Khamag Mongol · Хамаг Монгол

Khabul Khan unites the Mongol clans

early 12th century

Khabul Khan, Temüjin's great-grandfather, united the core Mongol clans: the genealogy recorded in the Secret History.

The betrayal of Ambaghai Khan

c. 1150s

Ambaghai Khan was betrayed to the Jin by the Tatars and executed: the blood feud that shaped Temüjin's rise.

Temüjin is born at Delüün Boldog

c. 1162 · the sources disagree about this

Temüjin, first son of Yesükhei and Öelün, was born at Delüün Boldog on the upper Onon (by Mongolian tradition, today's Dadal sum, Khentii). His father was poisoned by Tatars (c. 1171) and the family was abandoned by the Taichiud: the hardship narrative at the heart of the Secret History.

The birth year is contested: 1162 (official Mongolian commemoration), 1155 (Rashid al-Din tradition), 1167 (some scholars). The exact birthplace (Dadal vs. Binder) is also debated.

Three times sworn: anda with Jamukha

1172–1181

Temüjin and Jamukha swore anda exchanging knucklebones on the Onon ice in the winter of 1172, aged eleven, and arrows the following spring (Secret History §116), then a third time with golden belts and horses after the Merkit campaign (§117). They parted on migration a year and a half later (§118); by 1201 Jamukha was raised Gür Khan against him (§141): the friendship-turned-rivalry at the human heart of the Secret History.

The rise of Temüjin: raised khan

1180–1201

Orphaned and once enslaved, Temüjin allied with Ong Khan and Jamukha to rescue his wife Börte from the Merkits. His own kin later raised him khan (c. 1189, a date resting on Rashid al-Din and debated), and in 1201 Jamukha was proclaimed Gür Khan at the head of a rival coalition: opening the final struggle for unity. Over the next three years the Mongol steppe would come under one standard.

The Tatars crushed

1202

Avenging his father, Temüjin routed the Tatars at Dalan Nemürges and took the eastern steppe around Buir Lake: bringing Mongolia's eastern marches under his control.

The Kereit subdued: the Baljuna Covenant

1203 · the sources disagree about this

Beaten at first by Ong Khan's Kereit, Temüjin withdrew to Lake Baljuna and swore the Baljuna Covenant with his few loyal followers, then destroyed the Kereit in a surprise attack at the Jeje'er Heights: toppling the strongest confederation of the central steppe.

Baljuna's location is unresolved: variously placed near the Khalkhyn Gol, on a tributary of the Ingoda, or at Lake Balzino in Buryatia (Ratchnevsky, Man). The Jeje'er Heights are likewise not pinpointed.

The Naiman defeated; the steppe united

1204 · the sources disagree about this

At the Battle of Chakirmaut, below Mount Naqu, Temüjin defeated Tayang Khan's Naiman. Jamukha slipped away, and his own men handed him over the following year. The Mongol steppe from the Onon–Kherlen to the Altai now answered to one man, setting the stage for the 1206 quriltai. The Naiman scribe Tata-tonga brought the Uyghur script into the new chancery.

Mount Naqu / Chakirmaut is not securely located: sources split between the Altai foothills and the Khangai slopes; the map position is an approximation.