Tolui and Empress Sorghaghtani
Just before Genghis Khan died in, 1227, he divided the Mongol Empire between his four sons. Jochi, the eldest, received territory in the northeast of what was Russia. But since Jochi died a few months before Genghis, his territory was further divided into khanates that eventually became known as the Golden Horde. Chagatai, the second son, was given the region of Central Asia and Northern Iran, which became known as the Chagatai Khanate. Ogedei, the third son, succeeded Genghis as the Great Khan and inherited the eastern part of the Empire including China, which would later become the Yuan Dynasty ruled by Kublai Khan. The fourth son, Tolui, inherited the smallest region of the Mongol homeland.
Tolui married Sorghaghtani Beki, who was a Keraite princess and in common with many Keraites, she was a Nestorian Christian. It was even rumoured that she might have been a daughter of the fabled Prester John.
Mongol women at that time enjoyed a greater freedom than those of most other cultures. From childhood, they learned to hunt and fight alongside their brothers, but in the realm of the home they were particularly powerful, partly because the men could be away for many months at a time. Although Sorghaghtani was illiterate, she understood the importance of education for her sons. Consequently, she ensured that they received not only the best education, but also became proficient in foreign languages that would be necessary if they were to be successful in the further expansion of the Mongol domains.
When Tolui died at the early age of 41, Ogedei, the Great Khan proposed marriage to Sorghaghtani. But when she declined, he decreed that all of Tolui’s lands should come under her rule. From this moment on, Sorghaghtani became the second most powerful person among the Mongols and Ogedei the Great Khan frequently consulted with her on important matters of state. She handled all matters of administration and was largely instrumental for creating the Pax Mongolia, which was a time of relative peace across Central and Eastern Asia. Under her rule, the cities of the Silk Road came under one administration which eased travel between East and West. With easier and safer travel along the Silk Road, a new generation of Europeans, such as Marco Polo, were able to make the journey to the East.
Sorghaghtani died in 1252 at the age of 62 and was buried in a Christian church. She was viewed as an Empress among the Mongols and is spoken highly of by Christian, Muslim and Chinese historians. According to the Persian historian Rashid-al-Din Hamadani, she was
‘Extremely intelligent and able...the most intelligent woman in the world. There is no doubt that it was through her intelligence and ability that she raised the station of her sons above that of their cousins and caused them to attain to the rank of qa'ans and emperors’.
Three of Sorghaghtani’s sons did indeed go on to become emperors or great khans in their own right. The two eldest, Mongke and Kublai, became Great Khan in succession, with Kublai simultaneously holding the title of Emperor of China. The third son, Hulagu, became Ilkhan of the Persian Ilkhanate which was the forerunner of the Safavid Dynasty, followed by the country of modern Iran.
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The above extract is taken from A History if Central Asia
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