Work / monument · text

Secret History of the Mongols

13th century · 13th century

The Secret History of the Mongols is the oldest surviving work of Mongolian literature, written in the 13th century, probably soon after the death of Genghis Khan. It tells the story of his ancestors, his youth as Temüjin, his struggles with rival steppe peoples such as the Tatars and Merkits, and his rise to power. It survives mainly in a Chinese transcription.

Secret History of the Mongols
Image: Цэндийн Дамдинсүрэн · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 2 state histories

Tatar confederationMerkit confederation

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Secret History of the Mongols. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/secret-history-of-the-mongols
MLA
“Secret History of the Mongols.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/secret-history-of-the-mongols. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Secret History of the Mongols.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/secret-history-of-the-mongols.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Secret History of the Mongols’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/secret-history-of-the-mongols (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻