Leaders and Conquerors of the Middle Ages Part 3!!

[GMan88]

Originally Posted by Cyberknight

I have to jump on the Temujin bandwagon. Genghis Khan's conquests were more than just ruthlessness. His adaptability and willingness to utilize the tech and tactics of those he conquered was true genius.

Agree!

[Salinator]

Originally Posted by Major Sennef

Voted Charlemagne who established and ruled over an Empire that laid the foundation of what the generations that came after would consider European.
Even the current EU refers to Charlemagne when describing what it stands for.

Charlemagne inherited power and rule. He built upon what was already established by his grandfather Charles Martel. Most of Charlemagne's Empire was already united by his grandfather and held together by his father.

Genghis Khan on the other hand inherited nothing other than plight and an old horse to suck blood from for survival as a child in flight when his family and clan was destroyed in tribal wars. Being a son of an insignificant chieftain, having to run for dear life as a child and then returning to unite the Steppes Tribes and then to start the Mongolian conquest of the greatest landmass ever known before and since gives Genghis the edge.

Genghis Khan and his men left a genetic imprint from Europe to East Asia. Not only in in human genetics but also equine. Their mark in military tactics and strategies cannot be denied.

[The Purist]

I dunno. Genghis Khan arrived like a storm surge almost washing away everything in its path. It retreated just as quickly as it arrived. the genetic imprint means little. The Caroligians planted structures that endured and prospered turning the tide on decay and directing the west towards what it would become. Between the collapse of the Roman west and Charlmagne, there was little that stopped the repeated invasions of Europe and Europeans looked to local defence and local warlords for protection. After Charlemagne the fighting was internal (amongst Europeans) but external threats were turned aside and Europe would soon be looking outward again. With stability came rebirth and expansion and reconquest were to follow.

Ghenghis Khan's empire did not promise this sort of recovery.

[Baldric]

Originally Posted by The Purist

Genghis Khan arrived like a storm surge almost washing away everything in its path. It retreated just as quickly as it arrived.

Hi Purist

I couldn't let this go unchallenged. Although Genghis's forces touched Europe only relatively briefly, the impact elsewhere was much more long lived.

The Yuan dynasty in China, the Golden Horde in Russia and the Chagatid khanate all survived much longer, and both Timur (Tamerlane) and the Moghul empire link back to Genghis at least as directly as the European states link back to Charlemagne, and probably more so.

However, the OP asked for "favourite", and that is not the same as "most enduring", or "with the greatest impact". Genghis happens to be a fascination of mine, so is my favourite. If I had spent the same amount of time reading about the two Charlies or Alfie, I might feel differently.

[PGT Beauregard]

Like the previous poll I have voted for the Hammer and for the same reasons,

he stopped islamization of Europe

[Wellington95]

Final poll on the way

[mighty]

charles martel, one of my favorite historical figures of all time