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This article is about the main wife of Genghis Khan. For the term from shipping see Beurten .

Börte Üdschin ( mong. Бөртэ Үжин / ᠪᠥᠷᠲᠡ; mostly just Börte , also Borte or Burtai ) was the main wife of the Mongol leader Genghis Khan and mother of the four sons Dschötschi , Tschagatai , Ögedei and Tolui , as well as five daughters. She was a year older than her husband.

Life

As the daughter of the chief of the Unggirats , she was betrothed to Temüdschin, a year younger and later Dschinghis Khan, according to old Mongolian tradition. Because of the murder of his father, Temüdschin had to leave her behind with her tribe. Later, Börte was kidnapped by Merkites and Temüdschin had to free her with the help of Togrul and Jamukha Gurkhan . Because Börtes first son Dschötschi was born shortly after her liberation, doubts arose about who his father was. Temüdschin later recognized Dschötschi as his firstborn.

Genghis Khan held Börte in high regard as his main wife and often sought her advice, as did that of his mother. Even after his death, Börte was still venerated by the Mongols and crowned ruler. Furthermore, there are few reliable historical facts about it, but on the other hand it is the subject of many Mongolian legends.

In depictions she is shown as a beautiful woman in a white silk robe, with golden coins as hair ornaments. She usually rides a white horse and holds a white lamb in her hand.

literature

• Genghis Khan, Mongolia and the Theory of Human Security . Robert Bedeski. China and Eurasia Forum Quarterly, Volume 6, No. 4, pp. 81-102. ISSN  1653-4212 . 2008.
• The "reign of terror" of the Mongols under Genghis Khan and his successors in the 12th / 13th centuries. Century: An Analysis of Perception in Medieval and Modern Sources and Representations . Simon Hollendung, Björn Böhling. GRIN Verlag, 1st edition ISBN 978-3-638-74207-8 . 2007.