"No history of Yuan can fail to mention the mother of Khubilai Khan, Sorghaghtani, though the History of the Yuan does not have much to say about her. Other sources-Italian, Persian, and Hebrew-praise her highly, a Persian historian saying she 'towered above all women of the world.' She was the niece of an enemy of Chinggis (Khan), who took her as war booty and married her to his son Tolui.When Tolui died, his brother Ogodei...tried to arrange a remarriage, but she refused.Instead, she requested and received her own domain in an area of Northern China that was occupied by Chinese farmers...She promoted tolerance of other religions.As she raised her sons, she prepared them for future leadership...When Ogodei died in 1241, his wife Toregene ruled for five years until she succeeded against other factions in promoting her eldest son Guyug as successor. She ruled because it was the Mongol custom...the widow took over until a son or other male relative of the husband was selected...Khubilai was elected Great Khan, though no longer with the support of the entire Mongol federation. If it hadn't been for Sorghaghtani's efforts, their branch of Chinggis' line would not have become the main line of royalty for Yuan." -Keith McMahon "Celestial Women: Imperial Wives and Concubines in China from Song to Qing." though no longer with the support of the entire Mongol federation. If it hadn't been for Sorghaghtani's efforts, their branch of Chinggis' line would not have become the main line of royalty for Yuan." -Keith McMahon "Celestial Women: Imperial Wives and Concubines in China from Song to Qing." though no longer with the support of the entire Mongol federation. If it hadn't been for Sorghaghtani's efforts, their branch of Chinggis' line would not have become the main line of royalty for Yuan." -Keith McMahon "Celestial Women: Imperial Wives and Concubines in China from Song to Qing."Sorghaghtani is a good example of a woman making the best of some potentially, and often outright, crappy situations. First of all, she's the niece of her father in law's enemy, and she was taken from her homelands against her will her. However, I will note that for the Mongols, and other inner Asian tribes, stealing women to be wives wasn't out of the ordinary. But I imagine that didn't make it any less unnerving. What makes this intriguing is that she was able to transition into a family that probably had deep rooted biases against her. Because she was the daughter of an enemy, she probably had to deal with issues of judgment and exclusion from other tribal members. She probably had to constantly prove herself. She was able to take that narrative, make the best of it, and become a leader in her own right. She wasn't the kind of person who just gave up because she intensely felt the pain of others' judgment. Instead, she showed Chinggis Khan that her leadership ability was on par with his daughters. By practicing religious tolerance and learning Chinese language and culture, with her sons following her lead her, it was a smart long term political strategy. These kinds of actions tend to speak volumes. And taking over China was a goal her in-laws happened to have, but she had n't quite accomplished, as the strategies that worked out on the Steppe did n't necessarily work with any of the Han Chinese Dynasties. By practicing religious tolerance and learning Chinese language and culture, with her sons following her lead, it was a smart long term political strategy. These kinds of actions tend to speak volumes. And taking over China was a goal her in-laws happened to have, but she had n't quite accomplished, as the strategies that worked out on the Steppe did n't necessarily work with any of the Han Chinese Dynasties. By practicing religious tolerance and learning Chinese language and culture, with her sons following her lead, it was a smart long term political strategy. These kinds of actions tend to speak volumes. And taking over China was a goal her in-laws happened to have, but she had n't quite accomplished, as the strategies that worked out on the Steppe did n't necessarily work with any of the Han Chinese Dynasties.I feel that there are many women (including me) here in the US who spend excessive energy on social media shouting many variants of "NO FAIR!!!" who would benefit greatly from learning about Sorghaghtani and following her lead her in a culturally appropriate context (of course). Though Sorghaghtani did meet a violent and tragic end, at least she had a myriad of accomplishments to be proud of, instead of a multi million page laundry list of grievances with the bare minimum to show for it. This is also why I read history. To give myself a much needed reset on my goals, instead of focusing on the "NO FAIR, hmmph!" aspect.
Correction: Sorghaghtani died from illness instead of a violent end. I had her confused with Toregene and her possible Lesbian lover (definitely a close female companion) by the name of Fatima.
And now here's an unrelated self promotional note:
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