Hoelun

Born into the Olkhonud clan of the Onggirat tribe, Hö'elün was married to a Merkit aristocrat named Chiledu until Yesügei, a Mongol leader, abducted her shortly after the wedding to make her his primary wife. She bore him four sons and a daughter: Temüjin, Qasar, Hachiun, Temüge, and Temülen. After Yesügei was fatally poisoned, the Mongols abandoned the family, and Hö'elün shepherded all five children through poverty to adulthood - historians have noted her resilience and organisational skill. She continued to play a central role after Temüjin married Börte: the two women managed his camp and advised him. In 1187, following a damaging defeat, she married Münglig, an old retainer of Yesügei, in thanks for his loyalty, and spent the next decades arranging marriages and maintaining alliances. After Temüjin was enthroned as Genghis Khan in 1206, she likely felt under-rewarded compared to her husband, and became heavily involved in disputes between Genghis, his brothers, and Münglig's sons. She died soon after, possibly from the stress of mediating, on an unknown date.