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The term "barbarian" refers to a person who is perceived to be uncivilized. The word is often used either in a general reference to member of a nation or ethnos, typically a tribal society as seen by an urban civilization either viewed as inferior, or admired as a noble savage. In idiomatic or figurative usage, a "barbarian" may also be an individual reference to a brutal, cruel, warlike, insensitive person. (Wikipedia)

Located in northern central Asia, a group of nomads thrived as they were isolated from the rest of the world. These nomads were known as the Mongols. Their name comes from their homeland, which was known as Mongolia.

Their isolation protected them from outsiders and allowed the Mongolian people to grow stronger and their technologies to gradually improve.

Like other nomads in the region, the Mongols lived off the land around them. They lived in tents which allowed them to migrate from place to place in search of the best hunting grounds and the most fertile soil.

For the most part, these nomads lived in small tribes that were united by their common family relationships. Tribes often joined together forming larger co-dependent tribes that offered greater protection and stability.

Around 1205 A.D., a tribal leader emerged in Mongolia that would change the fate of the people for centuries. This man’s name was Temujin.

Temujin worked to unite the many different tribes in Mongolia under a single government. After successfully bringing the Mongolians together, he established written laws known as the yasa. The yasa guided the actions of Mongolians throughout the whole of their empire.

Temujin also established a powerful military, and insured that they had the best weaponry and training of any army on Earth at the time. As a result of his successes, his people began to refer to Temujin as the Khan, or king. He became known as the Genghis Khan.

Crash Course in History does a great job in summarizing the impact of the Mongol Empire. Check it out below.