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Börte (simply Borte, also Börte Üjin; Mongolian: ;
Cyrillic The Cyrillic script ( ), Slavonic script or the Slavic script, is a writing system used for various languages across Eurasia. It is the designated national script in various Slavic, Turkic, Mongolic, Uralic, Caucasian and Iranic-speaking co ...
: Бөртэ үжин; c. 1161–1230) was the first wife of Temüjin, who became
Genghis Khan Genghis Khan (born Temüjin; ; xng, Temüjin, script=Latn; ., name=Temujin – August 25, 1227) was the founder and first Great Khan (Emperor) of the Mongol Empire, which became the List of largest empires, largest contiguous empire in history a ...
, the founder of the
Mongol Empire The Mongol Empire of the 13th and 14th centuries was the largest contiguous land empire in history. Originating in present-day Mongolia in East Asia, the Mongol Empire at its height stretched from the Sea of Japan to parts of Eastern Europe, ...
. Börte became the head of the first Court of Genghis Khan, and Grand
Empress An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother (empr ...
of his Empire. Little is known about the details of her early life, but she was betrothed to Genghis at a young age, married at seventeen, and then kidnapped by a rival tribe. Her husband's daring rescue of her may have been one of the key events that started him on his path to becoming a conqueror. She gave birth to four sons and five daughters, who, along with their own descendants, were the key bloodline that further expanded the Mongol Empire. Borte and Hoelun, Genghis' mother, were some of the most influential and important people in the Khan's life.


Early life

Few historical facts are known about her early life, but
Mongolia Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million ...
ns have many legends about her. What little is known is generally from '' The Secret History of the Mongols''. Börte was born around 1161 into the
Olkhonud Olkhunut ( Mongolian: Олхуноуд, Олхонууд, Олгонууд, Olhonuud; ) was the clan of Hoelun, the mother of Genghis Khan. They helped Genghis to defeat the Naimans. The Olkhunut people were very closely related to the Hongirad t ...
of
Khongirad The Khongirad ( Mongolian: ᠬᠣᠩᠭᠢᠷᠠᠳ; Хонгирад; Khonghirad; ), also known as Qongirat (Qoŋğırat/Қоңғырат), was one of the major divisions of the Mongol tribes. Variations on the name include Onggirat, Ongirat, Q ...
. This tribe was friendly to the Borjigin tribe, into which Temüjin was born. She was the daughter of Dei-Sechen and Chotan. She was described as having a "fair complexion" with "light in her face and fire in her eyes," meaning that she was intelligent. The girls that came from the Olkhonud tribe were known for being particularly beautiful. The marriage was arranged by her father and
Yesügei Yesugei Baghatur or Yesükhei ( Traditional Mongolian: ; Modern Mongolian: Есүхэй баатар, ''Yesukhei baatar'', ; ) (b. 1134 – d. 1171) was a major chief of the Khamag Mongol confederation and the father of Temüjin, later known a ...
, Genghis' father, when she was 10 and he was 9 years old. Temüjin then stayed with her family until he was called back to help his mother and younger siblings, due to the poisoning of Yesügei by an enemy. In 1178, approximately 7 years later, Temüjin traveled downstream along the Kelüren River to find Börte. When Dei-Sechen saw that Temüjin had returned for Börte he was delighted and had the pair "united as man and wife". With the permission of Dei-Sechen, he took Börte and her mother to live in his family's
yurt A yurt (from the Turkic languages) or ger ( Mongolian) is a portable, round tent covered and insulated with skins or felt and traditionally used as a dwelling by several distinct nomadic groups in the steppes and mountains of Central Asia ...
, which was camped along the Senggür river. Börte's
dowry A dowry is a payment, such as property or money, paid by the bride's family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price and dower. While bride price or bride service is a payment ...
was a fine black sable jacket.


Abduction and rescue

Soon after she married Temüjin, the Three Merkits attacked the family camp at dawn. Temüjin, and his family and friends were able to escape on horses, but there was no horse left for Börte to escape on. She was taken captive by the Merkits and given to one of their warriors as a spoil of war (along with Sochigel and a maid). The raid was in retaliation for the abduction of Hoelun, Temüjin's mother, by his father
Yesügei Yesugei Baghatur or Yesükhei ( Traditional Mongolian: ; Modern Mongolian: Есүхэй баатар, ''Yesukhei baatar'', ; ) (b. 1134 – d. 1171) was a major chief of the Khamag Mongol confederation and the father of Temüjin, later known a ...
many years earlier. Temüjin was deeply distressed by the abduction of his wife and remarked that his bed "was made empty" and his breast was "torn apart". He was determined to bring Börte back, and rescued her several months later with the aid of his allies Wang Khan and
Jamukha Jamukha ( mn, Жамуха; ) was a Mongol military and political leader and the chief rival to Temüjin (later Genghis Khan) in the unification of the Mongol tribes. Biography Jamukha was born in the Jadaran, a sub-tribe of the Khamag Mongol ...
. Some scholars describe this event as one of the key crossroads in Temüjin's life, which moved him along the path towards becoming a conqueror.Börte had been held captive for eight months, and she gave birth to Jochi after she was rescued, leaving doubt as to who the father of the child was, because her captor took her as a "wife", and therefore could have possibly impregnated her. However, Genghis let Jochi remain with his family and claimed him as his own son. He was supposed to be Genghis' successor but because of his doubt of being Jochi's real father, his brothers would not accept him as ruler and Genghis had to choose another son. Jochi then became leader of the
Golden Horde The Golden Horde, self-designated as Ulug Ulus, 'Great State' in Turkic, was originally a Mongol and later Turkicized khanate established in the 13th century and originating as the northwestern sector of the Mongol Empire. With the fragmen ...
.


Grand Empress

Börte was the senior and first wife of Temüjin. She was revered by the Mongols after he became Genghis Khan, and she was crowned the Grand Empress. Börte on several occasions heavily influenced her husband's decisions. One such occasion was when Otčigin came into Genghis Khan's tent while he was still in bed with Börte, and asked for help against the Qongqotan tribe. Before Genghis Khan could say anything, Börte "sat up in bed, covering her breasts with the edge of the blanket" and described the cruelty of the Qongqotan. After listening to his wife speak, Genghis Khan decided to help Otčigin. As Genghis Khan continued to expand his influence and empire, Börte remained behind and assisted Genghis' brother
Temüge Temüge (1168–1246) was the youngest brother of Genghis Khan, second son of Yesugei . ''The Secret History of the Mongols'' tells that "when Temujin was 9 years of age, Temuge was three years old." Being the youngest boy in the family, he rec ...
in ruling the Mongol homeland. Other wives accompanied Genghis Khan on his campaigns, while she ruled her own territory and managed her own court. Most of the
Kherlen River Kherlen River (also known as Kern or Kerülen; ; ) is a 1,254 km river in Mongolia and China. Course The river originates in the south slopes of the Khentii mountains, near the Burkhan Khaldun mountain in the Khan Khentii Strictly Prote ...
was assigned to her, land that had before belonged to the
Tatars The Tatars ()Tatar
in the Collins English Dictionary
is an umbrella term for different Turki ...
. Only her sons were considered to be candidates to succeed Temüjin as Khans. Börte is often portrayed as "a beautiful woman dressed in a white silken gown, with gold coins in her hair, holding a white lamb, and riding a white steed".


Children

Börte's sons: * Jochi * Chagatai * Ögedei * Tolui Daughters: * Kua Ujin Bekhi, the eldest, was betrothed to Tusakha, son of Senggum, and grandson of Wang Khan, ruler of the Keraite tribe; she eventually married Botu, of the Ikires tribe, and widower of her paternal aunt Temulun. *
Alakhai Bekhi Alakhai Bekhi (Alagai Bäki; c. 1191 – after 1230) was a daughter of Genghis Khan and his first wife Börte. She played significant role behind the scenes during her father’s lifetime. She acted as Regent of the territories in China proper conq ...
, married first to
Alaqush Alaqush Tegin Quri or Alaqush Digit Quri (, , ? - d. 1211) was a tribal leader of Onguds and a contemporary of Genghis Khan. Biography He was Nestorian ruler of Turkic ancestry who is first remembered by sources when he was approached by Nayman ...
Digit Quri, chieftain of the Ongüt tribe; then to his nephew and heir Jingue; and finally to her stepson Boyaohe * Tümelün, married to Chigu, son of Alchi , son of Dei Seichen, Börte's father * Alaltun married Chaur Setsen, son of Taiju Kurgen of the Olkanut tribe. She is often confused with Il-Alti, a daughter by a concubine, who was given to the Uyghur chieftain Idi Qut. *
Checheikhen Checheikhen was a daughter of Genghis Khan and his first wife Börte. Marriage When, in 1207, Genghis Khan sent his son Jochi to subdue the northern tribes, the Oirats were the first to offer an alliance to Genghis Khan. As part of this allianc ...
, married to Törölchi, son of Quduka beki, of the Oirat tribe.


Modern representations

Given her significant role in Genghis Khan's life, Börte has appeared as a prominent character in the many films and television series based on her husband's life and conquests. The actresses who have portrayed her include
Susan Hayward Susan Hayward (born Edythe Marrenner; June 30, 1917 – March 14, 1975) was an American film actress, best known for her film portrayals of women that were based on true stories. After working as a fashion model for the Walter Thornton Model A ...
in '' The Conqueror'', Françoise Dorléac in ''
Genghis Khan Genghis Khan (born Temüjin; ; xng, Temüjin, script=Latn; ., name=Temujin – August 25, 1227) was the founder and first Great Khan (Emperor) of the Mongol Empire, which became the List of largest empires, largest contiguous empire in history a ...
'' and Chuluuny Khulan in the 2007 Oscar nominated
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...
n film ''
Mongol The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal member ...
''.


See also

*
List of kidnappings The following is a list of kidnappings summarizing the events of each individual case, including instances of celebrity abductions, claimed hoaxes, suspected kidnappings, extradition abductions, and mass kidnappings. Before 1900 1900–1949 ...


References


Sources

* René Grousset. ''Conqueror of the World: The Life of Chingis-khan'' (New York: The Viking Press, 1944) . * Ratchnevsky, Paul. ''Genghis Khan: His Life and Legacy.'' (Blackwell Publishing 1991) . * Man, John. ''Genghis Khan: Life, Death and Resurrection'' (London; New York : Bantam Press, 2004) . * Onon, Urgunge, tr. and ed. and introduction. ''The Secret History of the Mongols: The Life and Times of Chinggis Khan.'' (Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2005) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Borte 1160s births 12th-century Mongolian women 13th-century deaths 13th-century Mongolian women Formerly missing people Kidnapped people Missing person cases in China Mongol empresses Year of birth unknown Wives of Genghis Khan