National Geographic:
"Genghis Khan, the fearsome Mongolian warrior of the 13th century, may have done more than rule the largest empire in the world; according to a recently published genetic study, he may have helped populate it too.
An international group of geneticists studying Y-chromosome data have found that nearly 8 percent of the men living in the region of the former Mongol empire carry y-chromosomes that are nearly identical. That translates to 0.5 percent of the male population in the world, or roughly 16 million descendants living today.
Legacy of Genghis Khan
To have such a startling impact on a population required a special set of circumstances, all of which are met by Genghis Khan and his male relatives, the authors note in the study published in the American Journal of Human Genetics.
Khan's empire at the time of his death extended across Asia, from the Pacific Ocean to the Caspian Sea. His military conquests were frequently characterized by the wholesale slaughter of the vanquished. His descendants extended the empire and maintained power in the region for several hundred years, in civilizations in which harems and concubines were the norm. And the males were markedly prolific.
Khan's eldest son, Tushi, is reported to have had 40 sons. Documents written during or just after Khan's reign say that after a conquest, looting, pillaging, and rape were the spoils of war for all soldiers, but that Khan got first pick of the beautiful women. His grandson, Kubilai Khan, who established the Yuan Dynasty in China, had 22 legitimate sons, and was reported to have added 30 virgins to his harem each year.
"The historically documented events accompanying the establishment of the Mongol empire would have contributed directly to the spread of this lineage," the authors conclude.
Of course, the connection to Genghis Khan will never be a certainty unless his grave is found and his DNA could be extracted. Until then, geneticists will continue to seek out isolated populations in the hope of unraveling the mysteries of geographic origin and relatedness told by our genes."
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Via Encyclopedia Britannica:
Genghis, or Chinggis, Khan (original name Temüjin; b. 1162—d. 1227) was the great Mongolianwarrior-ruler of the late 12th and early 13th centuries. Under his leadership, the Mongols consoli-dated nomadic tribes into a unifi ed Mongolia and fought from China’s Pacifi c coast to Europe’sAdriatic Sea, creating the basis for one of the greatest continental empires of all time. The leaderof a destitute clan, Temüjin fought various rival clans and formed a Mongol confederacy, which in1206 acknowledged him as Genghis Khan (“Universal Ruler”). By that year the united Mongolswere ready to move out beyond the steppe. He adapted his method of warfare, moving from depend-ing solely on cavalry to using sieges, catapults, ladders, and other equipment and techniquessuitable for the capture and destruction of cities. In less than 10 years he took over most of Juchen-controlled China; he then destroyed the Muslim Khwārezm-Shah dynasty while his generals raidedIran and Russia. He is infamous for slaughtering the entire populations of cities and destroyingfi elds and irrigation systems but admired for his military brilliance and ability to learn. He diedon a military campaign, and the empire was divided among his sons and grandsons.
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