Ögedei Khan

Yuan dynasty portrait of Ögedei

Ögedei (1186-1241) was the third son of Genghis Khan and second Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, after his father. He continued to make his father's empire larger. Like all of Genghis's other sons, he helped to conquer western China and Central Asia.

Ögedei was thought to be his father's favorite son ever since his childhood. As an adult, Ögedei was known to be persuasive in debates in which he was involved because he had a strong personality. Despite his drinking habits, he was intelligent and steady in character.

He was selected as the Great Khan in 1229 because of the kuriltai, the meeting for important leaders, which was held after Genghis' death, but it was never doubted that Genghis wanted Ögedei to rule after him.

During Ögedei's reign, the Mongols ended the Jin dynasty in 1234 and fought the Southern Song Empire. In 1235, under Ögedei's direct command, the Mongols began a war of conquest, which would not end for forty-five years and would result in the addition of all of China.

The Mongol armies established permanent control of Persia (commanded by Chormagan) and expanded westward under the command of Batu Khan to take over Russia.