Fatima (d. 1246)
Fatima (Persian: فاطمه خاتون, Persian pronunciation: [fɑteˈme xɑˈt̂ʰun], d. 1246) was an influential figure in the Mongol Empire as a favourite of Töregene Khatun, regent of the empire from 1241 to 1246.[1]
Biography
Fatima originated from the city of Tus, in modern-day Iran, close to the city of Meshed, and was a Shia Muslim[2] of Persian descent.[3] During the Mongol invasion of the Khwarazmian Empire she was enslaved and brought via the slave trade in the Mongol Empire to the Mongol capital Kharakorum.[4][5]
At an unknown date she was either given as a slave or otherwise came in contact with Töregene Khatun, who was the daughter-in-law of Genghis Khan through her marriage to Ögedei Khan. According to the Persian historian and Mongol official Ata-Malik Juvayni, who was a contemporary of hers, Fatima was "a procuress at the market"[4] who eventually became a member of Töregene's ordu.
In 1241, after the death of Ögedei Khan, power passed to the hands of one of his widows, Möge Khatun (who had previously also been one of Genghis Khan's wives). However, in the spring of 1242, Töregene Khatun assumed complete power as regent with the support of her sons and Chagatai. She took on the title of Great Khatun and replaced Ögödei's ministers with her own. One of the replacements was Fatima,[3] who became her most influential cabinet member.[1] For example, through Fatima's influence Abd-ur-Rahman, a Muslim tax farmer, was put in charge of general administration in North China.[2] Although having a woman in a ministerial post was unusual for the 13th century, Fatima attained a very powerful position at the Mongol court.
In 1246, Töregene's son Güyük Khan came to power, and Töregene resigned from the regency. Despite Töregene's role in ensuring Güyük's election as Khagan, the two had a poor relationship. According to the Persian chronicler Juvayni, Güyük's brother Koden accused Fatima of using witchcraft to damage his health.[1][6] When Koden supposedly died a few months later, Güyük insisted that his mother hand Fatima over for execution. Töregene refused and threatened that she would commit suicide to spite Güyük. In reality, Koden died after Güyük's reign.[7]
Despite this, Güyük's men seized Fatima, tortured her, and executed her by sewing up all of her orifices and dumping her into water; Töregene's supporters in the imperial household were simultaneously purged. Within 18 months of Fatima's death, Töregene herself died under still unexplained circumstances.[1][3]
In popular culture
- Fatima appears as a minor character in the Italian-French film Marco Polo (1962) and in the Chinese television series The Legend of Kublai Khan (2013).
- A fictionalized version of Fatima features as the protagonist in the 2021 manga series A Witch's Life in Mongol by Tomato Soup, which was adapted into an anime television series in 2026.[8]
References
- 1 2 3 4 May, Timothy (2016). The Mongol Empire: A Historical Encyclopedia. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 979-8-216-11905-0.
- 1 2 Atwood 2004, p. 544.
- 1 2 3 Weatherford, Jack (2005). Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World. Crown. ISBN 978-0-307-23781-1.
- 1 2 Zhao, George Qingzhi (2008). Marriage as Political Strategy and Cultural Expression: Mongolian Royal Marriages from World Empire to Yuan Dynasty. Peter Lang. ISBN 978-1-4331-0275-2.
- ↑ Atwood 2004, p. 544; May 2018, p. 124.
- ↑ Weatherford, Jack (2011). The Secret History of the Mongol Queens: How the Daughters of Genghis Khan Rescued His Empire. Crown. ISBN 978-0-307-40716-0.
- ↑ Dunnell 2024, p. 73.
- ↑ Chapman, Paul (25 March 2026). "Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia Anime Reveals Main Cast in New Trailer". Crunchy Roll News.
Sources
- Atwood, Christopher P. (2004). Encyclopedia of Mongolia and the Mongol Empire. New York: Facts on File. ISBN 978-0-8160-4671-3. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
- Broadbridge, Anne F. (2018). Women and the Making of the Mongol Empire. Cambridge Studies in Islamic Civilization. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-1086-3662-9.
- Man, John (2006). Kublai Khan: From Xanadu to Superpower. London: Bantam Books. ISBN 978-0-5538-1718-8.
- May, Timothy (2016). "Commercial Queens: Mongolian Khatuns and the Silk Road". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society. 26 (1–2): 89–106. doi:10.1017/S1356186315000590.
- May, Timothy (2018). "The Mongols outside Mongolia". The Mongol Empire. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. pp. 44–75. doi:10.3366/j.ctv1kz4g68 (inactive 12 July 2025). ISBN 978-0-7486-4237-3. JSTOR 10.3366/j.ctv1kz4g68.11.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of July 2025 (link) - Dunnell, Ruth (2024). "Chapter 1: The Rise of Chinggis Khan and the United Empire, 1206–1260". In Biran, Michal; Hodong, Kim (eds.). The Cambridge History of the Mongol Empire. Cambridge University Press. pp. 19–106. doi:10.1017/9781316337424.002. ISBN 9781316337424.