Genghis Khan

Genghis Khan was born Temüjin on the Mongolian steppe. When he was about nine, his father was poisoned by enemies, and his family was abandoned by their clan and lived in poverty. As a young man he was captured and escaped, and he slowly built up followers through loyalty, alliances and victories. In 1206 an assembly of the Mongol tribes proclaimed him Genghis Khan, meaning universal ruler. He organized his army into units of ten, a hundred, a thousand and ten thousand, promoted men for ability, set up a written law code and a relay system of messengers, and adopted a script for the Mongol language. His mounted archers conquered northern China and then the Khwarazmian Empire in Central Asia, whose ruler had killed his envoys. Cities that resisted, such as Nishapur and Merv, were destroyed and their people massacred, and millions died in his wars. He allowed freedom of religion and protected trade. He died in 1227, and his sons and grandsons expanded the empire from Korea to eastern Europe.

Faith: Believed the Mongol sky god Tengri had destined him to rule; he was tolerant of other religions. Source: Wikipedia