Khutulun (1260 – 1306)
Warrior princess, Mongolian nomad, wrestler, archer, collector of horses and the great great grand-daughter of the legendary Genghis Khan.
Khutulun (meaning: moonlight) was the daughter of Kaidu, (a cousin of Kublai Khan), who had 14 sons and other daughters – but Khutulun is the only one who made history. Mongolian women were known for being strong, athletic and utterly brilliant horsewomen. There must have been many more who could have made the history books but weren’t blessed with the advantages of her birth.
Unfortunately, as happens in all families, there was a disagreement between Kublai and Kaidu; clearly they could hold a serious grudge as this one lasted for three decades. By the time she was 20, her father was the most powerful ruler of Central Asia and she helped him keep out unwanted Mongolian invaders sent by Kublai.
Marco Polo, who met Khutulun in 1280, described her thus: “Sometimes she would quit her father’s side, and make a dash at the host of the enemy, and seize some man thereout, as deftly as a hawk pounces on a bird, and carry him to her father; and this she did many a time.” These acts were random but scared the hell out of their opponents. Travel writers such as Rashid al-Din also wrote of her exploits.
Khutulun was utterly fearless, a skilled tactician and her father adored her, often seeking her advice and support. When he died, she guarded his tomb.
A skilled rider and undefeated wrestler (of both men and women), she even challenged potential suitors for her hand to beat her at wrestling; if they won, she’d marry them; if they lost, they’d give her either 10 or 100 horses. Let’s just say she ended up with a lot of horses (around 10,000).
Her enemies spread a lot of gossip about her alleged incestuous relationship with her father; they made out that was the real reason she refused to marry. In order to firmly quash those rumours and to support her father, she eventually did marry. Little is known of her husband apart from his name (Abtakul) and the fact that she didn’t wrestle him – she chose him.
Her father wanted her to become leader of the Khan but her 14 brothers, who weren’t so progressive thinking, weren’t having any of it. She happily settled for being leader of the army instead.
She died at the age of 46.
