In this opening episode, we recount the life of Chinggis Khan, beginning with the dramatic struggles of his early years, including his family’s fall from power, his survival against rival tribes, and his first alliances as a young warrior determined to rescue his kidnapped wife, Borte.

Temujin enlists a childhood friend called Jamuqa. Their close friendship eventually turns into rivalry. Temujin is defeated and is forced to spend 10 years with the Jin Empire. When he returns, Temujin reasserts his position on the Mongolian plains and has subjugated all who oppose him, including his former allies. Temujin takes the title by which he will forever be known: Chinggis Khan.

After taking the title of khan, Chinggis consolidated power by building a formidable army and eliminating rivals like the shaman Teb Tengri. Chinggis began his conquests with bold campaigns against the Tanguts and the Jin Empires, where brutal sieges of the city involved bold new military maneuvers, expanding the Mongol Empire to unprecedented heights.

When a neighboring empire attacks a Mongol caravan, Chinggis Khan unleashes a devastating campaign that annihilates the empire and solidifies Mongol dominance across the lands of Persia. As his health declines, he names his son Ogedei as his successor and leads one final campaign against the neighboring Tanguts before his death, leaving behind an empire that spans continents.

After Chinggis Khan’s secret burial, his son Ogedei is proclaimed ruler of the Mongol Empire. He brings a very different leadership style as he conquers Armenia, Georgia and the Jin Empire. He orders the building of the grand capital of Karakorum and sets the stage for a brutal campaign against Kievan Rus, led by his nephew Batu and the veteran general Subudai.

The Mongolian Empire launched a devastating campaign through the lands of Russia and Europe, crushing knights with Mongol speed and strategy. As they prepared to push deeper into Europe, news of Ogedei’s death halted the advance, triggering a struggle for succession over an empire that now stretched from China to Europe, the largest the world had ever seen.