Börte was Genghis Khan’s chief wife and the first empress of the Mongol Empire. Born into the Onggirat people, she was betrothed to Temüjin in childhood and married him at about seventeen, long before he united the Mongol tribes and adopted the title Genghis Khan.
Börte’s early life included a major crisis: she was kidnapped by the Merkit, and Temüjin organized her rescue. Their reunion became an important episode in the formation of his power. She later headed his first imperial court and was recognized as Grand Empress after the establishment of the empire in 1206.
Börte was more than a ceremonial consort. She managed territory and court affairs while Genghis campaigned, and historical tradition presents her advice as influential in political decisions. She bore four sons—Jochi, Chagatai, Ögedei, and Tolui—whose lines shaped the empire’s successor khanates. The other options were important Mongol women, but not Genghis Khan’s first and senior wife.