Who was the founder of the Mongol Empire?

• A. Kublai Khan
• B. Genghis Khan
• C. Ögedei Khan
• D. Toghrul Khan

Answer: (B)

The founder of the Mongol Empire was Genghis Khan. He originally bore the name Temüjin and unified the Mongolian tribes under his leadership around the early 13th century. His unification efforts were crucial in forming a centralized Mongolian state, and in 1206, he was proclaimed Genghis Khan, meaning "universal ruler," which marked the official beginning of the Mongol Empire. Under his leadership, the Mongols expanded their territory significantly, conquering vast regions of Asia and parts of Europe, largely due to their innovative military strategies and organizational prowess.

While Kublai Khan was instrumental in consolidating and expanding the empire later on and became the ruler of the Yuan dynasty in China, he is not the founder. Ögedei Khan, Genghis Khan's son, succeeded him and continued the expansion of the empire, but the critical foundation was laid by Genghis Khan. Toghrul Khan was a mentor and ally to Temüjin early in his life, but he did not found the empire. Thus, the question of who founded the Mongol Empire unequivocally points to Genghis Khan as the key figure.