Dei Sechen

Dei Sechen
Chief of the Khonggirad
Tenure	12th–13th Centuries
Successor	Anchen
Full name	Dei Sechen Bosqur
Born	Khamag Mongol Khanate (Present Mongolia)
Died	Mongolia
Family	Bosqur Clan
Wife	Čotan
Children	Anchen Qogu Börte
Religion	Tengrism

Dei Sechen (Mongolian : ᠳᠡᠢ ᠰᠡᠴᠡᠨ, romanized: Dei Sečen, Chinese :特薛禪; pinyin :Tè Xuēchán) was the chief of Mongol Khonggirat tribe's Bosqur clan (Chinese :孛思忽兒; pinyin :Bèisīhūer) in 12th–13th centuries. His daughter Börte was the first and principal wife of Genghis Khan.

According to The Secret History of the Mongols Temujin was betrothed to Börte when he was 9 years old by Yesugei and Dei, when Yesugei was looking for a bride for his son. ^[1] Yesugei put his son in care of Dei Sechen and returned to his tribe, only to be poisoned on the road during a lunch by Tatars. However, according to Rashid al-Din, Dei Sechen wasn't happy with betrothal, it was his son Anchen (按陳) who facilitated the process. ^[2] Japanese researcher Mako Fujii argued that Dei Sechen was involved in Yesugei's death. ^[3]

Later, when Temujin grew up, he still married his betrothed Börte. Part of her dowry was a luxurious black marten, which Temujin later presented to Toghrul, thus enlisting the support of the Keraites.

Descendants

He had a spouse named Chotan who bore his sons Anchen and Qogu and his daughter Börte. His descendants married into ruling Borjigin family, producing imperial son-in-laws and empresses. ^[4]

References

1. Rachewiltz, Igor de, "The Secret History of the Mongols: A Mongolian Epic Chronicle of the Thirteenth Century" (2015). p. 12-14
2. Zhao, George Qingzhi (2008). Marriage as Political Strategy and Cultural Expression: Mongolian Royal Marriages from World Empire to Yuan Dynasty. Peter Lang. p. 100. ISBN   978-1-4331-0275-2.
3. 藤井, 真湖 (2021-03-14). 『元朝秘史』におけるデイ・セチェン : デイ・セチェンがイェスゲイ・バアトルの死に関与していたという仮説に基づいて [Dei sečen in the Secret History of the Mongols: On a Hypothesis that Dei sečen was involved in Yisügei Ba'atur’s death] (Thesis) (in Japanese). Aichi Shukutoku University.
4. Landa, Ishayahu (2020-01-02). ""Loyal and Martial" until the End: The Qonggirad Princes of Lu 鲁 in Yuan Political Architecture" . Monumenta Serica. 68 (1): 137–167. doi:10.1080/02549948.2020.1748299. ISSN   0254-9948.