Sorghaghtani Beki
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Sorghaghtani Beki (died 1252) was the mother of four of the great figures in Mongol history, especially Möngke Khan, Kublai Khan, and Hulagu Khan; she had eleven sons with Tolui, the youngest son of Genghis Khan. A Kerait and a Nestorian Christian, William of Rubruck claimed she was the niece of Prester John. She was the eldest daughter-in-law of Genghis Khan and known as a ruthless, brilliant politician who pushed her children and their interests into rule of the Mongol Empire. Both Muslim and Christian historians speak highly of her: “If I were to see among the race of women another woman like this, I should say that the race of women was far superior to that of men”[citation needed]; “Among the Tartars this lady is... more powerful than anyone else except the khan of the Golden Horde”[citation needed]; “She was extremely intelligent and able and towered above all the women in the world.”[citation needed] Sorghaghtani died in 1252, but she was given the title of “empress” in 1310 in a ceremony that included a Nestorian mass.
The descendants of Sorghaghtani and Tolui are alive to this day, including many Chinese Christians in South-East Asia.
