The Career Of Genghis Khan Class 11 – Concept, MCQs & Notes PDF

Topic covered: The Career of Genghis Khan class 11 notes and MCQs questions: Nomadic Empires (All single detail notes are exam-oriented).

We have discussed in-depth and exam-oriented pointers that can be asked in the board exam of class 11th about “The Career of Genghis Khan“ from the NCERT history notes for class 11th chapter 3 “Nomadic Empires”.

Download the NCERT History for Class 11th Chapter 3 Nomadic Empires Notes PDF

Class 11 History Chapter 3 Nomadic Empires is one of the most important chapters in the NCERT syllabus, especially for students preparing for school exams and competitive exams. This chapter explains how nomadic societies like the Mongols built powerful empires, their social organisation, military strategies, and administrative systems.

If you are looking to download the NCERT History for Class 11th Chapter 3 Nomadic Empires Notes PDF, this page gives you exam-oriented, easy-to-revise notes based strictly on the NCERT textbook.

The Career of Genghis Khan

1. Birth and Family Background:

• Genghis Khan was born around 1162 near the Onon River in present-day Mongolia.
• His original name was Temujin.
• He was the son of Yesugei, the chieftain of the Kiyat, a group related to the Borjigid clan.

2. Early Hardships and Struggles:

• Temujin’s father was murdered when he was young.
• His mother, Oelun-eke, raised Temujin and his siblings in great hardship.
• He was captured and enslaved during his youth.
• After his marriage, his wife Borte was kidnapped, and he had to fight to recover her.

3. Formation of Alliances and Friendships:

• During difficult years, Temujin made important allies.
• Boghurchu became his first ally and remained a trusted friend.
• Jamuqa, his blood-brother (anda), was another close companion.
• Temujin restored alliances with Tughril (Ong Khan), ruler of the Kereyits and his father’s old blood-brother.

4. Conflict with Former Allies:

• Through the 1180s and 1190s, Temujin remained an ally of Ong Khan.
• He used this alliance to defeat adversaries like Jamuqa, who later became his enemy.
• After defeating Jamuqa, Temujin attacked other tribes including the Tatars, Kereyits and Ong Khan in 1203.

5. Rise to Supreme Power:

• The final defeat of the Naiman people and Jamuqa in 1206 made Temujin the dominant political figure of the steppe.
• His position was recognised at a quriltai (assembly of Mongol chieftains).
• He was proclaimed the ‘Great Khan of the Mongols’ (Qa’an).
• He took the title Genghis Khan, meaning ‘Oceanic Khan’ or ‘Universal Ruler’.

6. Military Reorganisation:

• Before the quriltai of 1206, Genghis Khan reorganised the Mongol people into a disciplined military force.
• This reorganisation facilitated the success of his future campaigns.

7. Campaigns in China:

• Genghis Khan aimed first to conquer China, which was divided into three realms.
• These included the Hsi Hsia in the north-west, the Jurchen Chin dynasty in north China, and the Sung dynasty in south China.
• The Hsi Hsia were defeated by 1209.
• The Great Wall of China was breached in 1213.
• Peking was sacked in 1215.
• Battles against the Chin continued until 1234.

8. Expansion into Central Asia:

• After defeating the Qara Khita in 1218, Mongol control reached the Amu Darya.
• Mongol forces entered Transoxiana and Khwarazm.
• Sultan Muhammad of Khwarazm provoked Genghis Khan by executing Mongol envoys.
• Between 1219 and 1221, major cities surrendered to Mongol forces.

9. Treatment of Resistant Cities:

• Cities such as Otrar, Bukhara, Samarqand, Balkh, Gurganj, Merv, Nishapur and Herat were conquered.
• Towns that resisted were devastated.
• At Nishapur, Genghis Khan ordered total destruction after the death of a Mongol prince.

10. Western Campaigns:

• Mongol forces pursued Sultan Muhammad into Azerbaijan.
• Russian forces were defeated at the Crimea.
• Another wing followed Jalaluddin into Afghanistan and Sindh.
• At the Indus, Genghis Khan abandoned plans to return via North India due to climate and ill omens.

11. Death of Genghis Khan:

• Genghis Khan died in 1227.
• He spent most of his life engaged in military campaigns.

12. Reasons for Military Success:

• His success was due to innovation in steppe warfare.
• Mongol horse-riding skills provided speed and mobility.
• They were expert rapid-shooting archers from horseback.
• Hunting expeditions doubled as military training exercises.

13. Advanced Military Strategies:

• Mongol armies travelled light and moved quickly.
• They used knowledge of terrain and weather effectively.
• Campaigns were conducted even in winter, using frozen rivers as routes.
• Genghis Khan adopted siege engines and naphtha bombardment.
• Light, portable equipment prepared by engineers proved devastating.

Estimated Extent of Mongol Destruction

1. Scale of Violence in Genghis Khan’s Campaigns:

• Reports agree on the vast number of people killed after the capture of cities that resisted Genghis Khan.
• Mass killings followed cities that defied his authority.

2. Massacres in Major Cities:

• At Nishapur in 1220, 1,747,000 people were massacred.
• At Herat in 1222, the death toll was 1,600,000.
• At Baghdad in 1258, around 800,000 people were killed.

3. Impact on Smaller Towns:

• Smaller towns suffered heavy casualties in proportion to their size.
• Nasa recorded 70,000 deaths.
• Baihaq district also saw 70,000 people killed.
• At Tun in the Kuhistan province, 12,000 individuals were executed.

4. Medieval Estimates of Death Toll:

• Medieval chroniclers provided detailed numerical estimates of casualties.
• These figures were based on methods of counting the dead.

5. Juwaini’s Account of Casualty Calculation:

• Juwaini, a Persian chronicler of the Ilkhans, reported 1,300,000 deaths in Merv.
• He calculated this figure by counting corpses over thirteen days.
• Each day, approximately 100,000 bodies were counted.

Next & Previous Topics of NCERT/CBSE History Class 11 Chapter 3: Nomadic Empires

MCQs on NCERT History Class 11 Chapter 3 Topic – The Career of Genghis Khan Class 11

Here are the top exam-oriented MCQ-type questions on “The Career of Genghis Khan Class 11” that you should prepare for your CBSE or state board exams:

Question 1. Genghis Khan was born around 1162 near which river?

A. Amu Darya
B. Indus
C. Onon
D. Selenga

Answer: C

Question 2. What was Genghis Khan’s birth name?

A. Jochi
B. Temujin
C. Tolui
D. Batu

Answer: B

Question 3. Temujin belonged to which clan?

A. Naiman
B. Kereyit
C. Borjigid
D. Tatar

Answer: C

Question 4. Who was Temujin’s father?

A. Tughril
B. Jamuqa
C. Yesugei
D. Ogedei

Answer: C

Question 5. Who raised Temujin after his father’s murder?

A. His aunt
B. His wife
C. His mother Oelun-eke
D. Ong Khan

Answer: C

Question 6. Temujin’s wife who was kidnapped soon after marriage was

A. Sorkhokhtani
B. Borte
C. Alaqai
D. Khutulun

Answer: B

Question 7. Who was Temujin’s first trusted ally?

A. Jamuqa
B. Tughril
C. Boghurchu
D. Jalaluddin

Answer: C

Question 8. Jamuqa was related to Temujin as his

A. Cousin
B. Brother
C. Anda (blood-brother)
D. Son-in-law

Answer: C

Question 9. Tughril was also known as

A. Batu Khan
B. Ong Khan
C. Qa’an
D. Ilkhan

Answer: B

Question 10. Temujin defeated Ong Khan in

A. 1195
B. 1200
C. 1203
D. 1206

Answer: C

Question 11. Which tribe was finally defeated in 1206 leading to Temujin’s dominance?

A. Tatars
B. Kereyits
C. Naimans
D. Turks

Answer: C

Question 12. The assembly where Temujin was proclaimed Genghis Khan was called

A. Sabha
B. Diwan
C. Quriltai
D. Majlis

Answer: C

Question 13. The title “Genghis Khan” means

A. Warrior King
B. Son of Heaven
C. Oceanic Khan / Universal Ruler
D. Lord of the Steppe

Answer: C

Question 14. Before 1206, Genghis Khan reorganised the Mongols mainly into a

A. Religious order
B. Trading community
C. Disciplined military force
D. Agricultural society

Answer: C

Question 15. China at the time of Mongol invasion was divided into how many realms?

A. Two
B. Three
C. Four
D. Five

Answer: B

Question 16. Which dynasty ruled north China from Peking?

A. Sung
B. Tang
C. Chin (Jurchen)
D. Yuan

Answer: C

Question 17. The Hsi Hsia people were of which origin?

A. Chinese
B. Mongol
C. Tibetan
D. Turkish

Answer: C

Question 18. In which year was the Great Wall of China breached by the Mongols?

A. 1209
B. 1211
C. 1213
D. 1215

Answer: C

Question 19. Peking was sacked by Mongol forces in

A. 1209
B. 1213
C. 1215
D. 1218

Answer: C

Question 20. Which empire controlled Transoxiana and Khwarazm?

A. Abbasids
B. Sung
C. Qara Khita
D. Sultan Muhammad’s state

Answer: D

Question 21. Sultan Muhammad provoked Genghis Khan by

A. Refusing trade
B. Killing Mongol envoys
C. Attacking China
D. Breaking alliance

Answer: B

Question 22. Which of the following cities was NOT captured by the Mongols between 1219–1221?

A. Samarqand
B. Baghdad
C. Bukhara
D. Nishapur

Answer: B

Question 23. The city where Genghis Khan ordered total destruction including animals was

A. Merv
B. Balkh
C. Nishapur
D. Herat

Answer: C

Question 24. Mongol forces defeated Russian armies at

A. Volga
B. Crimea
C. Caspian
D. Don

Answer: B

Question 25. Jalaluddin was the

A. Son of Genghis Khan
B. Son of Sultan Muhammad
C. Governor of China
D. Mongol general

Answer: B

Question 26. Why did Genghis Khan abandon plans to return via India and Assam?

A. Indian resistance
B. Disease
C. Heat, terrain and bad omens
D. Lack of soldiers

Answer: C

Question 27. Genghis Khan died in the year

A. 1216
B. 1221
C. 1227
D. 1234

Answer: C

Question 28. Mongol military success was largely due to

A. Heavy armour
B. Naval power
C. Speed and mobility
D. Large infantry

Answer: C

Question 29. Mongol archery skills were perfected through

A. Rituals
B. Trade
C. Hunting expeditions
D. Farming

Answer: C

Question 30. Frozen rivers were used by Mongols as

A. Defensive barriers
B. Trade routes
C. Highways for campaigns
D. Borders

Answer: C

Question 31. Which weapon helped Mongols capture fortified cities?

A. Cannons
B. Siege engines and naphtha
C. Fire arrows only
D. Catapults from China

Answer: B

Question 32. According to reports, how many people were killed at Nishapur in 1220?

A. 800,000
B. 1,300,000
C. 1,600,000
D. 1,747,000

Answer: D

Question 33. The Persian chronicler who recorded Mongol massacres was

A. Ibn Battuta
B. Al-Masudi
C. Juwaini
D. Rashid al-Din

Answer: C

Question 34. Juwaini calculated deaths at Merv based on

A. Army records
B. Survivor accounts
C. Daily counting of corpses
D. Census data

Answer: C

Question 35. One major innovation of Genghis Khan was

A. Use of elephants
B. Permanent capitals
C. Winter warfare
D. Naval attacks

Answer: C