In which century was the Mongol Empire founded?

The Mongol Empire was founded in the 13th century.

Its conventional starting date is 1206, when a kurultai, or assembly of Mongol nobles, proclaimed Temüjin as Genghis Khan, ruler of the united Mongol tribes. This political unification transformed a collection of rival steppe groups into an expansionist imperial state.

Genghis Khan’s armies rapidly extended Mongol control across Inner Asia. By the time of his death in 1227, the empire stretched from the Pacific Ocean toward the Caspian Sea. His successors, including Ögedei, Möngke, and Kublai, continued expanding and administering the empire.

A common mix-up is confusing the empire’s founding with later landmarks. Karakorum became the main capital only in 1235, while the Yuan dynasty was proclaimed by Kublai Khan in 1271. Both events also occurred in the 13th century, but neither marks the empire’s original foundation.