The Tragic Fate of Khutulun: the Mongol Wrestler Princess/ Mongolian Princess Documentary

In this video we look at the like of Khutulun (Kutulun, Qutulun), the famous Mongol wrestling princess. Though often dismissed as an exaggeration of Marco Polo, there is much more to her life we can learn from other Islamic accounts of the Middle Ages. Here, we look at her life, context and final fate; and of course, her supposed wrestling career.
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Full Source List: docs.google.co...
Primary Sources:
[Jamal Qarshi.] Джамал ал-Карши. ал-Мулхакат би-с-Сураx. Volume I. Translated by Sh. H. Vohidova [Ш. Х. Вохидова] and B.B. Aminova [Б.Б Аминова]. Almaty, 2005.
[Mu’izz al-Ansab.] Муизз ал-Ансаб. Vol. III. Translated by Sh. H. Vohidova [Ш. Х. Вохидова.]. Almaty, 2006.
[Mustawfi.] L.J. Ward. “The Zafar-Namah of HamdAllah Mustaufi and the Il-Khan Dynasty of Iran.” Vol. III. Phd Dissertation, University of Mancherster. 1983.
Polo, Marco. The Description of the World. Translated by Sharon Kinoshita. Indianapolis: Hackett, 2016.
[al-Qashani.] Örs, Derya. “Tarih-i Olcaytu: İnceleme ve çeviri.” PhD Dissertation, Ankara Üniversitesi, 1992.
Rashiduddin Fazlullah. Jami’ u’t-tawarikh: Compendium of Chronicles: A History of the
Mongols. Translated by W. M. Thackston. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University, 1998.
Rashid al-Din. The Successors of Genghis Khan. Translated by J.A. Boyle. New York: Columbia University Press, 1971.
The other music is provided by Epidemic Sound. www.epidemicsou...
#khutulun #kutulun #mongolempire #genghiskhan

[@TheJackmeisterMongolHistory]

In this video we look at the life of Qutulun, the famous wrestling princess reported by Marco Polo. But there's more to her life than just the words of Messer Polo, which we examine in this video; her context, supposed wrestling career, role in combat, and eventual fate. Full Source List: docs.google.com/document/d/1LXEAbwRY19M1e8MD6QvFyF6C2607beoqHtvZvtWHAD4/edit?usp=sharing Primary Sources: [Jamal Qarshi.] Джамал ал-Карши. ал-Мулхакат би-с-Сураx. Volume I. Translated by Sh. H. Vohidova [Ш. Х. Вохидова] and B.B. Aminova [Б.Б Аминова]. Almaty, 2005. [Mu’izz al-Ansab.] Муизз ал-Ансаб. Vol. III. Translated by Sh. H. Vohidova [Ш. Х. Вохидова.]. Almaty, 2006. [Mustawfi.] L.J. Ward. “The Zafar-Namah of HamdAllah Mustaufi and the Il-Khan Dynasty of Iran.” Vol. III. Phd Dissertation, University of Mancherster. 1983. Polo, Marco. The Description of the World. Translated by Sharon Kinoshita. Indianapolis: Hackett, 2016. [al-Qashani.] Örs, Derya. “Tarih-i Olcaytu: İnceleme ve çeviri.” PhD Dissertation, Ankara Üniversitesi, 1992. Rashiduddin Fazlullah. Jami’ u’t-tawarikh: Compendium of Chronicles: A History of the Mongols. Translated by W. M. Thackston. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University, 1998. Rashid al-Din. The Successors of Genghis Khan. Translated by J.A. Boyle. New York: Columbia University Press, 1971.

[@user-qd8pl6es8f]

Even today Mongolian girls grow being reminded of an expression "Rely on your thumb than on a man", suggesting that a girl should develop her own skills and be self-sufficient. Thumb is important in Mongolian archery. Some say, the expression stems from the warrior reality when the husband is gone for a war and the wives must fight for themselves when an enemy attacks them. There's even a legend regarding the raised-up shoulders Mongolian women's robe, honoring how once women of a tribe defended themselves with bow and arrow, "rolling up their sleeves". There is also another legend regarding the chest-open outfit of wrestlers depicted here (6:50): Once women in disguise won a wrestling contest. Since then they opened up the front of the outfit, to see if it is a man. These legends are useful for people interested in nomad history. Oral historiography.

[@22ndman21]

Thank you for this one. Khutulun had always interested me since the first time I read about her. Such a shame that she died a tragic death but at least she dies a warrior death.

[@TheJackmeisterMongolHistory]

Rather unfortunately, there aren't many happy endings in this period.

[@abyzz4419]

​@@TheJackmeisterMongolHistoryBro who do you think are the greatest Warriors and Conquerors in History?

[@Chonobataar]

A sad tale, but by witnessing our history as told by an unbiased historian like your self. I see my people as no better than the Turks. Truly we really are all like wolves, who, unless lead by a great wolf, will just keep eating each other over pasturing land, women, shiny things and petty disputes. All the while, clever people like the Chinese and Russians will grow slowly, until they devour the world.

[@TheJackmeisterMongolHistory]

There's something about human nature which makes us unfortunately cruel to each other and find any excuse to inflict it.

[@superfly19751]

Great comment!

[@user-cg2tw8pw7j]

You have made the Huns, Khitans, Turks, and even the Scythian Aryans of western Mongolia look at you with pity.

[@leonardoferrari4852]

​@@user-cg2tw8pw7jThey are dead, they could not give less of a fuck. Stop crying

[@ElBandito]

Excellent look at one of the less well known Chinggisid lines. The scale of the game of thrones among the Mongol royalty was just crazy.

[@TheJackmeisterMongolHistory]

It's always fun to do something on a khanate most people didn't actually know existed.

[@kurtru5selcrowe607]

For the algorithm

[@MastaMan88]

Mah bawls!!!! For the algo ;)

[@jozz2248]

Alright 👍

[@NCAD]

Amazing work! Thank you Jackmeister! From history loving Mongolian.

[@stubao7274]

Dear Jack: I love this video! While we are on the topic of Mongol civil conflicts in Central Asia, would you also care to do one video in the future that discusses the rise of Kaidu and the ogedei khanate’s relations with other khanates? Thank you :)

[@TheJackmeisterMongolHistory]

Yes that would be a great topic for certain. I originally had a lot more on Qaidu in this video, but ended up cutting it since it was ending up rather long. So I would like to do something dedicated just to him in future.

[@Mykes1]

Underrated channel

[@jacobvanderhoeven1008]

Also, I love your image of Dua. Looks like such a schemer with his pose and moustache to twirl

[@TheJackmeisterMongolHistory]

Yes, a rather cunning fellow he was. "Full of tricks," I think Qashani says at one point...

[@remisol9880]

Littlefinger vibes !

[@temor8829]

Thanks a lot bro especially for the Hazaragi background music

[@TheJackmeisterMongolHistory]

Glad you like it!

[@eddierudolph8702]

Very interesting, i had assumed that she was just something the writers thown in the Marco Polo series, not an historial noble woman.

[@TheJackmeisterMongolHistory]

The Netflix series, at least in the first season, actually used a decent number of actual historical persons, even if the character in the show doesn't have much in common (the best example is Bayan: in history, one of the top serving Mongol generals for Khubilai Khan. In the show, a blind kung-fu Daoist monk). According to IMDB, Qutulun's brother Orus actually appears as a character on the show (though I can't actually remember him in it).

[@jozz2248]

​@@TheJackmeisterMongolHistoryHundred Eyes was a great character, not very close to much of his actual background even?

[@TheJackmeisterMongolHistory]

@@jozz2248 the only thing the historical Bayan, and the Hundred Eyes on the show, have in common is their name and alignment with Khubilai Khan.

[@jacksonterrance8833]

*Qaidu was Kublais nephew not cousin. * Kublai and the Khans didnt kill royalty the kid emperor and a sung soldier drowned * Akmed was killed by assassins but kublai had the assassins killed* Kublai once hearing of akmeds corruption had his grave dug up and fed to dogs.* the bows didnt have string bridges than * alot more but i personally liked the show

[@superfly19751]

Nicely done! Love the song at the end.

[@Marpaws]

great video !

[@TheJackmeisterMongolHistory]

Thank you, very glad you enjoyed it!

[@kira7468]

Thank you!

[@roicervino6171]

What a great summary. Thank you

[@jacksonterrance8833]

Very nice. Pretty much batus khanate is just chilling gaining numbers it seems while everyone else is at eachothers throats. I bear the blue dissapearing birthmark of CNGZ XAN

[@andreascovano7742]

Thank you. I wonder if we will get an episode on Marco Polo in the future?

[@TheJackmeisterMongolHistory]

I have wanted for years to do something on him in proper, but the scale of such a project grows the more research I have done on him. There's a huge amount to talk about just in terms of the history of Polo manuscripts; while perhaps not as interesting for the average viewer, it's such an important part of understanding his tale in that, so much of the "errors" Polo gets associated with can be traced to the fact we don't have any definitive version of his work, but instead hundreds of different manuscripts that went through copying upon copying and translation upon the translation. Things got misread, cut, added in etc. on every single one, and it seems at some point Polo made (but perhaps did not publish) an updated version before his death.

[@Spartan_Disiplin]

​@@TheJackmeisterMongolHistory Is there any information about Marco Polo in Yuan Sources?

[@TheJackmeisterMongolHistory]

Maybe, though its controversial. Around 2010, a Chinese scholar named Peng Hai identified an individual named Boluo in the Yuan Shi with Marco Polo. The name had been noticed before, but was assumed to be an important noyan properly called Bolod (the Bolod Chingsang who goes to Ilkhanate). However, Peng Hai argued that the Boluo in the Yuan Shi is actually referring to two individuals; that one of the Boluos in the Yuan Shi is clearly an important and powerful noyan [Bolod], but that the other appears to be someone of much less power, and also makes some foolish mistakes culturally that we would not expect Bolod Aqa to make (for instance, walking on the side of the palace meant for women). He then gets into a fight with the descendants of Muqali, and gets involved with some charity work, that also happens to be describe in Polo's book. It may very well be Polo, but it must be cautioned that it can just as easily be another Mongol/Turkic fellow named Bolod who isn't Bolod Aqa.

[@TheJackmeisterMongolHistory]

The fact that Polo doesn't receive any great attention in Yuan sources is not too surprising. He probably was a rather minor figure in the Yuan court, and simply "another foreigner amongst a sea of foreigners." Even other Europeans who we know travel to the Yuan court in the thirteenth and fourteenth century, never get mentioned in the Yuan accounts (except for a Papal embassy, which is merely noted as an embassy which brought a rather exceptional horse with them. No detail is provided on any of the ambassadors themselves).

[@andreascovano7742]

@@TheJackmeisterMongolHistory I feel for you! Just in my book alone, it basically has to rely on 4 manuscripts, all who use different versions or stories at the same time. And the translator often even fails to do his job (The person for the Florentine manuscript clearly didn't know French). And not to mention that it wasn't Marco who wrote it but Rustichello of Pisa who was a known chivalric romance writer. For all intense and purposes, he was trying to make Marco fit into a epic hero model, which worked partially due to the great nature of the journey, but failed because marco was not a knight. In fact it is funny because I felt there was a slight conflict at some points of the book since Marco, as a merchant, was describing trade goods and rustichello clearly did not care for it and wanted adventure. I felt that the book is very useful though and severly uknown online.

[@imperatorandros9947]

Hi Jackmeister, Is true that mongols don't wash thereself or was only a law taked superficialy ( maybe restricted to bathing in rivers )? For curiosity.

[@redbird3697]

Great video, one question though, how is Qiadu pronounced, I know in Marco Polo they pronounced it KAI-du with the K-sound but I've seen other sources pronounce it Hi-du with an H-sound, and you used them both in the video. Which one is right?

[@TheJackmeisterMongolHistory]

Haidu is closest to the Mongolian pronunciation. The sound rendered as kh/q in english transliteration is an "h' sound in Mongolian. So, Khubilai Khan sounds more like Hoobilay Haan, Genghis Khan= Chinggis Haan, or his adopted son whose name is usually rendered as Shigi Qutuqu, is pronounced more like Shihihudag. I try to use the Mongolian pronunciations but sometimes I slip

[@TheJackmeisterMongolHistory]

There's an interview with Baljinnyamyn Amarsarkhan, the actor who played Ariq Böke (Khubilai's younger brother) on the Netflix series, (and I think the only Mongolian playing a main character on the show), and how he had to correct other actors who kept trying to say Genghis instead of Chinggis

[@kolsveinnskraevolding]

2:23 The elusive red-bearded Mongols strike again

[@TheJackmeisterMongolHistory]

That's Chapar, Qaidu's son. As Rashid al-Din says, "those who have seen him [Chapar] have reported that he is an extremely thin person, scrawny, and with a face and beard like Russians and Circassians." So what precisely he means by "face and beard like Rus' and Circassians" we may debate, but it seems his mother (specified as one of Qaidu's concubines) was a woman from the western end of the steppes. Notably, Qaidu's first born son is named Orus, meaning, Rus'. It's also indirect evidence against our "red-headed/Caucasian appearance Chinggis Khan," as when a Mongol individual perhaps has these features in the 13th/14th century, it's considered remarkable enough to comment on.

[@CraigCraigbottom]

Shared links to this video on a bunch of the other khutulun videos on youtube because this is the only good one about her

[@ikengaspirit3063]

Kinda sad. I just kept imagining an alt-hist where she won in the end but i could remember vaguely that she lost out but i didn't know that she also got killed.

[@TheJackmeisterMongolHistory]

The end of her story is not very well known and people tend to only tell the details from Marco Polo, and what they'd like to hear about her.

[@erhtm3030]

For the algotirg

[@jacksonterrance8833]

I personally think Rashid-Al-Din is a clever liar about alot of things. Which is understandable ofcourse. What do people think of the book "history of the mongol queens"?? Is it bullshit sounding or sound legitimate?

[@henkstersmacro-world]

👍👍👍

[@TheJackmeisterMongolHistory]

🙌

[@Spartan_Disiplin]

What happened to Almalıq's and Arslan Khan's Karluks during that time ?

[@TheJackmeisterMongolHistory]

They are unfortunately rarely mentioned following the Khwarezm campaign in 1220. Probably many went west with the Mongol armies and did not come back. But we know that the leaders in Almaliq and Qayaliq (and perhaps the population? It's not quite clear the exact relationship even before they submit to the Mongols) are still Qarluqs at least until Mongke's time. One of Arslan Khan's son was still alive by then, and was given by Mongke the city of Ozkend on the Syr Darya as a fief. A hint to where the Qarluq go there's a tumen operating in Iran in the 1240s/50s under Malikshah Noyan which was made up of "Uyghurs, Qarluqs, Turcomans, Kashgharis, and men from Kucha." After Malikshah's death he was succeeded by his son Hinduchaq, who got punished for killing the malik of Qum without permission. He was executed, and his soldiers were then divided amongst the households of Jochi, Chagatai, Ogedei, Tolui. It's unclear how many Qarluqs were in the Qarluq/Almaliq area to start with (were they just the ruling class? were they the actual population of the cities?), but it seems possibly the reason we rarely here about them after 1220 is that many were brought westwards in the armies. Presumably there was still a population there, but without much political power, or at least not enough to get the attention of people writing in the Ilkhanate or Yuan Dynasty.

[@AltaicGigachad]

Had Baybars small eyes?

[@TheJackmeisterMongolHistory]

I have not researched extensively into what the sources say about Baybars' appearance. So far the oldest description I know of him comes from a Mamluk writer named al-Dhahabi (in his book Siyar a`lam al-nubala), who was around three years old at the time of Baybars' death in 1277. He does not, as I understand it, describe explicitly if Baybars had epicanthic folds or not, but he does mention the cataract. Now we do have descriptions from Mamluk treatises of other Mamluk emirs and Sultans who do have these physical features; Qalawun, for example, is described by al-Shafi' bin 'Ali, as having "khwarezmian eyes," (i.e, narrow). Visual depictions of the Mamluks from late 13th/14th century Mamluk Egypt also tend to depict them with the same featurs that Seljuq and Ilkhanid artwork used to depict Turkic nomads and Mongols (contrasting with how they depict explicit Arab or Persian figures). On one of these items, a late 13th century bowl depicting Mamluks warriors and rulers (called the Baptistere of St. Louis, because it got taken by the French at one point) there is an enthroned ruler, argued to be a representation of Baybars, who has these epicanthic folds. So this type of eye was seen as distinctive of the Mamluk elite, and also desirable and physically attractive. While I can't say with absolute certainty that Baybars had them, there is good probability that he did. And even if he did not, most of the Bahri Mamluk Sultans certainly did.

[@TheJackmeisterMongolHistory]

I will say also that people have also greatly overstated "evidence" that he had blonde hair and blue eyes as well. Most likely the passage is indicating his skin was quite darkened (I would imagine he was very well tanned from his constant campaigning across the region), if not just naturally red (this is a descriptor common used for Mongols and Turkic peoples in these sources), and is not a reference to hair at all. Meanwhile the blue-eyes thing is likely an indication of the cataract in his left eye, as al-Dhahabi otherwise states that Baybars' eye colour was hazel.

[@AltaicGigachad]

@@TheJackmeisterMongolHistory Which book of Al shafi describes the appearance of Qalawun? it would be very interesting to read about it.

[@TheJackmeisterMongolHistory]

I can just copy the translation by David Cook for you: "Everyone agreed that he [Sultan Qalawun] was the most handsome, perfect, magnificent and beautiful of all the imported slaves to arrive during his time, and he was the most perfect in appearance and ethics and the straightest in silence and in conversation. For that reason, the purchasers crowded around him when he arrived, at the age of 14, and expended thousands in gold upon him, considering him to be far beyond the hundreds. He was the Thousand (al-alfī) in stature and in value, because he was the highest and the most expensive, both in form and in price. His place was the most magnificent, and highest. He was, may God make his sultanate eternal, having a large face, and with his brow bright-colored, so that below it was beautiful. His brow was rough on the sides, his eyes were Khwarizmian (narrow), complete in stature, into his sultanate he continued to inspire fear-as no follower was able to discern a defect in God’s complete creation of him." -al-Shafi' bin 'Ali, "Al-faḍl al-ma’thūr fi sīrat al-malik al-Manṣūr," in "Chronicles of Qalawun and his son al-Ashraf Khalil," trans. David Cook, pg.211 al-Alfi (The Thousand) became a common nickname for Qalawun, and in most Christian and Ilkhanid source that mention him, he is known by this name.

[@AltaicGigachad]

@@TheJackmeisterMongolHistory Thanks!

[@reydeselbojorquezsuarez2478]

Like it 🙂 👍 ✨️ 💓

[@abukar1145]

Hey Jackmeister, Why did Guyuk and Batu hate each other? And did Batu plan on fighting Guyuk when he was marching west?

[@TheJackmeisterMongolHistory]

Good questions! Batu had a bad relationship with Guyuk and Buri for a few reasons. When it started precisely is uncertain but likely developed over the course of the western campaign. Likely before even the start of the campaign, there were still people whispering about paternity of Jochi and by extension, insinuating about what right did Batu have to led the army and be a prince (so likely making bad blood before things started). In practical terms, Batu was acting like the main commander, but these other princes saw themselves as same level (Batu for Jochi, Buri for Chagatai, Guyuk for Ogedei, Mongke for Tolui): to these other princes, they were all grandsons of Chinggis, so what made Batu special? Especially since Guyuk was the son of the reigning Great Khan. There was also complaints that all the conquered lands would be taken by the Jochids instead of shared amongst the dynasty (thus, "my soldiers are dying for the expansion of Batu's patrimony!). There were also complaints about Batu's leadership (Batu was not the best general, and there's a siege or two which goes very long under Batu, and then Guyuk shows up and completes it in a few days). At a basic level, the two just did not seem to get along, and it culminates in the big argument at the feast that appears in the Secret History of the Mongols

[@TheJackmeisterMongolHistory]

Whether a civil war was actually about to happen in 1248 is hard to say. In some sources, Guyuk was marching west to finish the conquest of the Islamic world; in others, he was going to Europe. Probably he was deliberately keeping things vague and sending differing rumours to keep people on their toes and unaware of where he was actually striking. I think Guyuk's intentions were basically to give Batu an ultimatum; supply troops for Guyuk's army (and thereby confirm his submission to Guyuk) or Batu would be replaced by one of brothers (presumably Orda, who Guyuk had a better relationship with). Guyuk had already replaced the Chagatai Khan (Qara-Hulegu, a grandson of Chagatai, was replaced on Guyuk's order by Yesu-Mongke, a son of Chagatai), so the precedent was there. I don't think he was going west with a plan to actually invade Guyuk's lands, but would Batu have gone to war? Ultimately I can't give an answer there. My suspicion is he would have avoided it (the cons outweigh the gains for such an act, given Batu's situation) but anything could have happened if Batu didn't stand down.

[@abukar1145]

@@TheJackmeisterMongolHistory The Rivalry between the grandchildren of Genghis is what doomed the Empire. With the system of succession the Mongols had. it was inevitable

[@abukar1145]

@@TheJackmeisterMongolHistory Hey Jackmeister, is there any reason the Mongols decided to invade Europe instead of finishing their conquest of China and the Middle East?

[@TheJackmeisterMongolHistory]

See, the main targets of the western campaign were actually the Qipchaqs, Bulghars and Rus', who had fought Jebe and Subedei during the 1223 Kalka campaign. But the Mongols had been fighting the Qipchaq even a few years prior when they housed fleeing Merkit refugees. There are statements from Chinggis along the lines of "we must complete the conquest of Qipchaq once the Jin have fallen," as the Qipchaq (as fellow nomads) were seen as a great potential danger to the Mongol Empire (especially if they united). Once the Jin Dynasty fell in 1234, planning began soon after for this Qipchaq campaign (which ultimately culminated in Europe).

[@beepboop204]

[@TheJackmeisterMongolHistory]

🙌

[@jacobvanderhoeven1008]

Really story made for a manga… wait.

[@abukharan5774]

4daalgorithm

[@MastaMan88]

I prayed to Genghis Kahn and he said this: “Have fun Aaron.” So I say: “MAH BAWLS!!!”

[@bonefetcherbrimley7740]

???

[@MastaMan88]

@@bonefetcherbrimley7740 Genghis Kahn like Caesar is a deified human... like Tolstoy, like Jesus, like Muhammed, Seneca, Napoleon, Alexander, Buddha, Epictetus, Socrates etc... They completed their purpose for the Creator god and ascended and are living beings. So if you effectively remove your selfish desires you can communicate with these people. It's about a woman warrior so I say "MAH BAWLS!!!" lolololol

[@user-cg2tw8pw7j]

​@@MastaMan88Genghis Khan is in hell with Satan, Satan himself

[@kira7468]

Mongolian caption 😢

[@WieldingEminator]

Funny how politics tends to ruin the lives of so many people, eh?

[@ACRealmz]

Naaahhh she coukdnt dnd lkke these no notvKhutulun

[@wololoooxd3288]

its funny how 90% of the characters name is turkic yet they are all called "mongolian" :D