The Mongols, a nomadic people from the Asian steppe, conquered vast territories across Asia under the leadership of Genghis Khan in the early 1200s. By 1225, Genghis Khan had united the Mongols and controlled Central Asia, using brutality to subdue his enemies. After his death in 1227, his successors expanded the Mongol Empire to include northern China, Korea, Russia, and territories reaching into Eastern Europe and the Middle East over the next 50 years. The Mongol Empire was eventually divided into four khanates that ruled different regions.