Nearly a thousand years ago, the country of Mongolia didn't exist…not until Genghis Khan somehow consolidated several rival nomadic tribes into one unified empire that he ruled. How did he do it? Join us as we travel back to the turn of the 13th century, when a young Genghis (then Temujin) used the tragic loss of his family to fuel his rise to power. Then see how the impact of his reign still resonates today as we follow the daily lives of modern herders and pay a visit to the Naadam Festival, an annual celebration of Mongol traditions.
Historian Marie Favereau visits a nomadic family to see how moving with the seasons reflects the lives of Genghis Khan and his people eight centuries earlier. Marie explores how the spiritual significance of gift-giving drove Ghenghis Khan's desire for trade deals. But after the trade envoys he sent to the wealthy Khwarazmian Empire are murdered, he reeks revenge.
Marie visits a Buddhist temple, revealing how the Mongols belief that all religions led to the same god had huge advantages for conquered people. She also looks at how a Mongol network of safe trade routes allowed important new innovations in areas such as astronomy and architecture to flourish but also spread the Black Death into Europe, shattering the global economy and devastating the Mongol empire.