Altani was a heroine of the

Mongols The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal membe ...

and was the wife of Genghis Khan's mother Oelun's adopted son Borokhul.

Heroism

Altani stayed in the camp of

Hoelun Hoelun (also Hoelun Üjin; Mongolian: ; Cyrillic: Өэлүн үжин, Өэлүн эх, ''Mother Hoelun'', Öülen/Oulen; ), 1140-1221 was the mother of Genghis Khan and the wife of his father Yesügei, the chief of the Khamag Mongol confederat ...

, mother of Genghis Khan. A

Tatar The Tatars ()Tatar
in the Collins English Dictionary is an umbrella term for different

by the name of Qargil Shira entered the tent in which both of them stayed and pretended to come for hospitality. When

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 ...

, the youngest son of Genghis Khan and his first wife

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 ...

, entered the tent, Qargil Shira grabbed the boy and ran out. Altani followed, prevented him from stabbing the boy and made him drop his knife. She held onto him so he could not escape with Tolui until Jetei and Jelme came and killed the Tatar. The guards and Altani all claimed credit for saving Tolui, but Genghis Khan made it clear she deserved chief merit. He laid praise on her as a '' baatar'', or hero of the Mongols.Weatherford. p. 9.

Notes

Sources

The Secret History of the Mongols ''The Secret History of the Mongols'' (Middle Mongol: ''Mongɣol‑un niɣuca tobciyan''; Traditional Mongolian: , Khalkha Mongolian: , ; ) is the oldest surviving literary work in the Mongolian language. It was written for the Mongol royal fam ...

*{{cite book , title=

The Secret History of the Mongol Queens ''The Secret History of the Mongol Queens: How the Daughters of Genghis Khan Rescued His Empire'' is a 2010 book by Jack Weatherford, about the impact and legacy of Genghis Khan's daughters and Mongol queens such as Mandukhai the Wise and Khutul ...

, author= Weatherford, Jack., year=2010 , publisher=Broadway Paperbacks, New York Women of the Mongol Empire Genghis Khan 13th-century Mongolian women 12th-century Mongolian women 13th-century deaths Year of birth unknown