Khutulun: Warrior Princess

[@davidbenner2289]

My kind of woman! Mom would have liked her. I never met a tougher woman than my mother.

[@RetiredSailor60]

This story reminds me of the Barry Sadler novelette about Casca; The Enternal Soldier who became a Mongol Warlord.

[@JamesThomas-gg6il]

Oh I miss that series. Good books.

[@danahansen5427]

Only caught the first novel, but I did enjoy it.

[@chillindave1357]

I absolutely hated history in school... after graduating in '80, I couldn't get enough! I am so amazed at just how many stories I have never heard! Ty THG 🙂

[@stellviahohenheim]

The problem with history in school it's usually taught not by telling stories but with dates and bullet points. There's so many people who likes to watch documentaries and hear story-telling but the education system insists that memorising the dates are more important

[@navyreviewer]

@@stellviahohenheim the problem with history in school is there is so much of it they have to skim over it. There simply isnt time to deep dive into things.

[@loditx7706]

What a fantastic piece of history! Thank you! Also for the inclusion of various drawings of the Warrior Princess. I especially liked the green eyed one. Since you didn’t mention it I am assuming that history does not suggest she had children. Probably not, difficult to fight battles while carrying.

[@susmith6380]

Conversely she may have died in childbirth and either the child died also or could have been killed to end her line, given that there was conflict between siblings and clans and tribes.

[@constipatedinsincity4424]

In Marco Pollos journal this was near my favorite part of his travels. When going to Mount Ararat (Greater Ararat) where everyone Say the prize !

[@MightyMezzo]

Hey, I’d love to see a production of Puccini’s “Turandot” in which the princess challenges her suitors to combat. Thank you for telling us about the real woman behind the sensational story.

[@stanw909]

The princess in Puccini's version is a dragon so that would be tough .

[@dawnreneegmail]

Said often, not usually a fan of war stories yet I found this segment delightful with embellishments of her that made her whole existence enjoyable 🤗. Well done THG & staff & Mrs.THG🥰

[@roderickcampbell2105]

Wonderful. Entertaining and very enjoyable. I have followed Mongol history for many years. Now, I suggest Prester John who is mysterious and certainly deserves to be remembered.

[@outinthesticks1035]

the only problem with prester John is that it has not been established that he ever actually existed

[@roderickcampbell2105]

@@outinthesticks1035 Hi oits, Agreed. But that's partly why I made the suggestion. Perhaps "prester John" cannot be remembered. Mentioned is a better term maybe.

[@outinthesticks1035]

@@roderickcampbell2105 ahh , a mystery within a conundrum

[@stellviahohenheim]

China have made a lot of tv shows about them over the years it's possible that nobody in Asia that doesn't know about the mongols and their exploits.

[@turkeysandtiaras2623]

Thankful to hear about a woman for a change! ❣️❣️❣️

[@deborahdanhauer8525]

Great story! Thank you🐝🤗❤️

[@VosperCDN]

A true Warrior Princess, one could say.

[@babboon5764]

One of the world's best Canoe Polo players (Ginny Coles) was far better than most of the top ranked men. Again a contest where some strength but especialy, speed, skill and intelligence is vital. So, hey, this account of a wrestling warrior princess is highly believable.

[@JamesRindall]

I dont think anyone doubts it, its been recorded history.

[@sterfry8502]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ episode! Thanks for another greater video!

[@constipatedinsincity4424]

Back in the Saddle again

[@jtgd]

Land pirates

[@plawker]

I indeed enjoy your channel. I probably would have passed by this episode, but when I noticed it was the History Guy, I knew it would be interesting.

[@jliller]

Sounds like someone should make a movie about Khutulun.

[@Guangrui]

renown martial arts novel writer Mr. Jin Yong liked to include a Mongolian princess in his stories, including one who fell in love with the chief rival of the Mongolian Court and eloped with him 😉 😉

[@steveshoemaker6347]

Thanks to THG🎀

[@wardaddyindustries4348]

The red and gold is looking sharp

[@fumblerooskie]

Good job, Guy.

[@constipatedinsincity4424]

Ogaddie McDowell was on the same Olympic baseball ⚾️ team with Mark McGwire!

[@jeffbangkok]

Enjoyed with morning coffee watching the sunrise at the mango farm

[@TestingPyros]

All women are worthy of respect.

[@dangeroustoman]

What is the earliest finger nail clipper and what did they do before it.

[@verneblestien315]

The earliest fingernail clippers was human teeth.

[@b_uppy]

@Vern Eblestien Same for toenails, lol.

[@jacobnorth8642]

One bad bitch! I remember being at a wrestling meet in jr high and there was a small asian girl who was an opponent of one of our 8th graders who was a good athlete but only a fair wrestler. The coach warned him not to underestimate her and all her brothers were top tier wrestlers, didn't listen to coach and match didn't go well for him...

[@LucienSabre]

Not only Marco Polo wasn't the first european of his era to reach the far eastern Asia….he hasn't even been proven to have actually made the journey….or to have existed in the first place - a few scholars and experts dispute the truthfulness of Polo’s account and theorize the book narrating his journeys, “The Travels of Marco Polo”, is a work of fiction….there is even a group who claims Marco Polo himself didn’t even exist in reality and is a mere literary figurehead representing several different merchants and traders who frequently traveled the Silk Road to ancient China. I don’t know if this has changed (because of new discoveries or something like that), but that school of thought has existed up until not so many years ago.

[@michaelwebber9036]

One version is that Marco copied the stories from a a fellow prisoner

[@DTavona]

Dr. Frances Wood wrote a book entitled, "Did Marco Polo Go to China?" (1995), and while it made a pop news story, it has largely been discredited among historians versed in the history of the times. Historian David Morgan found many errors in the book (some were serious, showing a lack of scholarship), and said he found no credible arguments that Marco Polo's journey was false. More here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marco_Polo#Scholarly_analyses

[@philslaton7302]

Well scripted and presented. Thank you.

[@hannahskipper2764]

I think this story would make for an interesting movie.

[@youngsunfloyd5520]

There is a movie - "Princess Khutulun" that came out last year. Unfortunately, I can't find out how to view it.

[@youngsunfloyd5520]

Excellent recap. Last year, a Mongolian production of a full length movie called, "Princess Khutulun" came out. It received good ratings, but I can't find out if it's being streamed anywhere., and if so, do they have a version with English sub-titles (preferably) or dubbed in English? The trailers have all been in Mongol. Are you, or is anyone out there familiar with it?

[@v.e.7236]

Sounds like my kinda woman: Strong, confident and fearless. AND she likes to wrestle? Oooh, baby! Come to Poppa!

[@rickharold7884]

Wow.

[@b.t.walker2295]

Very interesting. I have always heard “Turandot” pronounced with the final “t” at the end as in Italian, but a little research shows many people pronounce it with the “t” silent as in French.

[@elcastorgrande]

Both pronunciations are in use.

[@b.t.walker2295]

@@elcastorgrande - …and both are considered correct. Of course, the original pronunciation of her name is nine centuries ago, neither Italian nor French, and would probably be considered wrong by the standards of today. The opera is beautiful.

[@stephensmalldridge9504]

Instead of a Tom Boy She was a Chom Boy

[@jamesmoss3424]

She is brave.

[@fredcloud9668]

Great story .

[@neeleyfolk]

Where is that Monument, very impressive.

[@gr1mrea9er82]

It is located 50 km east of the Mongolian capitol Ulan Bator.

[@neeleyfolk]

@@gr1mrea9er82 Thanks .must be intense to see in person, must be able to see for miles.

[@EricDaMAJ]

It’s important she appears in more than Marco Polo’s accounts. He is wasn’t above making stuff up.

[@DeconvertedMan]

seems like it would be a good series :D

[@carolmoore9971]

It’s notable how the Mongols were such a world power and dominated such a large area and now seem pretty obscure. Civilizations sure do rise and fall!

[@stellviahohenheim]

The Mongols are obscure? Are you sure lady? Are your brain working?

[@carolmoore9971]

@@stellviahohenheim do they seem like a world power to you? They still control most of the known world? We must have very different ideas on what “obscure” means in relation to countries. I don’t seem to see them in the news and yet I hear mention of many countries outside of the US.

[@youngsunfloyd5520]

@@carolmoore9971 ?

[@MarshOakDojoTimPruitt]

thanks

[@johnanderson9417]

Ever do the history of the ice cream truck?

[@scrap.catastrophe]

Mongols: The Exception

[@danielseelye6005]

A fan of the Brothers Green, I see! o7

[@BlaBla-pf8mf]

A warbow requires more strength than using a sword. The english longbows from Mary Rose have a draw force of over 100 pounds for which a bowman needs a lot of upper body strength and mongol bows were probably equally strong. Most types of sword are light and well balanced so they don't need or benefit from brute strength, but need skill and stamina. Despite fantasy tropes women (with lower average upper body strength than men) would be more effective with a sword or a spear than with a warbow. For example Japanese female warriors used a polearm called ko-naginata.

[@dirus3142]

Mongolian bows are shorter, and used on horseback, they are not required combat the types of armor the English longbow would face. Or the ranges. The pull weigh would be less, because you do not need the range and strength of a longbow in the type of warfare the mongolians excelled at.

[@williamromine5715]

@@dirus3142 Do you know what the pull weight was? I would think it would have to be fairly high to be effective as a war bow, even if not as high as the English long bow. It would have to penetrate shields. Of course, there might not be any evidence of how powerful the bows were.

[@Wailwulf]

@@williamromine5715 Arrows do not need to penetrate shields, nor armor. They need to penetrate flesh where there is no protection. That could be at gaps in the armor, or horses themselves. One does not need super accurate aim (hitting a penny), and good aim (like hitting the size of a punching bag), and a rapid rate of fire, and such fleshy targets will be found.

[@gerritpeacock8949]

I would love for someone to do a deep dive on Gonzalo Guerrero. It may be too much as there is more conjecture than documentation.

[@SuperDave_BR549]

Mongolian BBQ is awesome.....

[@manchagojohnsonmanchago6367]

Thats some weird american sort of chinese thing and nothing to do with mongolia or mongols.. Their food is mostly organs, boild meat, milk and boiled or deepfried dread.. Spices are salt.. And vegetables are onions any others are rare

[@jb6027]

Turandot is my favorite opera.

[@99999orhan]

Brave woman warrior 🥰

[@gregcampwriter]

She wouldn't marry anyone who couldn't defeat her in a fight? This sounds like a passage out of Orlando Furioso.

[@oluchi75]

What is the name of the movie of the movie or series and where can i watch it?

[@sketchtwenty2]

Warrior women from the Steppe are thought to be the source for the legendary Amazon.

[@extremelydeplorablebodean839]

VERY AWESOME 👍, LOVE TO HEAR ABOUT POWERFUL WOMEN THAT TRULY STAND ALONE. DO YOU HAVE A EPISODE OF THE WOMEN OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES 1700 TO 1900 ISH. WOULD ENJOY THAT, BETSY ROSS TO BELL STAR TO CALAMITY JANE TO BONNIE OF BONNIE AND CLYDE.

[@Farweasel]

OK, I know the picture of 'Turandot' at 11.50 is *not* really a picture of Khutulun! Its an astonishing stylised likeness of the musician Jorja Chalmers 'though - Which you can may your own mind up about .... She plays Sax & Keyboards with bryan ferry in nuits de fourviere. (Honest this is *not* a commercial plug - I'm just blown away at the similarity) If you want a link its here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/noWylJWFg71oqNU

[@markc6207]

Is the sailing ship in the picture behind you the USS Constitution?

[@warhawkjah]

Most of those guys just wanted to get their hands on the princess.

[@BasicDrumming]

Great video.

[@Svartalf14]

Dear sir, you might have wanted to mention that the Empire went to ögöday because Jöchi was conceived during, or suspicously close to, a time when Börte had been abducted by enemies of Temujin, and so was suspected of being a bastard.

[@reeb9016]

Marco!.... 👀👂

[@danielseelye6005]

mARR-ko!

[@reeb9016]

@@danielseelye6005 Polo

[@flagmichael]

@@reeb9016 Fish out of water!

[@bigsarge2085]

👍👍👍

[@buzztp5119]

You misspelled Zena

[@everdinestenger1548]

Another titbit of history, people could smell the Mongol horde approaching because of the stink. For Mongols water was sacred so using water for washing was a sin and severely punished

[@DTavona]

The late historian Harold Lamb insisted that Temujin was a Caucasian with red hair and grey eyes; and that before the tribes were unified, the Mongols were either Caucasian or Turkic in physical appearance. At 2:27 you give the translation of Kutulun's name as "all white," which to me strongly hints that like her father, was Caucasian with fair hair or Turkic with lighter hair; her Turkic nickname as "moonlight" would seem to confirm that. The Chinese appearance of Kublai is the result of all the Sung and Xi Xia maidens carried off as slaves to Mongolia, and their Sino features quickly became dominant. Kaidu's area of rule was outside of China proper; there is no reason that Kutulun's mother might not have been a Mongol of Turkic or Caucasian extraction rather than Chinese. Mongol fathers were rulers and women minded the tents and no contemporary portraits exist; what we have is almost folklore. Kublai would also approve of portraits of him as Chinese in appearance to help legitimize the Yuan dynasty in the eyes of the peasants and the Confucian bureaucracy. While many remained silent during Kublai's reign, the Confucian civil service and the people themselves always viewed the Mongols as outsiders to China. It is my opinion that the Chinese sources for Temujin as Asiatic were simply propaganda. That eight centuries later the Chinese government forbids any further excavations of the scores of Caucasian burial sites discovered within the Taklamakan Desert shows how appearance continues to be a touchy subject within China itself. Like with the Uighur to the south of the desert, those gravesites call into question that the far northwest was always occupied by the Chinese. As further evidence, the European illustrations of Kaidu and Kutulun in the Marco Polo book appeared very European in looks and garb, shown above around 8:18. The (paperback) second edition of Harold Lamb's book "Genghis Kahn, Emperor of All Men" contains illustrations from Persian and Indian sources, and *their* respective renditions of Temujin are decidedly Persian and Indian in appearance; as none of the artists (Chinese, Persian, and Indian) had ever seen the Great Kahn, they drew him as they would a fellow citizen -- as Chinese, Persian, or Indian. Lamb was fluent in many languages, including French, Latin, Persian, and Arabic, and a smattering of Manchu-Tartar, and was able to read a few others. While dismissed because he also wrote popular heroic fiction centered in the Middle East and Asia, many of his assertions keep getting supporting evidence. Lamb was a forerunner of both fiction and history outside and away from Europe; events in Asia and the Middle East were worthy of study and had their own heroes.

[@CwL-1984]

👍👍

[@Jameson1776]

Where’s Zena?

[@rnedlo9909]

If the Mongols stayed united, the world would be a very, very different place today

[@rnedlo9909]

@@ralphgesler5110 LOL

[@sparky6086]

I'd have had her eating out of my hand in no time!

[@stevewixom9311]

Man you could sure win some bets having a girlfriend like her...lol Really enjoyed the video, thanks

[@mhschmidt01]

There remain children even today who while in a swimming pool search for Marco by repeatedly call his name.

[@jtb6737]

Highly dramatized, but Marco Polo on Netflix was a great series. They just shot themselves in the foot, by doing in Mongolia with no production support in country and outcost themselves out of the series. Estimated $20 million per episode.

[@trescatorce9497]

This puts a nice twist into "women's equality". Maybe a REAL equivalent to John MacLane, James Bond, Jack Bauer, etc, could stand 2 rounds against her. Even at chess. She did not bitch about not being given an equal chance, she did not need to step down a few notches to that "equal opportunity". On an aside, the painting of that woman with pointy fingernails, is like some villain from a Bond movie, or from a Kungfu one, cheesy one at that.

[@williamjohnson1083]

How about sir richer Francis Burton and philippe America war or banana wars.

[@orenashkenazi9813]

Every time I hear the argument about warrior women being more common because of a focus on archery, I find it incredibly unconvincing. If we're going with the idea that female soldiers are less common because they're less physically strong, (which isn't the real reason but that's another argument) the bow is not the weapon to correct that imbalance. Bows require a great deal of physical strength, despite D&D telling you they're a dex based weapon. I find it much more likely that some societies were simply less sexist in this specific aspect, for reasons that are too complicated to sum up in a single anecdote.

[@DTavona]

Using modern women to judge the physicality of women living centuries ago in a warrior society is its own bias. Jutulun was reportedly a big woman. Even using a lighter poundage bow can still get you dead if the shooter hits you with a war arrow. Very few modern women are capable of passing the Army Ranger course at the same physical level demanded of the men, but a few have done so.

[@orenashkenazi9813]

@@DTavona I don't disagree. My point is that there are a lot of reasons women might or might not become soldiers, but a prevalence of the bow isn't one of them.

[@gungasc]

POLO!

[@kennysherrill6542]

👍👍👍👍👍♥️🇺🇸

[@samuelp1227]

No man could beat her in wrestling? Even if she was as large as a man, there is no way she would beat men repeatedly unless they were afraid of being hacked to pieces by her father if they won. Still a fun story

[@danielseelye6005]

Bökh (Mongolian Wrestling) isn't like Western wrestling where you have to pin or make them submit. There are no time limits, no weight classes and all it takes to win is to make any part of your opponent's body _other than the feet_ touch the ground. It seems you could also do leg work to get them to touch the ground. No strikes, no chokes.

[@flagmichael]

@@danielseelye6005 That makes a lot of sense. Since wrestling in that setting is a martial art, the goal is to best your opponent, in stages if necessary. Being not completely on one's feet would be the beginning of the end in one on one combat.

[@busterstuff]

Please screen your film clips more carefully. It was distressing to watch horses being tripped (a practice which could injure or kill them, and is now illegal), and really ruined my enjoyment of this piece.

[@Quincy_Morris]

Isn’t the bow more of a weapon of strength than a sword?

[@Elimino_P]

Depends on the bow. You won't be shooting an English longbow from horseback.

[@navret1707]

I’ve worked with both and I would say you haven’t swung a sword for any length of time.

[@sherylcascadden4988]

The Mongolian horse bow was short, composite (made of several laminated materials) and typically drawn to the armpit or chest instead of the jaw, making aiming more difficult. I'm not sure if it was easier to pull, but easier to use on horseback than standard European bows.

[@youngsunfloyd5520]

@@Elimino_P Also depends on the sword, perhaps even more so than the bow.

[@mat3714]

Algorithm

[@merlinwizard1000]

45th, 24 June 2022

[@russcrawford3310]

I found it difficult to keep the names sorted out ... the Mongols didn't make it to the English-speaking world ... so maybe include a list of characters next time ... like in the upper right corner or something ... I'll stake my 100 Scottish horses that the typical Pict woman would beat her, easy peasy ...

[@alanmoffat4454]

AND THEY STILL SAY THAT WOMEN WERE LEFT BEHIND NOT SO MUCH MAYBE E

[@HanoiHustler]

Those people can't read

[@Sekonism]

you lost me with the gemology. kinda like the book of genesis.

[@christianstahl4099]

What Gengis Khan left behind, was a pile of bodies. The devastation and murder he brought about was unparalleled in history up to that time. Even by the standards of his time Mongolian atrocities and genocides were unbelievable. It is disgusting that this is usually kept under the carpet in histories about the time.

[@Otokichi786]

He also left his DNA all over the region. There are many who are the "sons and daughters of Genghis Khan" by Rape.

[@TheRealRedRooster]

And a good part of that was probably embellishment by those that got defeated...

[@ЦХишгээ]

so does usa russia European german japan etc... every country committed horrible things and yet i dont see you bitching about it none perfect and same as country history is important to learn our mistakes and greatness to improve for future not bitching grow up ffs

[@youngsunfloyd5520]

Likely embellished by the Mongols themselves as they wanted to instill fear in their opponents and have them surrender rather than fight.

[@yekutielbenheshel354]

Meh. Not interested in this.

[@johnrice1943]

He wasn't Asian looking. He was a red haired fellow from the steppes

[@scottabc72]

If you're referring to Genghis Khan and his descendents, most contemporary descriptions of them portray them as ethnically Mongolian. There is one description possibly talking about Genghis's red hair but its not clear if that really refers to his hair or a reddish complexion or brownish-red black hair. Unlike Kublai and other descendents, Genghis did not allow art made of him when he was alive.

[@johnrice1943]

@@scottabc72 i am fairly certain he would've looked like the red haired mummies found in China.

[@scottabc72]

@@johnrice1943 The Tarim mummies which youre probably referring to are around 3000 years older than Genghis and his era. It makes a lot more sense that he looked more like his sons and other Mongols that are widely portrayed as East Asian looking in countless art works whether produced in Asia or by visitors from other places.

[@manchagojohnsonmanchago6367]

​@@johnrice1943 there is portraits made in his lifetime.. He was a mongol.. Some mongols have fair hair or green, blue ect eyes.. Especially when they are infants and children

[@Abd121]

I'm sorry but the pronunciations here are quite atrocious, even for latinized words!

[@chomama1628]

The story is what’s most important.

[@b_uppy]

Really, who is your source for pronunciation expertise??? What w o rds are you hating difficulty with?

[@khadijagwen]

In early Islamic history, when the situation of an Army was dire they would send the women ahead of them, counting on the idea that it was not honorable to fight women. Hmmmm.

[@virginiascurti5036]

Please dont go woke, I like this chanel.

[@danielcooper5698]

So.... she was a lesbian

[@clarityshine4623]

not being interested in dating doesn’t mean she was.