Genepil (1905–1938) was the last queen consort of

Mongolia Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...

, married to

Bogd Khan Bogd Khan, , ; ( – 20 May 1924) was the khan of the Bogd Khaganate from 1911 to 1924, following the state's ''de facto'' independence from the Qing dynasty of China after the Xinhai Revolution. Born in Tibet, he was the third most importa ...

. She was queen consort for less than a year in 1924. Genepil was executed in May 1938 as part of the

Stalinist repressions in Mongolia The Stalinist repressions in Mongolia ( mn, Их Хэлмэгдүүлэлт, Ikh Khelmegdüülelt, ''"Great Repression"'') refers to an 18 month period of heightened political violence and persecution in the Mongolian People's Republic between ...

Queen consort

Genepil was born Tseyenpil in 1905 to a family in

Northern Mongolia Outer Mongolia was the name of a territory in the Manchu-led Qing dynasty of China from 1691 to 1911. It corresponds to the modern-day independent state of Mongolia and the Russian republic of Tuva. The historical region gained ''de facto' ...

, around the

Baldan Bereeven Monastery Baldan Bereeven Monastery ( mn, Балдан бэрээвэн хийд) is a Gelugpa (Yellow Hat) Buddhist monastery located in the Baruun Jargalant River valley Ömnödelger, Khentii, Ömnödelger district, Khentii Province, Mongolia. First esta ...

. After the death of Queen Dondogdulam in 1923, Genepil was chosen as her successor among a group of women between the ages of 18 to 20 years old who were selected by the king's counsellors. Genepil was already married to a man named Luvsandamba. She lived with

until his death on 17 April 1924, when the monarchy was abolished. Genepil returned to her family after leaving the Mongolian court. In 1937, the government of the

Mongolian People's Republic The Mongolian People's Republic ( mn, Бүгд Найрамдах Монгол Ард Улс, БНМАУ; , ''BNMAU''; ) was a socialist state which existed from 1924 to 1992, located in the historical region of Outer Mongolia in East Asia. It w ...

accused Genepil of gathering

materiel Materiel (; ) refers to supplies, equipment, and weapons in military supply-chain management, and typically supplies and equipment in a commercial supply chain context. In a military context, the term ''materiel'' refers either to the specifi ...

in order to stage an uprising with the help of

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. She was subsequently arrested and executed in 1938.

In popular culture

The

costume design Costume design is the creation of clothing for the overall appearance of a character or performer. Costume may refer to the style of dress particular to a nation, a class, or a period. In many cases, it may contribute to the fullness of the arti ...

for the ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...

'' character

Padmé Amidala Padmé Amidala Naberrie is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise, appearing in the prequel trilogy portrayed by Natalie Portman. First indirectly mentioned in ''Return of the Jedi'', she is introduced in ''The Phantom Menace'' as ...

took inspiration from a 1921 image of a Mongolian lady that is commonly, though incorrectly, attributed to Genepil.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Genepil, Queen 1905 births 1938 deaths Women in Mongolia Great Purge victims from Mongolia Executed Mongolian people 20th-century Mongolian women Queens consort