Kublai Khan

His first marriage was to Tegulen, but she died very early. He then married Chabi Khatun of the Khunggirat who went on to become his most favorite empress.

Chabi died in 1281 and Kublai married Chabi’s younger cousin, Nambui.

He had several children including Dorji who was made the director of the Secretariat and head of the Bureau of Military Affairs in 1263. Another one of his children was Zhenjin whose son Temur Khan succeeded Kublai. Some of his other children were Nomukhan, Khungjil, Aychi, Saqulghachi, Qughchu, and Toghan.

He was born on 23 September, 1215. He was the son of Tolui and Sorghaghtani Beki,. His grandfather was the great Genghis Khan, the founder and emperor of the Mongol Empire. At the behest of Genghis Khan, Kublai’s mother chose a Buddhist Tangut woman as her son’s nurse.

During his early years he was strongly attracted to contemporary Chinese culture and invited Haiyun, the leading Buddhist monk in North China to Mongolia to teach him the philosophy of Buddhism.

After the Mongol-Jin War in 1236 Kublai received an estate of his own, which included 10,000 households. Because of his inexperience, he let the local officials have their way which resulted in widespread corruption. He immediately implemented reforms to set the affairs of the state right.

His elder brother Mongke became the Great Khan of the Mongol Empire in 1251 and Kublai was given control over Chinese territories in the eastern part of the empire. He organized a group of Chinese advisers to introduce reforms in his territories.

He was also entrusted with the responsibility of unifying China under the Mongol empire. Mongke put him in command of the Eastern Army in 1258 and asked him to assist with an attack on Sichuan. However, Mongke was killed while leading an expedition into Western China in 1259 and Kublai was elected as Mongke’s successor in 1260.

His younger brother Ariq Boke raised troops to fight Kublai for the throne and the warfare between the brothers resulted in the destruction of the Mongolian capital at Karakorum. A bitter war continued between the two for years before Ariq Boke finally surrendered to Kublai in 1264.

Under Kublai Khan’s administration, the government was re-organized and a new capital city was constructed at present-day Peking, China, in 1267. The initial years of his rule were marked by political instability and threats from invaders though he stabilized his empire within a few years.

Kublai Khan founded the Great Yuan Great Mongol State also known as the Mongol or Yuan dynasty, which he officially proclaimed in the traditional Chinese style in 1271. It was the first foreign dynasty to rule all of China and the Yuan rule stretched throughout most of Asia and Eastern Europe.