HOW MANY CHILDREN DID GENGHIS KHAN REALLY HAVE?
By ZACK LISBETH
History - Science
Genghis Khan is well-known for the spoils he accumulated as a victorious warlord of medieval Mongolia. Born in the war-ravaged region along the modern border of Siberia and Mongolia, the “Great Khan” did it all, from uniting warring tribes to claiming hundreds of concubines.
Khan, also known as Temujin, followed in the path of his father and claimed six Mongolian wives and more than 500 concubines. Despite that high number, the ruler of medieval Mongolia spent plenty of time ensuring that his unions resulted in children.
A 2003 study states that around 16 million men today may be the direct-line descendants of Genghis Khan. Despite the Khan producing several sons with his concubines, many were never recognized formally, which leaves no record of the total children Genghis fathered.
The Mongolian law emphasized the Golden Lineage in Khan’s time, which meant only the four sons of his first wife would have been recognized as his sons. Although hundreds inherited his DNA, only those four men inherited his name.