Khutulun was the great-great-granddaughter of Genghis Khan. She earned her title of wrestler princess when she declared that she will only marry her suitor if they bested her in wrestling. In the event that she won, they must give her a horse. And so it is said, that she, in the course of her lifetime, owned 10,000 horses.
Born around 1260 and raised with her 14 brothers, Khutulun excelled at horse riding, archery and wrestling, with the latter arguably the source of her reputation.
Khutulun was a feared fighter, who battled alongside her father against Kublai Khan, protecting the nomadic Mongol lifestyle of his Chagatai Khanate against the Chinese ways adopted by Kublai’s court.
Netflix's Marco Polo also featured Khutulun as her life warranted enough interest for the Italian explorer to mention her in his records. Learn more about Khutulun from SCMP and Rejected Princesses.
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