Sorghaghtani Beki
| Sorghaghtani | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Christian queen Sorghaghtani with her husband, Tolui. Rashid al-Din Hamadani, early 14th century. | |||||||||
| Born | c. 1190 Mongolian–Manchurian grassland | ||||||||
| Died | 1 March 1252 (aged around 62) Mongol Empire | ||||||||
| Burial | Gansu (at church) | ||||||||
| Spouse | Tolui | ||||||||
| Issue | Möngke Khan Kublai Khan Hulagu Khan Ariq Böke | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| House | Keraite | ||||||||
| Father | Jakha Gambhu, brother of Toghril | ||||||||
| Mother | Wasai | ||||||||
| Religion | Church of the East | ||||||||
Sorghaghtani Beki (Mongolian: Сорхагтани Бэхи/ ᠰᠤᠷᠬᠠᠭᠲᠠᠨᠢ
ᠪᠡᠬᠢ; Chinese: 唆魯禾帖尼) or Bekhi (Bek(h)i is a title), also written Sorkaktani, Sorkhokhtani, Sorkhogtani, Siyurkuktiti (c. 1190 – 1 March 1252), posthumous name Empress Xianyi Zhuangsheng (Chinese: 顯懿莊聖皇后; pinyin: Xiǎnyì Zhuāngshèng Huánghòu and Persian: سرقویتی بیگی, Sorghoiti Bigi), was a Keraite princess and daughter-in-law of Genghis Khan. Married to Tolui, Genghis' youngest son, Sorghaghtani became one of the most powerful and competent people in the Mongol Empire. She made policy decisions at a pivotal moment that led to the transition of the Mongol Empire towards a more cosmopolitan and sophisticated style of administration. She raised her sons to be leaders and maneuvered the family politics so that all four of her sons, Möngke Khan, Hulagu Khan, Ariq Böke, and Kublai Khan, went on to inherit the legacy of their grandfather.
Given her enormous impact at such a critical point of the mighty Mongol Empire, she is likely one of the most influential and powerful women in history. Sorghaghtani was a Christian, specifically a member of the Church of the East (often misleadingly referred to as "Nestorianism"). As a moving spirit behind the Mongol Empire, Sorghaghtani is responsible for much of the trade openings and intellectual exchange of the largest contiguous empire in world history.