Shigi Qutuqu ( mn, ᠰᠢᠬᠢ‍ᠬ‍ᠣᠲᠣᠭ ; Шихихутуг, translit=, Shikhikhutug; ) was a high-ranking minister of the Mongol Empire in its early years and a stepbrother of Genghis Khan, the empire's founder.

Life

According to ''

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 ...

'', Shigi Qutuqu was a son of a

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

nobleman. As a child, he was lost during a skirmish between 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 the Tatars in the early 1190s and was discovered by Genghis Khan's men later. He was brought to the khan's mother,

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 ...

, and was adopted by her as a son. Shigi Qutuqu was well-versed in legal affairs and contributed greatly to the Mongolian legal code of

Yassa Yassa (alternatively: ''Yasa'', ''Yasaq'', ''Jazag'', ''Zasag'', mn, Их засаг, ''Ikh Zasag'') was the oral law code of the Mongols declared in public in Bukhara by Genghis Khan'' de facto'' law of the Mongol Empire even though the "law" ...

during the early years of the Mongol Empire. He was appointed by Genghis Khan as a judge in 1206 and helped to keep a record of legislations and criminal affairs as part of his duties. He also maintained a close friendship with

Yelü Chucai Yelü Chucai (; mn, Urtu Saqaltu "Longbeard", written in Chinese characters as "", July 24, 1190 – June 20, 1244), courtesy name Jinqing (), was a Khitan statesman from the imperial clan of the Liao dynasty, who became a vigorous adviser and ...

, the

prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

of the Mongol Empire. In 1221, Shigi Qutuqu led the Mongolian army at the

Battle of Parwan The Battle of Parwan was fought between Sultan Jalal ad-Din Mingburnu of the Khwarezmid Empire and the Mongols ruled by Genghis Khan in September 1221 CE at Parwan, north of Kabul, in present-day Afghanistan. Jalal ad-Din had previously atta ...

against the

Khwarezmid Empire The Khwarazmian or Khwarezmian Empire) or the Khwarazmshahs ( fa, خوارزمشاهیان, Khwārazmshāhiyān) () was a Turko-Persian Sunni Muslim empire that ruled large parts of present-day Central Asia, Afghanistan, and Iran in the app ...

, which was led by Sultan

Jalal ad-Din Mingburnu Jalal al-Din Mangburni ( fa, جلال الدین مِنکُبِرنی), also known as Jalal al-Din Khwarazmshah (), Minkubirni or Mengu-Berdi (c.1199 – August 1231), was the last Khwarazmshah of the Anushteginid dynasty. The eldest son and succ ...

. It marked one of the few defeats of the Mongols by the Khwarezmians. Shigi Qutuqu joined Genghis Khan at the Battle of the Indus. Then he was sent to Nishapur with Tolun Cherbi, half-brother of Genghis khan. Following his mission in Nishapur, Shigi Qutuqu was appointed the charge of the captive craftsmen in

Ghazni Ghazni ( prs, غزنی, ps, غزني), historically known as Ghaznain () or Ghazna (), also transliterated as Ghuznee, and anciently known as Alexandria in Opiana ( gr, Αλεξάνδρεια Ωπιανή), is a city in southeastern Afghanistan ...

who were to be transported into

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, ...

. Finishing his mission in Ghazni, Shikhikhutug leaded the siege of Tulak of which the governor Hashabi Nizawar agreed to pay tributes. After annexing Tulak, Shigi Qutuqu dealt with the revolt that dethroned the Pro-Mongol governance of

Merv Merv ( tk, Merw, ', مرو; fa, مرو, ''Marv''), also known as the Merve Oasis, formerly known as Alexandria ( grc-gre, Ἀλεξάνδρεια), Antiochia in Margiana ( grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐν τῇ Μαργιανῇ) and ...

. Shigi Qutuqu was appointed by

Ögedei Khan Ögedei Khagan (also Ogodei;, Mongolian: ''Ögedei'', ''Ögüdei''; – 11 December 1241) was second khagan-emperor of the Mongol Empire. The third son of Genghis Khan, he continued the expansion of the empire that his father had begun. ...

as a chief judge in northern China in 1240 and died in 1250. There are legends that he was one of the authors of the Secret History of the Mongols.《蒙古秘史现代汉语版》第77页

References

*''

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 fa ...

'' Mongol Empire people 1250 deaths Year of birth unknown {{Asia-royal-stub