Kurdujin Khatun (prior to 1273–1338) was an

Ilkhanid The Ilkhanate or Il-khanate was a Mongol khanate founded in the southwestern territories of the Mongol Empire. It was ruled by the Il-Khans or Ilkhanids (), and known to the Mongols as ''Hülegü Ulus'' (). The Ilkhanid realm was officially known ...

princess who ruled

Kerman Kerman (; ) is a city in the Central District (Kerman County), Central District of Kerman County, Kerman province, Kerman province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. History Kerman was founded as a def ...

from 1295 to 1296, and

Shiraz Shiraz (; ) is the List of largest cities of Iran, fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars province, which has been historically known as Pars (Sasanian province), Pars () and Persis. As of the 2016 national census, the popu ...

from 1319 to 1338.

Life

Kurdujin Khatun was born to

Abish Khatun Abish Khatun () – was the 9th and last ruler of the Salghurids of Shiraz from 1264 to 1284. Life as princess She was born in Shiraz around 1259/1260 to Salghurid Atabeg Sa'd II ( ca) and Turkan Khatun (who was originally from Yazd). After the ...

and Möngke Temür, the son of

Hulagu Khan Hulegu Khan, also known as Hülegü or Hulagu; ; ; ; ( 8 February 1265), was a Mongol ruler who conquered much of Western Asia. As a son of Tolui and the Keraite princess Sorghaghtani Beki, he was a grandson of Genghis Khan and brother of ...

First Marriage

Kurdujin's marriage to Suyurgatmish of

, a Khitan ruler, helped her new husband gain many allies, including Suqunjaq Noyan (governor of Iraq),

Khuzestan Khuzestan province () is one of the 31 Provinces of Iran. Located in the southwest of the country, the province borders Iraq and the Persian Gulf, covering an area of . Its capital is the city of Ahvaz. Since 2014, it has been part of Iran's ...

, and Qutui Khatun, the mother of

Tekuder Ahmed Tekuder (; ; 10 August 1284), also known as Sultan Ahmad, was the sultan of the Ilkhanate from 1282 to 1284. He was a son of Hulegu and brother of Abaqa. He was eventually succeeded by his nephew Arghun Khan. Early life Tekuder was bor ...

. Suyurgatmish was confirmed as the new ruler of Kerman by Tekuder in 1282. Kurdujin further extended her influence when she inherited her mother's estate in 1286. However, after

Gaykhatu Gaykhatu (Mongolian script:; ) was the fifth Ilkhanate ruler in Iran. He reigned from 1291 to 1295. His Buddhist baghshi gave him the Tibetan name Rinchindorj () which appeared on his paper money. Early life He was born to Abaqa and Nukdan K ...

's coronation, the political climate suddenly changed, and

Padishah Khatun Safwat al-Din Khatun (1256–1295 ,), otherwise known as Padishah Khatun (), was the ruler of Kirman from 1292 until 1295 as a member of the Qutlugh-Khanid dynasty in Persia and a poet in Persian language. Life She was born in 125 ...

, who became the ruler of

, imprisoned Suyurgatmish. Kurdujin helped her husband to escape, but he was captured and executed on August 21, 1294.

Struggle against Padishah Khatun

Kurdujin Khatun got revenge when

Baydu Baydu (Mongolian script:; ) (died 1295) was the sixth ruler of the Mongol empire's Ilkhanate division in Iran. He was the son of Taraqai, who was in turn the fifth son of Hulagu Khan.Stevens, John. ''The history of Persia. Containing, the lives and ...

, the son-in-law of Suyurgatmish, ascended to the throne. Baydu demanded that Padishah Khatun come to his coronation ceremony. After gathering allies, Kurdujin invaded

and besieged the city. Around the same time, some of Padishah Khatun's emirs changed loyalties to Kurdujin. These included Emir Timur, Emir Shadi, Emir Mubarek, and her nephew, Nasrat al-Din Yulukshah. Padishah Khatun finally surrendered the city and sent the keys to Kurdujin. Padishah was imprisoned and later accused of treason. Kurdujin Khatun obtained the order to execute Padishah Khatun from

, thanks to her stepdaughter, Shah Alam. Padishah was executed near Kushk-e Zar in June or July 1295. After her victorious entrance, Kurdujin Khatun ruled Kerman briefly in 1295. However, she was soon replaced by

Muzaffar al-Din Mohammad Muzaffar al-Din Mohammad was the penultimate Qutlugh-Khanids, Qutlughkhanid ruler of Kerman. Life He was the son of Muzaffar al-Din Hajjaj. He succeeded Kurdujin Khatun as hereditary ruler of Kerman on the order of Ghazan in 1295/1296. One of hi ...

Muzaffar al-Din Hajjaj Muzaffar al-Din Hajjaj was a nominal Qutlughkhanid prince of Kerman, a son of Qutb al-Din Mohammad and Kutlugh Turkan. Life Muzaffar al-Din Hajjaj was a minor when his father Qutb al-Din Mohammad died in 1257. Kerman nobles assembled and as ...

's son, in 1295, on order of

Ghazan Mahmud Ghazan (5 November 1271 – 11 May 1304) (, Ghazan Khan, sometimes westernized as Casanus was the seventh ruler of the Mongol Empire's Ilkhanate division in modern-day Iran from 1295 to 1304. He was the son of Arghun, grandson of Abaqa K ...

, the new Ilkhan.

Later life

Khatun lived a quiet life in

for some time. She gave refuge to her stepson

Qutb al-Din Shah Jahan Qutb al-Din Shah Jahan was the last Qutlughkhanid ruler of Kerman. Life He was a son of Suyurghatmish. His reign was brief after his succession to his cousin. He was reported to be cruel, corrupt and extremely tempered. He was replaced by a ...

in 1306, when he was deprived of ruling Kerman by Öljeitü. In 1319, she ruled

in her own right on the order of Abu Said. She died in 1338 and was succeeded by her niece, Sultan Khatun, in

. However, their rule was limited to the city and symbolic. While a descendant of the

Salghurids The Salghurids (), also known as the Atabegs of Fars (), were a Persianate dynasty of Salur Turkoman origin that ruled Fars, first as vassals of the Seljuks then for the Khwarazm Shahs in the 13th century. History The Salghurids were es ...

was still nominal ruler in Fars, the

Injuids The Injuids (also Injus or House of Inju) were an Iranian dynasty of Persian origin that came to rule over the cities of Shiraz and Isfahan during the 14th century. Its members became de facto independent rulers following the breakup of the Ilkh ...

controlled Fars.

Marriages

Khatun married 4 times in her life: # Suyurgatmish (ended in 1294): Ruler of Kerman # Amir Taj al-Din Satilmish, formerly a supporter of

Kutlugh Turkan Kutlugh Turkan (c.1208/1213 – 1283), was a sovereign ruler of Kirman from 1257 until 1282. Early life Different accounts exist regarding her early life. According to "History of Qara-Khitai Shahs" (''Tāriḵ-e šāhi-e Qarāḵtāʾiān'' ...

. # Toghai, a

basqaq ''Darughachi'' (Mongol form) or ''Basqaq'' (Turkic form) were originally designated officials in the Mongol Empire who were in charge of taxes and administration in a certain province. The singular form of the Mongolian word is ''darugha''. They ...

who was Satilmish's nephew, arrived at Fars in 1320. # Amir Chupan (died in 1327), with whom she had three sons: #* Siukshah #* Yagi Basti #* Nowruz Abu Said promised to marry her to Ghiyath-uddin ibn Rukn-uddin, the

Kartid The Kart dynasty, also known as the Kartids (), was a Sunni Muslim dynasty of Tajik origin, closely related to the Ghurids, that ruled over a large part of Khorasan during the 13th and 14th centuries. Ruling from their capital at Herat and centr ...

ruler of Herat, but Baghdad Khatun prevented this move.

Legacy

She was mentioned in the works of the historian

Wassaf Abdallah ibn Faḍlallah Sharaf al-Din Shīrāzī (; 1265–1328), called Wassaf or Vassaf, was a Persian historian of the Ilkhanate. ''Waṣṣāf'', sometimes lengthened to ''Waṣṣāf al-Ḥaḍrat'' or ''Vassaf-e Hazrat'' (), is a title me ...

, who praised her for being charitable. She also founded the Madrasa-i Shahi (Royal College) in Shiraz.

Ancestors

{{ahnentafel , collapsed=no , align=center , title=Ancestors of Kurdujin Khatun , boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc; , boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9; , boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc; , boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc; , boxstyle_5=background-color: #9fe; , 1= 1. Kurdujin Khatun , 2= 2. Mengü Temür , 3= 3.

, 4= 4.

, 5= 5. Oljai Khatun , 6= 6. Sa'd II , 7=7. Turkan Khatun , 8= 8.

Tolui Tolui (born ; died 1232) was the youngest son of Genghis Khan and Börte. A prominent general during the early Mongol conquests, Tolui was a leading candidate to succeed his father after his death in 1227 and ultimately served as regent of th ...

, 9= 9.

Sorghaghtani Beki Sorghaghtani Beki (; ) or Bekhi ('' Bek(h)i'' is a title), also written Sorkaktani, Sorkhokhtani, Sorkhogtani, Siyurkuktiti ( – 1 March 1252), posthumous name Empress Xianyi Zhuangsheng ( and Persian: سرقویتی بیگی, ''Sorghoiti'' '' ...

, 10=10. Torolchi of Oirats , 11=11. Checheikhen , 12= 12. Qutlugh Khan Abu Bakr , 13= , 14=14. Alauddawla Mahmud Shah , 15=15. Yaqut Turkan , 16= 16.

Genghis Khan Genghis Khan (born Temüjin; August 1227), also known as Chinggis Khan, was the founder and first khan (title), khan of the Mongol Empire. After spending most of his life uniting the Mongols, Mongol tribes, he launched Mongol invasions and ...

, 17= 17.

Börte Börte Üjin (; Mongolian: ), better known as Börte (), 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 Khan, and Grand Empress of his Empire. S ...

, 18=18. Jakha Gambhu , 19= , 20=20. Quduqa Beki , 21= , 22=22.

, 23=23.

, 24= 24. Sa'd I , 25= , 26= , 27= , 28=28. Qotb al-Din Abu Mansur , 29= , 30=30.

Buraq Hajib Buraq Hajib, also spelt Baraq Hajib (died 1234), Mernissi, Fatima; Mary Jo Lakeland (2003). The forgotten queens of Islam. Oxford University Press. . was a Khitan who founded the Qutlugh-Khanid dynasty in the southern Persian province of Kirman ...

, 31=

References

13th-century births 1338 deaths Mongol monarchs Women from the Mongol Empire Borjigin Ilkhanate 14th-century women rulers Chobanids 13th-century Mongol women 13th-century Mongols 14th-century Mongol women 14th-century Mongols Qutlugh-Khanids