Khulan ( mn, ᠬᠤᠯᠠᠨ, Ppp=qulan; ; – ) was an
empress consort of
Genghis Khan and head of the second Court of Genghis Khan. Her status in the
Mongol Empire was second only to Grand Empress
Börte
Börte (simply Borte, also Börte Üjin; Mongolian: ; Cyrillic: Бөртэ үжин; c. 1161–1230) was the first wife of Temüjin, who became Genghis Khan, the founder of the Mongol Empire. Börte became the head of the first Court of Genghis ...
.
Biography
Khulan was a daughter of Dair-Usun,
Uvas Mergid chief. She was offered to Genghis Khan as a gift after the chief's surrender. Genghis Khan was enamored with Khulan and following his coronation as
Khan, installed her as an empress. She had a son, Gelejian, with Genghis Khan, and Gelejian's status was second only to Börte's four sons as he grew up.
As Genghis Khan's Wife
Like his other wives, Khulan had her own ''ordo'', or court. She was given the
Khentii Mountains
The Khentii Mountains ( mn, Хэнтийн нуруу) are a mountain range in the Töv and Khentii Provinces in North Eastern Mongolia.
Geography
The mountain chain overlaps the Khan Khentii Strictly Protected Area and includes Mongolia's ...
as her territory.
Genghis Khan was very fond of Abika Khulan, and most of the time she was the only empress accompanying him on many campaigns, notably the western campaign against the
Khwarezmid Empire
The Khwarazmian or Khwarezmian Empire) or the Khwarazmshahs ( fa, خوارزمشاهیان, Khwārazmshāhiyān) () was a Turko-Persian Sunni Muslim empire that ruled large parts of present-day Central Asia, Afghanistan, and Iran in the app ...
. She continued to travel with Genghis Khan until she died during one of Genghis Khan's campaign against India. She was buried under thick ice.
As one of many wives of Genghis Khan, Abika Khulan held a special place both in the Mongol Empire and in Genghis Khan's heart.
Popular culture
Khulan was portrayed in the 2007 Japanese film ''
Genghis Khan: To the Ends of the Earth and Sea'', played by
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...
n actress and model
Go Ara
Go Ara (; born February 11, 1990) is a South Korean actress and model. She is best known for starring in the television series ''Sharp'' (2003), ''Heading to the Ground'' (2009), ''Reply 1994'' (2013), ''You're All Surrounded'' (2014), '' Hwara ...
.
References
Citations
Sources
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Genghis Khan
Year of birth uncertain
12th-century births
13th-century deaths
12th-century Mongolian women
13th-century Mongolian women
Women in 12th-century warfare
Women in war in East Asia
Mongol empresses
Wives of Genghis Khan
{{CAsia-hist-stub