Mongol leader Genghis Khan (1162-1227) rose from humble beginnings to establish the largest land empire in history. After uniting the nomadic tribes of the Mongolian plateau, he conquered huge chunks of central Asia and China. ... Genghis Khan died in 1227 during a military campaign against the Chinese kingdom of Xi Xia.
Unifying the Mongols was no small achievement — it meant bringing together a whole series of disparate tribes. Economically the tribal unit was optimal for a pastoral-nomadic group, but Chinggis brought all the tribes together into one confederation, with all its loyalty placed in himself.
Seasonal crop rotation helped farmers protect the fertile soil. By rotating crops farmers replenish the soil with nutrients from different crops. Replenishing diminished minerals was an essential function of crop rotation that allowed for the growing of different crops in different years and from season to season to keep the soil healthy.
