 0-7910-7222-3
1. Genghis Khan, 11621227Juvenile literature. I. Title. II. Series.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htEXmRHjf5s BBC Genghis Khan
Freud, S. (1961). The resistances to psycho-analysis. In The Standard Edition of the
Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud, Volume XIX (1923-1925): The Ego and
the Id and other works (pp. 211-224).
Freud, S. (1923). The ego and the id. SE, 19: 1-66.
Dr. C. George Boeree. Personality Theories (Sigmund Freud)