Qutui Khatun ( fa, قوتی or قوتوی) was a
Mongol
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 member of ...
princess and wife of Il-Khan
Hulagu
Hulagu Khan, also known as Hülegü or Hulegu ( mn, Хүлэгү/ , lit=Surplus, translit=Hu’legu’/Qülegü; chg, ; Arabic: fa, هولاکو خان, ''Holâku Khân;'' ; 8 February 1265), was a Mongol ruler who conquered much of West ...
, founder of
Ilkhanate
The Ilkhanate, also spelled Il-khanate ( fa, ایل خانان, ''Ilxānān''), known to the Mongols as ''Hülegü Ulus'' (, ''Qulug-un Ulus''), was a khanate established from the southwestern sector of the Mongol Empire. The Ilkhanid realm, ...
, with whom she bored a child
Tekuder
Ahmed Tekuder ( Mongolian: ''Tegülder'', meaning “perfect”; fa, تکودر) (c.1246 10 August 1284), also known as Sultan Ahmad (reigned 1282–1284), was the sultan of the Persian-based Ilkhanate, son of Hulegu and brother of Abaqa. He was ...
who briefly served as Il-Khan from 1282 until 1284. She had an important role in state affairs during her son's reign. Part of
Garabaghlar Mausoleum
The Garabaghlar Mausoleum ( az, Qarabağlar türbəsi) is a mausoleum located in Garabaghlar village of Kangarli District of Azerbaijan, about 30 kilometers far from the north-western part of Nakhchivan.
The mausoleum, built in the first half of ...
complex may have been built for her memory.
Biography
Qutui Khatun was a member of the
Khongirad
The Khongirad ( Mongolian: ᠬᠣᠩᠭᠢᠷᠠᠳ; Хонгирад; Khonghirad; ), also known as Qongirat (Qoŋğırat/Қоңғырат), was one of the major divisions of the Mongol tribes. Variations on the name include Onggirat, Ongirat, Q ...
tribe on her father's side, and granddaughter 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
, ...
on her mother's side. She was a
Nestorian Christian
Nestorianism is a term used in Christian theology and Church history to refer to several mutually related but doctrinarily distinct sets of teachings. The first meaning of the term is related to the original teachings of Christian theologian N ...
.
Hulagu Khan
Hulagu Khan, also known as Hülegü or Hulegu ( mn, Хүлэгү/ , lit=Surplus, translit=Hu’legu’/Qülegü; chg, ; Arabic: fa, هولاکو خان, ''Holâku Khân;'' ; 8 February 1265), was a Mongol ruler who conquered much of West ...
married her after the death of
Güyük Khatun. Qutui Khatun arrived in Iran around 1268 as a member of the second wave of Hulagu's relatives who remained in Mongolia after the
Mongol invasion of Iran
The Mongol invasion of Khwarezmia ( fa, حمله مغول به خوارزمشاهیان) took place between 1219 and 1221, as troops of the Mongol Empire under Genghis Khan invaded the lands of the Khwarazmian Empire in Central Asia. The cam ...
. She was on the way to meet her husband who died during her journey in 1265. She was informed about his passing while
Badakhshan
Badakhshan is a historical region comprising parts of modern-day north-eastern Afghanistan, eastern Tajikistan, and Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County in China. Badakhshan Province is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. Much of historic Ba ...
in present-day
Tajikistan
Tajikistan (, ; tg, Тоҷикистон, Tojikiston; russian: Таджикистан, Tadzhikistan), officially the Republic of Tajikistan ( tg, Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, Jumhurii Tojikiston), is a landlocked country in Centr ...
by his son and successor
Abaqa Khan
Abaqa Khan (27 February 1234 – 4 April 1282, mn, Абаха/Абага хан (Khalkha Cyrillic), ( Traditional script), "paternal uncle", also transliterated Abaġa), was the second Mongol ruler (''Ilkhan'') of the Ilkhanate. The son of Hula ...
. Upon arrival, they were greeted by Abaqa Khan, Hulagu's son who succeeded him. Since she outlived her husband, according to the Mongol custom, she was married to Abaqa Khan.
After Abaqa's death in 1285, two political factions clashed over succession, with each fact being led by one of Hulagu's wives supporting their son's claim to the throne. One faction, that supported
Möngke Temür
Möngke Temür ( or ) or Dudu Mengtemu ( Manchu: ;遼寧省檔案館 『滿州實錄 上函』 ) (1370–1433) was a Jurchen chieftain of the Odoli tribe, one of the three tribes of the lower Sunggari river valley in Manchuria. In the 1380s the t ...
was led by
Öljei Khatun and the other, that supported
Tekuder
Ahmed Tekuder ( Mongolian: ''Tegülder'', meaning “perfect”; fa, تکودر) (c.1246 10 August 1284), also known as Sultan Ahmad (reigned 1282–1284), was the sultan of the Persian-based Ilkhanate, son of Hulegu and brother of Abaqa. He was ...
, was headed by Qutui Khatun. Other members of the royal family supported Tekuder. The decisive moment in the conflict was Megnu-Timur's death, which secured Tekuder's claim, and who was eventually enthroned on 6 May 1282.
Tekuder was a Muslim, and upon being enthroned, he took the name Ahmed. He proclaimed himself the protector of Islam, thus eroding the legitimacy of Sultan
Al-Mansur Qalawun
( ar, قلاوون الصالحي, – November 10, 1290) was the seventh Bahri Mamluk sultan; he ruled Egypt from 1279 to 1290.
He was called (, "Qalāwūn the Victorious").
Biography and rise to power
Qalawun was a Kipchak, ancient Turkic ...
of
Mamluk Sultanate
The Mamluk Sultanate ( ar, سلطنة المماليك, translit=Salṭanat al-Mamālīk), also known as Mamluk Egypt or the Mamluk Empire, was a state that ruled Egypt, the Levant and the Hejaz (western Arabia) from the mid-13th to early 16th ...
, with whom he unsuccessfully tried to make peace during the
Mongol invasions of the Levant
Starting in the 1240s, the Mongols made repeated invasions of Syria or attempts thereof. Most failed, but they did have some success in 1260 and 1300, capturing Aleppo and Damascus and destroying the Ayyubid dynasty. The Mongols were forced to r ...
. However, Tekuder didn't spend much time in state affairs. The fiscal responsibilities of the state were taken care of by his mother Qutui Khatun and Asiq, the
amir
Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or cerem ...
of her
orda. She also received foreign diplomats and participated in creating foreign strategy towards Mamluk Sultanate. Tekuder even waited to make a decision in state affairs only after consulting with his mother who had a final say.
However, Tekuder became unpopular among the Mongol elites, the so-called "Old-Mongol" party of Nestorian Christians and Buddhists, who now favoured his nephew
Arghun
Arghun Khan (Mongolian Cyrillic: ''Аргун хан''; Traditional Mongolian: ; c. 1258 – 10 March 1291) was the fourth ruler of the Mongol empire's Ilkhanate, from 1284 to 1291. He was the son of Abaqa Khan, and like his father, was a dev ...
, Abaqa's son. They protested to
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 ...
who threatened he would intervene. Tekuder blamed the Nestorian
Church of the East
The Church of the East ( syc, ܥܕܬܐ ܕܡܕܢܚܐ, ''ʿĒḏtā d-Maḏenḥā'') or the East Syriac Church, also called the Church of Seleucia-Ctesiphon, the Persian Church, the Assyrian Church, the Babylonian Church or the Nestorian C ...
for the appeals to Kublai Kahn and threw its Patriarch
Yahballaha III
Yahballaha III ( 1245–13 November 1317), known in earlier years as Rabban Marcos (or Markos) or Yahballaha V, was Patriarch of the East from 1281 to 1317. As patriarch, Yahballaha headed the Church of the East during the severe persecu ...
into prison. His life was saved by Qutui Khatun. Arghun gained crucial support from
Qonqurtai Qonqurtai () was a Mongol prince and viceroy of Anatolia for the Ilkhanate khanate.
Life
Qonqurtai was born to Hulagu Khan and Ajuja Aguchi, his Khitan concubine wife. Qonqurtai was Hulagu's ninth son and was the senior commander during the rei ...
who originally supported Tekuder, and from the party that supported late Mengu-Timur and his mother Öljei Khatun. Tekuder thus replaced Qonqurtai with Alinaq and ordered the arrest of both Qonqurtai and Arghun. Arghun armies were defeated at
Aq-Khoja near
Qazvin
Qazvin (; fa, قزوین, , also Romanized as ''Qazvīn'', ''Qazwin'', ''Kazvin'', ''Kasvin'', ''Caspin'', ''Casbin'', ''Casbeen'', or ''Ghazvin'') is the largest city and capital of the Province of Qazvin in Iran. Qazvin was a capital of the ...
on 4 May 1284 and he surrendered. While Tekuder waited for his mother's decision on the matter, Arghun was held imprisoned by Alinaq. However, a palace revolution broke out after a conspiracy among the military, and Arghun was released on 4 July. Tekuder was deserted by his troops and killed on 10 August. Arghun was enthroned the next day.
Qutui Khatun started organising support against the usurper, however,
Qara'unas
The Qara'unas or Negüderi were a Mongol people who settled in Afghanistan after moving from Turkestan and Mongolia.
Foundation
The word Qarauna derived from the Mongolian word ''Qara'' meaning black in Mongolian. At first they were subjects ...
attacked and plundered their orda under Arghun's command.
Notes
References
Books
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Journals
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Women of the Mongol Empire
Nestorians
Mongol Empire Christians
13th-century Mongolian women