Mongol Women

Historians tend to portray Mongol men as fearsome and mighty conquerors, but the women are often

• Togluulagch 11 player

ignored. This is quite unfair, as in the Mongol civilization it was actually the women who called the shots. While their men were busy being, well, Mongol warriors, the women kept the economy going and held some of the highest positions in their shamanistic religion. This put the Mongol ladies in a position of power that their European contemporaries could only dream about.
The women weren’t just happy with running the businesses and religion, either—the Mongols also had several female rulers. After Genghis Khan’s death, his daughters and daughters-in-law embarked on a series of power struggles that saw various capable women rule their own factions of the Empire, at least for a while (it was a turbulent time).
One of the mightiest Mongol queens was Mandhuhai, a capable warrior with a keen tactical mind. She fought to unite the Mongol kingdoms like Genghis had done, conquering enemy after enemy in a series of victorious battles. When she was in her thirties, it occurred to her she should probably keep her family name going—but she was still busy with her wars. Mandhuhai solved this conundrum by marrying a 17-year-old trophy prince and bearing eight children, all while actively participating in battles.