Samur Gunj (1380s-c.1455) was a daughter of

Elbeg Nigülesügchi Khan Nigülesügchi Khan ( mn, Нигүүлсэгч хаан; ), born Elbeg ( mn, Элбэг; ), (1362–1399) was a khagan of the Northern Yuan dynasty, reigning from 1394 to 1399. ''Erdeniin Tobchi'' claimed that Elbeg was the younger brother of the ...

and his senior wife Kobeguntai. Throughout her life she struggled for the preservation of the Borjigin clan.

Life

After her father had killed one of his sons and taken his wife as his own, he then killed his advisor Daiyuu for suspecting he had molested her. To prevent Daiyuu's family from taking revenge on him, he gave his daughter Samur in marriage to Daiyuu's son. Samur's husband was given command over the Oirats and made their ''taishi'', or leader. Since many of her clan were virtual prisoners of their guards, she convinced first her husband and then her son to launch campaigns to free them. After her son died in these struggles, she convinced her grandson Esen to become ''taishi''. Samur supported him as he brought the

Mongolian Plateau The Mongolian Plateau is the part of the Central Asian Plateau lying between 37°46′-53°08′N and 87°40′-122°15′E and having an area of approximately . It is bounded by the Greater Hinggan Mountains in the east, the Yin Mountains to ...

and most of the

Silk Route The Silk Road () was a network of Eurasian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over 6,400 kilometers (4,000 miles), it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and reli ...

under his control. Though Esen first strove for unity between the Oirats and the Borjigin clan of his grandmother, he later turned against the Borjigin. and had several of its nobles killed. When his own daughter was about to give birth, he also intended to have the baby killed if it turned out to be male. Samur helped her great-granddaughter escape and hide. They first pretended a girl had been born. When it became known that this was not true, Samur took the boy to her ger for protection and finally entrusted him to Mongols loyal to the Borjigins to take him out of Esen's reach. The boy was Bayan-Mongke, who would be a direct ancestor of

Dayan Khan Dayan Khan ( mn, Даян Хаан; Mongol script: ; ), born Batumöngke ( mn, Батмөнх; ), (1472–1517) was a khagan of the Northern Yuan dynasty, reigning from 1479 to 1517. During his rule, he reunited the Mongols under Chinggisid sup ...

. Samur died around the same time as Esen.

Notes

Sources

* {{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 14th-century Mongolian women 15th-century Mongolian women 15th-century deaths Year of birth unknown Borjigin