He is freed by Arslan and Jelme, father and son wanderers who joined the Wolves after looking for Yesugei, whom Arslan owed a debt. He is taken back to the tribe where he is tortured, and kept in a pit, in preparation for a ritual murder. But the Wolf tribe return to the area, and advanced riders, sent by Eeluk to ensure the family had perished, capture Temujin. In an argument over food, Temujin kills his older brother Bekter, much to his mother's anguish.Īfter a few years of trading with other wandering families, the family establish a small home. The expectation was that Temujin's family would perish in the unforgiving winter, but Temujin, along with his mother Hoelun, his four brothers Bekter, Khasar, Kachiun, Temüge, and his baby sister Temulun, survived against all the odds, albeit in poverty. Fearing the sons of the former khan may contest his leadership when they reach adulthood, Eeluk banishes Temujin's family from the tribe, leaving them to fend for themselves on the harsh Steppes. Yesugei's first bondsman, Eeluk, assumes control of the tribe. His father is attacked by assassins and soon dies from his injuries. The narrative follows the early life of Temujin, the second son of Yesugei, the khan of the Mongolian 'Wolves' tribe.

In the author's note of the book, Iggulden explains he traveled to rural Mongolia during his research. It is titled Genghis: Birth of an Empire in the United States.Īfter completing the Emperor series on the life of Julius Caesar, Iggulden began research for his next series of books, based on the life of Mongol warlord Genghis Khan. It is the first book in the Conqueror series based on the Mongols of the Asian steppes. Wolf of the Plains ( 2007) is a historical novel from English author Conn Iggulden.

Genghis birth of an empire