| Checheikhen | |
|---|---|
| Princess of the Mongol Empire | |
| Spouse | Torolchi of the Oirats |
| Issue | Buqa Timur Burtua Pars Buqa Ailiqmish (wife of Ariq Böke) Orqina (wife of Qara Hülegü) Kubak (wife of Hulagu Khan) Oljei (wife of Hulagu Khan) Khuchu (wife of Toqoqan) |
| Dynasty | Borjigin |
| Father | Genghis Khan |
| Mother | Börte |
Checheikhen was a daughter of Genghis Khan and his first wife Börte.
Marriage
When, in 1207, Genghis Khan sent his son Jochi to subdue the northern tribes, the Oirats were the first to offer an alliance to Genghis Khan. As part of this alliance, his daughter Checheyikhen married Torolchi, one of the sons of the Oirat chieftain Khudugha Beki.[1] One of Jochi's daughters, Checheyikhen's niece, married another. At her marriage, Genghis told her to govern and control the Oirat people.[2] Her husband would not stay with her, but serve under Genghis Khan as one of his gurugen, or sons-in-law. Her control over the Oirat gave the Mongols control over the northern trade routes. Since her sisters co-administered important parts of the Silk Route, the commercial interdependence between their respective lands increased.
Aftermath of Checheyikhen's death
In 1237, likely after Checheyikhen died, her brother Ögedei Khan seized the Oirat lands and allegedly had 4000 young Oirat girls raped.[3] The Oirat now came under his direct control.
Orghana was her daughter. Oghul Qaimish was also possibly one of her daughters.[4]
Notes
- ↑ George Qingzhi Zhao, Marriage as Political Strategy and Cultural Expression: Mongolian Royal Marriages from World Empire to Yuan Dynasty (2001), p. 154
- ↑ (Weatherford 2010, p. 47)
- ↑ (Weatherford 2010, p. 91)
- ↑ (Weatherford 2010, p. 102)
Sources
- Weatherford, Jack (2010). The Secret History of the Mongol Queens. Broadway Paperbacks, New York.