Genghis Khan would marry off a daughter to the king of an allied nation. Then he would assign his new son in law to military duty in the Mongol wars, while his daughter took over the rule. Most sons in law died in combat, giving his daughters complete control of these nations

Genghis Khan, Feminist

The Secret History of the Mongol Queens: How the Daughters of Genghis Khan Rescued His Empire

Crown Publishers (2010)

Historian Jack Weatherford has conducted a single-handed rehabilitation of Genghis Khan. In an earlier book, he traced the conqueror’s impact on world history: one of the biggest and best-organized free-trade zones the world has ever seen; complete religious tolerance within the Mongol Empire; even the concept of diplomatic immunity comes from Genghis Khan.

In this new book, Weatherford argues that it was his daughters, not his sons, who made Genghis’s empire a success. And when the sons ruined the empire, it was a woman who re-created Mongolia in the late 15th century.

Temujin, the young man who became Gengh… Continue Reading (5 minute read)