Il-Alti or Il-Altun was a daughter of

Genghis Khan ''Chinggis Khaan'' ͡ʃʰiŋɡɪs xaːŋbr />Mongol script: ''Chinggis Qa(gh)an/ Chinggis Khagan'' , birth_name = Temüjin , successor = Tolui (as regent)Ögedei Khan , spouse = , issue = , house = Borjigin , ...

by an unknown concubine of lowly status. Her name was improperly transcribed as Alaltun during the translation of

Altan Tobchi The ''Altan Tobchi'', or ''Golden Summary'' (Mongolian script: '; Mongolian Cyrillic: , '), is a 17th-century Mongolian chronicle written by Guush Luvsandanzan. Its full title is ''Herein is contained the Golden Summary of the Principles of S ...

from Uighur Mongol script to Cyrillic Mongol script, when indeed her name was Il-Alti or Il-Altun. Historians often mistake Il-Alti for Altalun, the youngest daughter of Borte Ujin.

Family

The children of

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 ...

were given more power than those of the other wives of Genghis Khan. However, Il-Alti was born to a concubine, whose name was not recorded in the history of the Mongols. She had nine half-brothers and five half-sisters. Four of her nine half-brothers died before reaching adulthood. The remaining five were

Jochi Jochi Khan ( Mongolian: mn, Зүчи, ; kk, Жошы, Joşy جوشى; ; crh, Cuçi, Джучи, جوچى; also spelled Juchi; Djochi, and Jöchi c. 1182– February 1227) was a Mongol army commander who was the eldest son of Temüjin (aka G ...

, Chagatay, Ogotei,

Tolui Tolui (also Toluy, Tului; , meaning: "the mirror"; – 1232) was a Mongol khan, the fourth son of Genghis Khan by his chief khatun, Börte. At his father's death in 1227, his ''Orda (organization), ulus'', or territorial inheritance, was the ...

and Kholgen. Her half sisters were: Koa Ujin Bekhi, Checheikhen, Alakhai Bekhi, Tumelun, and Altalun. Historians have been mistaking Il-Alti for Altalun for many years.

Betrothal and Death

promised Il-Alti to the Uighur chieftain Barjuk Idi-Qut for his submission, services and loyalty to the Mongol Empire. However, because Idi-Qut already had a principal wife whom he honored, Barjuk and Il-Alti's wedding was postponed. It was further delayed by Genghis Khan's death. Two years after Genghis Khan died, Ogotei ascended to the throne and became the Khan of the

Mongol Empire The Mongol Empire of the 13th and 14th centuries was the largest contiguous land empire in history. Originating in present-day Mongolia in East Asia, the Mongol Empire at its height stretched from the Sea of Japan to parts of Eastern Europe, ...

. To fulfill his father's promise Ogotei was to give Il-Alti to Barjuk, however, Il-Alti died before Barjuk arrived at the Khan's court. In place of Il-Alti, Alaji Bekhi (possibly a daughter of Ogotei) was given to Barjuk. But, Barjuk died before Alaji Bekhi could arrive to Besh-Baligh. Following Barjuk's death, his son Kesmes traveled to Ogotei Khan's court to ask for Alaji Bekhi's hand. The Khan agreed, however, Kesmes also died before the nuptial. In the end, during Toregene Khatun's rule, Alaji Bekhi married Salindi Idi-Qut, a younger son of Barjuk Idi-Qut and brother of Kesmes. Salindi Idi-Qut was punished and executed during Mongke Khan's reign for supporting Toregene Khatun and Ogotei's descendants. According to ''The Secret History of the Mongol Queens'' by

Jack Weatherford Jack McIver Weatherford is the former DeWitt Wallace Professor of anthropology at Macalester College in Minnesota. He is best known for his 2004 book, '' Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World''. In 2006, he was awarded the Order of th ...

, Il-Alti was the ruler of the Uighurs and a heroine in the history of the Mongol Empire. According to Persian chronicler Rashid al-Din, she was Genghis Khan's favorite daughter, but someone from Ögedei's faction executed her shortly after Ögedei's death, supposedly because Il-Alti had poisoned Ögedei. However,

Kublai Khan Kublai ; Mongolian script: ; (23 September 1215 – 18 February 1294), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Shizu of Yuan and his regnal name Setsen Khan, was the founder of the Yuan dynasty of China and the fifth khagan-emperor of th ...

was not convinced that Il-Alti was guilty, and at a trial of several of Ögedei's retainers, demanded to know why Il-Alti was killed without a trial, in violation of Genghis Khan's laws.

Source

{{reflist Women of the Mongol Empire Genghis Khan 13th-century Mongolian women 12th-century Mongolian women 13th-century deaths Year of birth unknown