Temüge was the youngest full-brother of Genghis Khan

Genghis Khan

Genghis Khan , born Temujin and occasionally known by his temple name Taizu , was the founder and Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, which became the largest contiguous empire in history after his death....

. As the youngest sibling, Temüge and his mother, by Mongol traditions, were allotted the most land and people by Genghis Khan during his coronation. Although he seems to have been the least warlike of the brothers, and was criticized by Genghis himself for being lazy and shiftless, Temüge proved himself to be a skilled politician and capable ruler, who, alongside his mother Hoelun

Hoelun

Hoelun was the mother of Genghis Khan and the wife of his father Yesugei, the chief of the Khamag Mongol confederation.-Early life:...

, ruled the Mongol heartland in his eldest brothers' absence. He appears to have had intellectual leanings, first coming under the influence of the conquered Xia

Western Xia

The Western Xia Dynasty or the Tangut Empire, was known to the Tanguts and the Tibetans as Minyak.The state existed from 1038 to 1227 AD in what are now the northwestern Chinese provinces of Ningxia, Gansu, eastern Qinghai, northern Shaanxi, northeastern Xinjiang, southwest Inner Mongolia, and...

 and Jin cultures and then taking an active interest in the other cultures encompassed in the vast Mongol empire.

After the death of his nephew Ögedei Khan

Ögedei Khan

Ögedei Khan, born Ögedei was the third son of Genghis Khan and second Great Khan of the Mongol Empire by succeeding his father...

, Temüge attempted to seize the throne for himself in 1246, an act which resulted in his execution.

Ancestry