Genghis Khan Dies Besieging the Western Xia Capital
The empire's founder dies in the field, and his generals conceal it until the city falls
Quick facts
- Date of death
- 18 August 1227
- Location
- Besieging Zhongxing, capital of Western Xia
- Cause
- Unknown illness, possibly worsened by a riding fall
- Burial site
- Unknown; concealed by Mongol tradition
What happened
Genghis Khan died on 18 August 1227 of an unknown illness, possibly worsened by a fall from his horse while hunting a few months earlier. At the time he was in northwest China besieging Zhongxing, the capital of Western Xia, a state he was punishing for its earlier attempt to ally with the Jin against him. His commanders kept news of his death from the Mongol army until the city surrendered, after which its population was slaughtered. His body was then carried back to Mongolia for burial at a location that remains unknown to this day.
Why it matters
Concealing the khan's death until Zhongxing fell shows how tightly the Mongol command structure controlled information even in a crisis of succession, and it ensured Western Xia's punishment was completed rather than abandoned. Genghis Khan's death opened the question of succession that would shape the empire for the next several decades, resolved only when a kurultai chose his son Ogedei as the new Great Khan in 1229.
How we know
The circumstances of Genghis Khan's death and the concealment from his army are recorded in the Secret History of the Mongols and repeated in the World History Encyclopedia's biographical account.
Sources
- World History Encyclopedia. Genghis Khan · Reputable sourceworldhistory.org · The domain "worldhistory.org" is on our Reputable source registry. · Link is live and its text matches the event's key terms (Jul 2026)
- World History Encyclopedia. Mongol Empire · Reputable sourceworldhistory.org · The domain "worldhistory.org" is on our Reputable source registry. · Link is live and its text matches the event's key terms (Jul 2026)
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