Born around 1260 into the extended family of Genghis Khan, Khutulun (pronounced kah-too-loon) was the only girl among 14 brothers. Even among elite Mongol women, many of whom played important roles in public life, Khutulun was unique. Her father, Qaidu (pronounced kai-do) Khan, was the Mongol ruler of Central Asia and the bitter opponent to Khubilai (pronounced koo-blai) Khan, the Mongol emperor of China, who was trying to expand his power over Central Asia. A large and well-built young woman, Khutulun excelled in horseback riding, archery, and wrestling, outperforming her brothers. Winning fame as a wrestler in public competitions, she soon joined her father on the battlefield, was awarded a medallion of office normally reserved for men alone, and gained a reputation for being blessed by the gods. According to Marco Polo, during battle Khutulun would often seize one of the enemy, “as deftly as a hawk pounces on a bird“ and carry him off to her father.
|
It was when she became of marriageable age that trouble began. She turned down the possibility of mirroring a cousin who governed Mongol Persia, for this woman had no desire to live as a secluded urban wife. In fact, she declared that she would only marry someone who could defeat her in wrestling. Many suitors tried, wagering 10, 100, or in one case 1000 horses that they could defeat her. All of them failed, and in the process, Khutulun accumulated a very substantial herd of horses. Khutulun’s extraordinary public life and her unwillingness to marry provided an opening for her enemies. Rumors circulated that she refused to marry because she was engaged in an incestuous relationship with her father. to put an end to such stories, Khutulun finally agreed to wed one of her father's followers without any wrestling contest. Still, the decision was hers. As the Mongol chronicles put it, “She chose him herself for her husband.“
|
Even after her marriage, Khutulun continue to campaign with Qaidu Khan, and together they protected their territory and Central Asia from the supremacy of Mongol-ruled China. In 1301, her father was wounded in battle and died shortly after. Some accounts suggested he tried to name Khutulun as khan, or ruler, in his place, but the resistance of her brothers nixed the plan. “You should mind your scissors and needles,” declared her rivals. “What have you to do with kingship?” Khutulun supported one of her brothers as Khan while she remained at the head of the army. She died in 1306, though whether in battle or as a result of an assassination remains unclear. And her public and military life and in her fierce independence about marriage, Khutulun reflected the relative freedom and influence of Mongol women, particularly of the elite class. To this day, when Mongolian men wrestle, they wear a vest with an open chest in honor of Khutulun, ensuring that they are wrestling with other men rather than a woman who might throw them to the ground.