Khatun ( Mongolian: хатан; otk, 𐰴𐰍𐰣, katun; ota, خاتون, hatun or قادین ''kadın''; fa, خاتون ''khātūn''; ; hi, ख़ातून ') is a female title of

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The character ...

and counterpart to " khan" or " Khagan" prominently used in the

Turkic Khaganate The Göktürks founded two major khanates known as the Turkic Khaganate: * First Turkic Khaganate, which then fractured into ** Western Turkic Khaganate ** Eastern Turkic Khaganate * Second Turkic Khaganate See also * Turkic khanate * List of Turk ...

s and in the subsequent Mongol Empire.

Etymology and history

Before the advent of

Islam in Central Asia Islam in Central Asia has existed since the beginning of Islamic history. Sunni branch of Islam is the most widely practiced religion in Central Asia. Shiism of Imami and Ismaili denominations predominating in the Pamir plateau and the wester ...

, Khatun was the title of the queen of Bukhara. According to the Encyclopaedia of Islam, "Khatun sa title of Sogdian origin borne by the wives and female relatives of the Göktürks and subsequent Turkish rulers." According to Bruno De Nicola in ''Women in Mongol Iran: The Khatuns, 1206-1335'', the linguistic origins of the term “khatun” are unknown, though possibly of Old Turkic or Sogdian origin. De Nicola states that prior to the spread of the Mongols across Central Asia, Khatun meant ‘lady’ or ‘noblewoman’ and is found in broad usage in medieval Persian and Arabic texts. Peter Benjamin Golden observed that the title ''qatun'' appeared among the Göktürks as the title for the khagan's wife and was borrowed from Sogdian ''xwāten'' "wife of the ruler" Earlier, British Orientalist Gerard Clauson (1891–1974) defined ''xa:tun'' as "'lady' and the like" and says there is "no reasonable doubt that it is taken from Sogdian ''xwt'yn'' (''xwatēn''), in Sogdian ''xwt'y'' ('lord, ruler') and ''xwt'yn'' 'lord's or ruler's wife'), "which is precisely the meaning of ''xa:tun'' in the early period."

Modern usage

In Uzbek, the language spoken in modern-day Bukhara, in

Uzbekistan Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked co ...

, the word is spelled '' xotin'' and has come to simply refer to any woman. In Turkish, it is written ''

hatun Hatun or Khatun ( otk, 𐰴𐰍𐰣, Katun, ota, خاتون, Hatun or قادین ''Kadın'', uz, xotin, fa, خاتون ''khātūn''; Mongolian: , ''khatun'', хатан ''khatan''; ur, خاتون, hi, ख़ातून '; bn, খাত� ...

.'' The general Turkish word for 'woman', ''

kadın Kadin or Kadın may refer to *KADIN, Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry * Kadin (name) * Kadın (title), for an imperial consort of the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire *Kadin Island in southeastern Alaska * Kadin Jelovac, a village in Bosni ...

'', is a doublet derived from the same origin.Clauson, p. 602.

Notable Khatuns

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 ...

, wife of Genghis Khan *

Buluqhan Khatun Buluqhan Khatun (; ), also Bulughan, Bulukhan, Bolgana, Bulugan, Zibeline or ''Bolghara'' for Marco Polo, was a 13th-century Mongol princess, and the principal wife of the Mongol Ilkhanid ruler Abaqa (1234–1282). Life She belonged to the ...

, wife of

Abaqa Khan Abaqa Khan (27 February 1234 – 4 April 1282, mn, Абаха/Абага хан (Khalkha Cyrillic), ( Traditional script), "paternal uncle", also transliterated Abaġa), was the second Mongol ruler (''Ilkhan'') of the Ilkhanate. The son of Hul ...

Gurju Khatun Gurju Khatun ( ka, გურჯი-ხათუნი, ''Gurji-xatuni'') (''fl.'' 1237-1286) was a Georgian royal princess from Bagrationi dynasty and principal consort of Sultanate of Rum being favorite wife of sultan Kaykhusraw II, whom she ma ...

, wife of Kaykhusraw II *

Bulugan Bulugan or Bulukhan (,; ) was a Mongol princess, the consort of Yuan emperor Temür Khan (r. 1294–1307). Bulugan acted as regent for her ill husband and virtually ruled the empire. Biography She belonged to the Baya'ut tribe, the daughter o ...

, wife of Temur Khan *

Chabi Empress Chabi (, ; , c. 1216 –1281) was a Khongirad empress consort of the Yuan dynasty of Mongol, married to Kublai Khan (Emperor Shizu). Life She was born around 1216 to Alchi Noyan's son Anchen Noyan . Nephew of Börte from Khongirad tribe an ...

, wife of Kublai Khan * Despina Khatun * Doquz Khatun, wife of

Hulagu Khan Hulagu Khan, also known as Hülegü or Hulegu ( mn, Хүлэгү/ , lit=Surplus, translit=Hu’legu’/Qülegü; chg, ; Arabic: fa, هولاکو خان, ''Holâku Khân;'' ; 8 February 1265), was a Mongol ruler who conquered much of We ...

* Erketü Qatun, wife of Altan Khan *

Mandukhai Khatun Mandukhai Khatun ( mn, Мандухай хатан, ᠮᠠᠨᠳᠤᠬᠠᠢ ᠰᠡᠴᠡᠨ ᠬᠠᠲᠤᠨ), also known as Mandukhai Setsen Khatun ( mn, Мандухай сэцэн хатан, en, Queen Mandukhai the Wise, ) (c. 1449 – 1510) ...

, wife of

Dayan Khan Dayan Khan ( mn, Даян Хаан; Mongol script: ; ), born Batumöngke ( mn, Батмөнх; ), (1472–1517) was a khagan of the Northern Yuan dynasty, reigning from 1479 to 1517. During his rule, he reunited the Mongols under Chinggisid sup ...

Momine Khatun Momine Khatun Mausoleum (or Mu'mine Khatun) is a 12th century mausoleum located in the city of Nakchivan in Azerbaijan. The mausoleums of Nakhchivan were nominated for the UNESCO List of World Heritage Sites in 1998 by Gulnara Mehmandarova, the ...

* Oghul Qaimish, wife of Guyuk Khan * Po Beg * Radnashiri, wife of

Ayurbarwada Buyantu Khan Buyantu Khan ( Mongolian: Буянт хаан; Mongolian script: ; ), born Ayurbarwada (Mongolian: Аюурбарбад ; ), also known by the temple name Renzong (Emperor Renzong of Yuan ( Chinese: 元仁宗, April 9, 1285 – March 1, 1320), was ...

Syeda Momena Khatun Syeda Momena Khatun ( bn, সৈয়দা মোমেনা খাঁতুন, fa, , Sayyidah Muʾminah Khātūn) was a princess of the Sultanate of Bengal's Hussain Shahi dynasty. She was the mother of Isa Khan, the leader of the Baro-Bh ...

, daughter of Ghiyasuddin Mahmud Shah *

Töregene Khatun Töregene Khatun (also Turakina, , ) (d. 1246) was the Great Khatun and regent of the Mongol Empire from the death of her husband Ögedei Khan in 1241 until the election of her eldest son Güyük Khan in 1246. Background Töregene was born ...

(d. 1246), wife of Ogedei Khan, regent of the Mongol Empire from 1241 to 1246 * Anu Khatun, wife of Sengge and

Galdan Boshugtu Khan Erdeniin Galdan (1644–1697, mn, Галдан Бошигт хаан, , ), known as Galdan Boshugtu Khan (in Mongolian script: ) was a Choros Dzungar- Oirat Khan of the Dzungar Khanate. As fourth son of Erdeni Batur, founder of the Dzungar ...

References

Citations

Sources

; Works cited *