Tolui was the son of Genghis Khan who fathered Kublai Khan. Tolui was Genghis Khan’s youngest son by Börte, his principal wife, and became an important commander during the Mongol conquests. After Genghis Khan died in 1227, Tolui served as regent while the Mongol elite arranged the succession.
Tolui did not become the empire’s next Great Khan. The throne went to his older brother Ögedei in 1229, partly because Ögedei was viewed as a conciliator and administrator. Tolui nevertheless remained central to Mongol history through his family. His wife, Sorghaghtani Beki, was an exceptionally capable political figure who helped educate and position their sons.
Their children included Möngke, Kublai, Hülegü, and Ariq Böke. Möngke became Great Khan in 1251, while Kublai later defeated Ariq Böke in a succession war and founded the Yuan dynasty in China in 1271. Thus, Tolui’s branch dominated the later imperial succession even though Tolui himself never ruled as Great Khan.