Genghis Khan controlled a significant territory.
Genghis Khan . After founding the Empire and being proclaimed `` Genghis Khan '' , he started the Mongol invasions that conquered most of Eurasia . The Mongol Empire ( Mongolian : Mongolyn Ezent Güren ; Mongolian Cyrillic : Монголын эзэнт гүрэн ; [ mɔŋɡ ɮˈiːŋ ɛt͡sˈɛnt ˈɡurəŋ ] also Орда ( `` Horde '' ) in Russian chronicles ) existed during the 13th and 14th centuries and was the largest contiguous land empire in history . The Silk Road or Silk Route was an ancient network of trade routes that were for centuries central to cultural interaction originally through regions of Eurasia connecting the East and West and stretching from the Korean peninsula and Japan to the Mediterranean Sea .