Borte (1161-1230) was the wife of Genghis Khan and the mother of Ogedei Khan, Tolui Khan, Chagatai Khan, and Jochi Khan.
Biography[]
Borte was born in 1161 to the Onggirat clan of Tengri Mongols, and she married Temujin when she was nine. Borte was kidnapped by a rival tribe at one point, and she was married to the leader of the tribe during her eight-month period of captivity. Borte was later rescued, but after she was freed, she gave birth to Jochi Khan, who would have been Temujin's successor later in life if his paternity had not been disputed, due to the likeliness that he was Borte's captor's child. She did not follow Genghis on his campaigns, managing her own territory while Genghis and other wives moved westwards. She died in 1230 at the age of 69.