Launching on April 17th, the historical slugfest brings us a new mano-a-mano comparison each week up till it's launch. This week it's the battle of the conquerors and I can't help but feel bad for Hernan Cortez. Genghis Khan was a very, very, bad man.
Will this battle between Cortés and Genghis prove that the conqueror of a then-unknown Central America can defeat the man who ruled defiantly from Asia to Europe?Should we just call an ambulance now?
Hernán Cortés – Born in the 15th century in 1485, Hernán Cortés exemplified the success – and genocide – of the famed Spanish conquistadors. Discovery of the Western Hemisphere resulted in Cortés’ journey to Hispanola and Cuba before he finally established himself in the middle of modern Mexico, ultimately over throwing the Aztec Empire and earning the title of Marqués del Valle de Oaxaca. A figure of Spanish colonialism, his success by modern standards is less than ideal, but it’s impossible to deny – Cortés made a major impact on Central America in the following centuries. Equipped with his sword, can Cortés also make an impact on the battlefield mano-a-mano?
Genghis Khan –Genghis Khan, the renowned Mongol warlord, is a man to not be forgotten. It was the early 13th century when he began his rule, and while Europe wallowed in medieval conflicts, this man from little-known Mongolia stepped up to ultimately reign from modern day Korea and China all the way into deep Eastern Europe. Forget the Greeks, the Romans, the Persians, the Holy Roman Empire, the Germans, the Brits, or the Americans -- it was the Mongols, led by fierce Genghis Khan, that created an awe-inspiring empire. If faced against a fellow conqueror, would Khan reign supreme, or fall to his more modern upstart?