The future Genghis Khan is born on the banks of the Onon River in present-day Mongolia.
Temüjin's father, chieftain Yesügei, is poisoned by Tatars and dies, leaving the young family without protection.
Temüjin is captured by the rival Tayichi'ud clan but manages to escape thanks to the help of sympathisers.
Temüjin's wife Börte is abducted by the Merkits, after which he gathers an army with the help of allies Toghrul and Jamukha to free her.
Temüjin suffers a heavy military defeat against his former blood brother Jamukha.
Temüjin joins Ong Khan of the Kereit in a Jin campaign against the Tatars, the traditional enemies of his family.
Temüjin successively defeats his former ally Toghrul of the Kereit and the powerful Naiman confederation, thereby subjugating nearly all rival tribes.
Temüjin is proclaimed Genghis Khan, ruler over all Mongol tribes, at a great assembly (khuriltai).
Mongol troops conquer the Jin capital Zhongdu (present-day Beijing), a turning point in the conquest of northern China.
Genghis Khan invades Central Asia and destroys cities such as Samarkand, Bukhara and Urgench following a diplomatic incident.
The founder of the Mongol Empire dies during a campaign against the Tanguts in Xi Xia, leaving behind an already vast empire.
Ögedei Khan develops Karakorum into the administrative capital of the Mongol Empire on the Mongolian steppe.
Led by Batu Khan and General Subutai, the Mongols defeat the Hungarian army of King Béla IV in Hungary.
Hulagu Khan conquers and destroys Baghdad, bringing an end to the centuries-old Abbasid Caliphate.
The Mamluks from Egypt defeat the Mongols in Palestine, permanently halting the westward expansion of the empire.
Kublai Khan proclaims himself emperor of China and establishes the Yuan dynasty, with Peking (Khanbaliq) as its capital.
Kublai Khan sends two large fleets to conquer Japan, but both expeditions fail due to storms and resistance.
The Persian Mongol ruler Ghazan Khan adopts Islam as the state religion of the Ilkhanate, drastically changing the cultural course of the western Mongol territories.
Peasants and sectarian movements in southern China rise up against Yuan rule, ushering in decades of chaos.
Chinese rebels drive the Mongols out of China and found the Ming dynasty, causing the last great Mongol khanate to collapse.
After the fall of Beijing, the Mongol rulers retreat to their original steppe territories and continue the Yuan title there as the Northern Yuan dynasty.
The Turko-Mongol conqueror Timur (Tamerlane) seizes power in Central Asia and presents himself as heir to Genghis Khan's legacy.
With the death of Ligdan Khan and the submission of his son to the rising Manchu Qing dynasty, an end comes to the last direct continuation of Mongol imperial authority.
As a young man, Temüjin was held captive with a wooden yoke around his neck, meant to humiliate him and hinder his escape. With the help of a sympathetic guard and later a family of herders, he escaped and went into hiding. This adventure strengthened his reputation as someone who could defy fate and attracted his first followers, who believed in his ability to survive.