Sochigel ( Modern Mongolian: Сочигэл,

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

: Сочихэл, Chinese (Simplifed): 速赤格勒) was either a junior wife or concubine of Yesügei, the chief of the Khamag Mongol confederation and father of Genghis Khan. Sochigel's children were Ghengis Khan's half-siblings, and included

Behter Behter or Bekter (; died 1180) was the son of Yesugei, chief of the Khamag Mongol, and a junior wife named Sochigel or Suchigu in some sources and Ko'agjin in others. He was also a half-brother of Genghis Khan Genghis Khan (born Temüj ...

and Belgutei; the latter became one of Genghis Khan's advisors.

Biography

Little is known about Sochigel's early life until she either married or became a concubine of Yesügei. According to anthropologist Jack Weatherford, Sochigel was already established in Yesügei's household prior to the arrival of

Hö'elün Hö'elün ( Mongolian: , , ; ) was a noblewoman of the Mongol Empire and the mother of Temüjin, better known as Genghis Khan. She played a major role in his rise to power, as described in the '' Secret History of the Mongols''. Born into th ...

, whom he had abducted from her fiancé. However, Hö'elün was quickly made his chief wife, which meant that her children, rather than Sochigel's would become his heirs. Hö'elün's children included Temujin - the future Genghis Khan,

Qasar Khasar (; , ), was one of the three full brothers of the legendary Genghis Khan. According to the '' Jami' al-Tawarikh'', his given name was ''Jochi'' and he got the nickname ''Khasar'' after his distinguished bravery. He was also called Khabht ...

, Khachiun and daughter Temülün. In 1171 Yesügei died and his followers abandoned Sochigel, Hö'elün and their children, driving them out of their homes and driving away all their cattle. For several years, the widows with their children lived in complete poverty, wandered the steppes, feeding on roots, game and fish. Under these conditions, the children did not get along with each other, which led to the murder of

by his half-brothers Genghis Khan and

, after he and Belgutei stole a fish from them. The impact of Yesügei's abduction of Hö'elün years before continued to affect the families. In circa 1184, three hundred

Merkit The Merkit (; ; ) was one of the five major tribal confederations of MongolBörte, and a maid, Khoakhchin, were captured as revenge. Temujin gathered a force together in order to rescue Börte in particular; when all the women were found, Sochigel refused to return with them, fleeing into the taiga. Her son Belgutei was angered by her action and punished the Merkit people by ordering the killing of all the warriors who undertook the raid and confiscated their wives and daughters, forcing them to become concubines or maids. Unlike Hö'elün, Sochigel's name is not mentioned in ''

The Secret History of the Mongols The ''Secret History of the Mongols'' is the oldest surviving literary work in the Mongolic languages. Written for the Borjigin, Mongol royal family some time after the death of Genghis Khan in 1227, it recounts his life and conquests, and parti ...

''. Unorthodox ethnologist Lev Gumilyov believed that Sochigel did not return with Temujin because she had betrayed him and the rest of the family. Gumilyov believed that Sochigel had assisted the Merkits and enabled them to find the camp, as well as preferred her new Merkit husband.''Гумилёв Л. Н.'' Поиски вымышленного царства (Легенда о «государстве пресвитера Иоанна»). — М.: Айрис-пресс, 2002. — 432 с. — (Библиотека истории и культуры). — 5000 экз. — .

References

{{Authority control Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown 12th-century Mongol women 12th-century Mongols Women from the Mongol Empire Family of Genghis Khan