Khutulun was the daughter of one of the famous military commanders Kaidu Khan. The status of Khutulun became visible since she was born as her father was one of the well-known individuals during the civil war under the Mongol empire’s control (Biran 64). Since childhood, the princess has dreamed of achieving one specific goal supported by religious beliefs and did not allow her to marry.
The fact that Khutulun had fourteen brothers slowed down the increase of femininity in her actions as she has always been taught to do actions related to boys. For instance, horse riding is one of the common examples which ruined the gender stereotype of the princess. All these actions made her strong and confident in achieving the main life goal as by doing female’s work, she would not be able to become a better version of herself (Biran 66). Even though the princess had an outstanding appearance, the enemies influenced her significantly. Someone claimed that she had an incestuous relationship with her dad, and in order to not lose her reputation, Khutulun decided to get married.
When Kaidu decided to make his daughter a Khan, the reaction of people became controversial as secret relationships with her dad and rapid marriage confused the nation, and they did not know what was right or wrong. The princess started to scare away the suitors as the engagement was not her personal decision, and she was not ready for this stage of her life. Life in a family could stop Khutulun’s self-development and goal achievement as more time becomes spent on husband and children who need extra care. However, hobbies like riding a horse make the princess free of the problems, and she starts to spend more time outside to forget about the problems of marriage.
Khutulun was not able to achieve her goal of taking her father’s position as she experienced strong pressure from her older brothers. Nevertheless, she continued living the striving life (Biran 71). The princess did not want to prove any gossip created by her enemies as a high self-confidence level helped her ignore negativities. Moreover, she got married in her late 30s without any force, and her future husband became her true love. She did not regret her engagement, which became an alternative plan if she did not take her father’s throne. There were no significant regrets in her life as her strength of mind brought her to life she was expecting. Khutulun died under unknown conditions in 1306 at the young age of 46 (Biran 81). However, in this short period of time she managed to build her personality and became one of the well-known figures in the Mongol empire.
Khutulun is one of the most famous characters in the history of Mongolia, and she presented the difficulties females could meet during these times and at what cost they might get freedom. The biography of the princess showed the Mongol empire from a different side related to wars and terroristic attacks. Khutulun could make some mistakes in her life in childhood and teenage age, but there is generally nothing wrong with the way she lived. Strength of mind and spirit motivates people who read the story of the princess as the ability to overcome all obstacles and not give up is what people want to achieve in their lives.
Reference
Biran, Michal. Along the Silk roads in Mongol Eurasia. University of California Press, 2020.