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Secondary sourceBookc. 1228 (completed after 1227)

The Secret History of the Mongols

c. 1228 (completed after 1227)

The oldest surviving Mongol-language account of Genghis Khan's life, written inside his own dynasty soon after his death.

The only inside account of Genghis Khan's life, written within his own dynasty soon after his death.

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Page of a 1908 Chinese edition of the Secret History of the Mongols, printed in vertical columns of Chinese characters transcribing Mongolian text, with smaller interlinear glosses in Chinese beside them. Some characters are bracketed and marked with small annotations.
Page from a 1908 Chinese re-edition of The Secret History of the Mongols, transcribing the Mongolian text into Chinese characters.

About this source

What it is

This is the earliest surviving work of Mongolian literature, written in the Middle Mongol language using Mongolian script by an unknown author. It covers the life of Temüjin, later Genghis Khan, from his hard childhood through his rise to power and enthronement in 1206, and continues into the reign of his son Ögedei. The original text has not survived; it is known from later copies, including a Chinese transcription made to help interpreters.

Why it matters

It is the only account of Genghis Khan's life produced from within the Mongol royal family itself, rather than by outsiders. Historians prize it for its vivid picture of Mongol tribal life, language and customs, even though its reliability as strict history is debated.

Look closer

  • Why might a ruling family want its own version of its founder's life written down?
  • What does the mix of legend (a wolf ancestor) and real events suggest about how the Mongols understood their own history?
  • Why do you think the earliest full copy survives only through a Chinese transcription rather than in the original script?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Genghis Khan on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Cum non solum

Pope Innocent IV · 13 March 1245

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