Mongol Decimal Military Organization

Timeline

1. c. 1201–1205Mongolian Steppe · Mongolian PlateauDuring his unification of the Mongol tribes, Temüjin had already temporarily organized combat units on decimal principles, conscripting mounted archers in units of hundreds and thousands, laying the groundwork for the later formal military-administrative system.
2. c. 1206Source of the Onon River (present-day Khentii Province, Mongolia) · Khentii ProvinceIn 1206 Genghis Khan held a kurultai at the source of the Onon River, rewarding meritorious subjects and formally dividing 95 thousand-households along with several hundred- and ten-households, appointing thousand-household commanders directly accountable to the great khans, thereby institutionalizing the decimal military-administrative system.
3. c. 1207–1210Mongol Empire frontier theater · Western Xia frontierBetween 1207 and 1210, the new system was tested in campaigns against Western Xia, preparatory operations against Khwarazm, and internal steppe levies, with the thousand-household serving as the basic tactical and administrative unit for troop conscription, horse supply, and rotational garrison duty.