[muir_redwoods]

Your "statesman" killed thousands and thousands of innocent people for self-agrandizement and empire building. All else is window dressing.

Thug on a horse, one of many throughout history

[PzLdr]

So did Alexander the Great, most generals of the Roman Republic, Julius Caesar, the previously mentioned Richard I [at least Chingghis spent a good deal of his time in his kingdom], the Crusaders, the Muslims, Tamerlane, Napoleon, and all the happy Christian participants [both sides] in the Thirty Years War. So when it comes to horses in history, climb down off yours.

Compared to western "civilization" [remember Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin?], Chingghis Quan is small change. And the pluses of his Empire outweigh the minuses.