The book explores the Mongolian ideas about the leader's charisma as a justification for his right to power, the nature of sacredness, which allowed the ruler to conduct regular rituals, and the idea of heavenly chosenness in the political culture of the medieval Mongols. Particular attention is paid to controversial issues: the structure of society and the typology of power relations in the era of Genghis Khan. The reconstruction of the system of traditional worldview and the Mongolian medieval picture of the world as its basis, the identification of a number of Mongolian terms denoting sacredness, and the definition of the role of the leader were carried out on the basis of an analysis of a wide range of written sources, ethnographic and archaeological materials. CONTENTS: Introduction 5Chapter I. Social structure and potestar-political organization of Mongolian society of the XII-XIV centuries 15§ 1. Discussion about the social structure of the Mongol ulus 64§ 2. The ruling elite of the era of Genghis Khan: warrior-courtiers? 80§ 3. Two Mongolia: features of medieval identification practicesTwo Mongolia 98Mongols of the northeast 103Yeke Mongyol ulus 108Mongol-Tatars 120Chapter II. Mongolian medieval picture of the world 131Chapter III. The ritual function of the ruler in society 181Chapter IV. Charisma is the basis of social and natural harmony 239Conclusion 287Notes 298Bibliography 345Sources 348Selected bibliography 373Dictionaries 374Literature in Mongolian 374Literature in Western European languages 374Summary 379