Sorghaghtani Beki maneuvers her sons to power

1251

The Nestorian Christian princess and widow of Tolui, widely regarded as the most capable politician in the Mongol Empire, engineered the election of her son Mongke as Great Khan. Her statecraft ensured that Tolui's line, not Ogedei's, would dominate the empire, and that her other sons Kublai and Hulagu would conquer China and Persia.