Claim: Genghis Khan's grandsons split his empire.

Genghis Khan -LRB- -LSB- ˈdʒɛŋɡɪs_ˈkɑːn -RSB- , usually pronounced -LSB- ˈɡɛŋɡɪs_ˈkɑːn -RSB- Чингис хаан , Çingis hán -LSB- t͡ʃʰiŋɡɪs xaːŋ -RSB- , c. 1162 August 18 , 1227 -RRB- , born Temüjin , was the Great Khan and founder of the Mongol Empire , which became the largest contiguous empire in history after his death .   He came to power by uniting many of the nomadic tribes of Northeast Asia . After founding the Empire and being proclaimed `` Genghis Khan '' , he started the Mongol invasions that conquered most of Eurasia . Campaigns initiated in his lifetime include those against the Qara Khitai , Caucasus , and Khwarazmian , Western Xia and Jin dynasties . These campaigns were often accompanied by large-scale massacres of the civilian populations -- especially in the Khwarazmian and Western Xia controlled lands . By the end of his life , the Mongol Empire occupied a substantial portion of Central Asia and China .   Before Genghis Khan died he assigned Ögedei Khan as his successor . Later his grandsons split his empire into khanates . He died in 1227 after defeating the Western Xia . He was buried in an unmarked grave somewhere in Mongolia . His descendants extended the Mongol Empire across most of Eurasia by conquering or creating vassal states in all of modern-day China , Korea , the Caucasus , Central Asia , and substantial portions of Eastern Europe and Southwest Asia . Many of these invasions repeated the earlier large-scale slaughters of local populations . As a result , Genghis Khan and his empire have a fearsome reputation in local histories .   Beyond his military accomplishments , Genghis Khan also advanced the Mongol Empire in other ways . He decreed the adoption of the Uyghur script as the Mongol Empire 's writing system . He also practiced meritocracy and encouraged religious tolerance in the Mongol Empire , and unified the nomadic tribes of Northeast Asia . Present-day Mongolians regard him as the founding father of Mongolia .   Although known for the brutality of his campaigns and considered by many to have been a genocidal ruler , Genghis Khan is also credited with bringing the Silk Road under one cohesive political environment . This brought communication and trade from Northeast Asia into Muslim Southwest Asia and Christian Europe , thus expanding the horizons of all three cultural areas .