A day in the life of a Mongolian queen Anne F. Broadbridge
As dawn breaks over a moveable city
of ten thousand yurts,
Queen Boraqchin is in
for a rude awakening.
A rogue sheep has slipped past her
servants and guards
and bolted into her yurt,
where he springs into bed
and bleats in her ear.
Although she’s the formidable khatun
of the Golden Horde,
a huge kingdom in the Mongolian Empire,
Boraqchin has a hands-on
approach to ruling.
She’s been married to Batu Khan,
the fearsome grandson
of Genghis Khan himself,
since she was fifteen –
and while her husband is out on his raids,
she juggles the duties of flocks,
family and empire at home.
This makes her the manager –
and the mover – of a city of thousands.
Twice a year, Boraqchin moves the city
between two seasonal camping grounds.
This ensures constant water
and lush grass in summer,
and protection from harsh winds in winter.
The whole operation requires
weeks of strict planning,
liaising with the other camps in her
domain, strategic delegation –
and the patience to move at the speed
of dawdling animals.
Today is moving day,
and she’ll have to direct throngs of her
ladies, commanders, slaves and animals
up the river Volga for the summer.
As Boraqchin steps outside,
she’s greeted by a commotion –
her unwanted visitor is now running
circles around her stewards.
They’re attempting to stow her possessions
securely into wagons.
Boraqchin orders them
to get it under control –
but she’s the only one quick
enough to catch the stray.
She next supervises her ladies who are
unpinning her yurt
and lifting it onto its custom wagon.
It requires a team of twenty oxen to pull,
and Boraqchin wouldn’t trust anyone
to steer it but herself.
Next, Boraqchin and her woolly companion
meet with the guards.
She orders them to keep close watch
on her husband’s special reception yurt
and port-able throne during the journey.
They’ll also act as outriders,
and she tells them how to secure the
route, surround her for safety –
and keep the animals in check.
But when the sheep finally breaks free
and makes for the fields,
the guards can barely keep up
as it scampers through crowds
packing up their yurts.
Exasperated, Boraqchin rides down
to the pastures herself.
When she gets there,
she catches sight of the troublesome sheep
wriggling into the middle of a flock.
When she follows him in,
he’s nestled next to a ewe, his mother.
She’s pregnant,
and seems to be in pain.
With a start, Boraqchin realizes
that this ewe’s impending delivery
has been forgotten in
the flurry of moving day.
There’s no time to find a shepherd –
instead, Boraqchin rolls up her sleeves,
greases her arm
and helps the ewe give birth to two new
additions to the empire.
Leaving the lambs and their mother,
Boraqchin dashes back to the camp.
Here the final touches have
been put to packing,
and vehicles are starting to line up.
This vast procession starts with the queen
and two hundred wagons
filled with her treasures.
Next up are the junior wives and crew,
then the concubines –
and this is only Boraqchin’s camp.
After this comes the second imperial camp
led by another senior wife,
then two more camps, also led by wives.
Boraqchin has been checking in
with them for weeks to ensure
a smooth departure and orderly queue.
But they only make up the
royal portion of the line –
behind them winds
the entire civilian city,
which includes holy men
with portable chapels and mosques,
families, tradesmen, and shepherds.
Finally, Boraqchin settles into her wagon.
It’ll take weeks to reach
their destination –
but over the course of the journey,
she’ll keep everyone expertly in check –
from her proud children
and attentive subjects,
to the most meandering sheep
at the back of line.