Empress Chabi (, ; , c. 1216 –1281) was a

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 ...

empress consort of the

Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fif ...

of Mongol, married to

Kublai Khan Kublai ; Mongolian script: ; (23 September 1215 – 18 February 1294), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Shizu of Yuan and his regnal name Setsen Khan, was the founder of the Yuan dynasty of China and the fifth khagan-emperor of ...

(Emperor Shizu).

Life

She was born around 1216 to Alchi Noyan's son Anchen Noyan . Nephew of

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 ...

from

tribe and his otherwise unnamed, posthumously called wife Princess Jining. She married to Kublai in 1234 as his second wife and bore him four sons and 6 daughters later. She was an important political and diplomatic influence, especially in pleasing the Chinese masses through reconciliation with

Confucianism Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a Religious Confucianism, religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, ...

. She was compared to Börte through for her reputation. She was described as extremely beautiful and charming by Rashid al-Din. Möngke Khagan died in 1259 while Kublai was campaigning against the

Song Dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the res ...

. She warned her husband of advancements of Ariq Böke beforehand. After conquest of China, she suggested a better treatment of the north Chinese imperial family, namely Empress Quan in 1276. She also introduced new court fashion in form of hats. Chabi also promoted

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

in the high levels of government fiercely. She also named her child under influence of Buddhism. She mediated religious disputes between Kublai and Phagpa, and supported the latter both economically and politically. She was also patron of

Zangpo Pal Zangpo Pal (1261 - 1323), in full Danyi Chenpo Zangpo Pal (; ), was the ruler of Sakya, which held a precedence position in Tibet under the Yuan dynasty. He ruled nominally from 1298, in reality from 1306 to his death in 1323. Family and upbringin ...

. Here are some of the many accomplishments of the queen: "Mongol hats didn't have a brim before. The king's eyes sparkled when he shot a bow and arrow. When he told the queen about it, the queen immediately sewed a brim for his hat. The king was very happy and immediately started to wear the hat. This sable hat is the hat depicted in the portraits of many Mongolian kings of the Yuan Dynasty.Д.Идэр. Их Юань Улсын Хатад. УБ., 2016. т.25-26 The queen made another item of clothing. According to the ''Yuan shi'', the invention of bijiia is attributed to Empress Chabi during the

. Empress Chabi designed the bijia so that it would be a convenient form of attire while riding horses and shooting arrows. The front region of the bijia designed by Empress Chabi was made of 1-piece of fabric, and its back region was twice longer than the front region. It was collarless and sleeveless, and there were two loop straps which attached to it. It also had no lapels. The bijia was first worn by the Yuan dynasty emperor but it later became popular among commoners. She died on 1281, probably arranging her niece

Nambui Empress Nambui (,; , fl. 1294) was a Khongirad empress consort of the Yuan dynasty. She was married to Kublai Khan after the death of his first wife Chabi. Biography Her birthdate is unknown. She was daughter of Nachen Küregen from Khongirad, ...

to marry Kublai afterwards. She was posthumously renamed Empress Zhaorui Shunsheng (昭睿順聖皇后) by her grandson

Temür Khan Öljeytü Khan ( Mongolian: Өлзийт; Mongolian script: '; ), born Temür ( mn, Төмөр ; ; October 15, 1265 – February 10, 1307), also known as Emperor Chengzong of Yuan () by his temple name ''Chengzong'', was the second emperor of the ...

Family

She had 4 sons and 6 daughters with Kublai khan: # Crown Prince Zhenjin (1243 – 1285) — Prince of Yan (燕王) #

Manggala Manggala (; , ) was a prince of the Mongol-led Chinese Yuan dynasty. He was a son of the Yuan founding emperor Kublai Khan. Biography Manggala was born around 1242 to Kublai Khan and his principal wife Chabi as their third son. He was created P ...

(c. 1249-1280) — Prince of Anxi (安西王) # Nomugan (d. 1301) — Prince of Beiping (北平王) # Kokechi (d.1271) - Prince of Liang # Grand Princess of Zhao, Yuelie (赵国大長公主) — married to Ay Buqa, Prince of Zhao (趙王) # Princess Ulujin (吾魯真公主) — married to Buqa from Ikires clan # Princess Chalun (昌国大长公主) - married to Teliqian from Ikires clan #Grand Princess of Lu, Öljei (鲁国长公主) — married to Ulujin Küregen from Khongirad clan, Prince of Lu # Grand Princess of Lu, Nangiajin (鲁国大长公主) — married to Ulujin Küregen from Khongirad clan, Princess of Lu, then after Ulujin's death in 1278 to his brother Temür, and after Temür's death in 1290 to a third brother, Manzitai # Princess Jeguk

In popular media

She was portrayed several times in TV series and movies: * ''

Marco Polo Marco Polo (, , ; 8 January 1324) was a Venetian merchant, explorer and writer who travelled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. His travels are recorded in '' The Travels of Marco Polo'' (also known as ''Book of the Marv ...

'' (1982) by

Beulah Quo Beulah Quo (April 17, 1923 – October 23, 2002) was a Chinese-American actress and activist born in Stockton, California. The spelling of her last name changed from Kwoh to Quo because she was constantly asked if KWOH was a radio station. She st ...

* '' Eternal Happiness'' (2002) by

Law Lan Law Lan () MHAwarded in her original name Lo Yin-ying (born Lo Yin-ying (); 13 November 1934), is a veteran Hong Kong actress in both the film and TV industry. Career She first started out in the film industry in 1939, cast in antagonistic roles ...

* '' The Legend of Kublai Khan'' (2013) by Charmaine Sheh * ''

'' (2014) by

Joan Chen Joan Chen (born April 26, 1961) is a Chinese-American actress and film director. In China, she performed in the 1979 film and came to the attention of American audiences for her performance in the 1987 film '' The Last Emperor''. She is also ...

* ''Hojo Tokimune'' (2001) by Shurenhuar

Sources

* * Jack Weatherford (2011). The Secret History of the Mongol Queens: How the Daughters of Genghis Khan Rescued His Empire Paperback. Broadway Books. . *

References

{{S-end 1281 deaths Yuan dynasty empresses 1225 births 13th-century Mongolian people 13th-century Chinese women 13th-century Chinese people 13th-century Mongolian women 13th-century Buddhists