Genghis Khan used "daughter diplomacy" as a powerful political strategy by marrying his daughters to the rulers of allied or buffer nations under strict, advantageous conditions.... Genghis Khan did not only build his empire with armies. He built part of its defenses with his daughters. As the Mongol Empire expanded in the early 13th century, Genghis Khan married several daughters into strategically important neighboring peoples. These were not merely ceremonial marriages. The alliances helped secure territories surrounding the growing Mongol realm. And the women could wield extraordinary power. When a daughter married an allied ruler, her husband became part of Genghis Khan's political and military network and could be required to join Mongol campaigns. While men went to war, imperial daughters could exercise authority over the territories and populations connected to their marriages. Some husbands never came home. Alakhai Beki, one of Genghis Khan's daughters, was married into the Onggud, whose territory guarded a crucial approach to Mongolia. After upheaval killed her husband and other members of the ruling family, she emerged as a powerful political figure and helped govern the region. Another daughter, Checheyigen, married into the Oirat and became influential among a people whose lands helped secure the empire's northwest. These women were positioned along the expanding empire's frontiers, creating a network of loyal territories around the Mongol heartland. Marriage was diplomacy. Military service bound their husbands to Genghis Khan. And his daughters could become the political authority left behind. Later histories devoted far more attention to Genghis Khan's sons and grandsons. But his daughters were not simply women exchanged to secure alliances. Some were governors, power brokers and guardians of the empire's borders. Genghis Khan conquered outward with his armies. His daughters helped hold what surrounded him. #archaeohistories