Why Are Western and East Asian Media So Obsessed With Turning Our Queens Into Saboteurs and Schemers?
I need to get this off my chest because it's been bothering me for years, and the recent Jaadugar anime pushed me over the edge.
I watched the newly released 2 episodes just yesterday and kinda got hooked because it IS historically accurate on the surface. So i decided to check out the manga (spoilers ahead) and it was the most ahistorical nonsense ever. This series is getting praised for doing it's research on Mongol and Persian cultures and representing them accurately but it's literally the same "We extensively researched your history so we could paint you as the villian more accurately" just like the other mainstream depictions of Mongols.
The Pattern:
Every time a Mongol queen appears in foreign media, she's either:
A tragic victim forced into marriage
A secret saboteur who hates the empire
A scheming villainess
Or, the most insulting one, someone who secretly wants to bring down the empire from within
Let's look at the examples:
· Empress Ki (2014 K-drama): A Korean concubine who supposedly becomes a Mongol queen and... what? She's framed as sympathetic only when she's opposing the Mongol court. The actual Empress Ki (Öljei Khutugh) was a real Mongol queen, not some Korean national hero secretly undermining the empire. But apparently, we can't have a Mongol queen who's just... a Mongol queen.
· Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia (recent anime): This one is even worse. They literally take Töregene Khatun, who RULED THE EMPIRE FOR FIVE YEARS as regent then turns her into a secret saboteur who needs a Persian slave's help to "bring in the storm." The storm. What storm? She was the storm. She was a queen regent who deposed ministers, executed rivals, and controlled the succession. She didn't need a slave's wisdom, she was one of the most powerful women in Eurasia of that time period.
What These Stories Get Wrong CONSISTENTLY:
- Mongol Queens Weren't Victims
· Töregene ruled for 5 years as regent
· Sorghaghtani Beki managed territories so well she became incredibly wealthy and respected
· Mandukhai Khatun literally fought battles while pregnant to reunify the nation
· Khulan was Genghis Khan's second most important wife, head of her own court
These women didn't need to be "saved." They didn't need to be "empowered." They already had power.
- Mongol Marriages Were Political, Not Just Random "Snatching"
· Khans married for alliances, resources, and legitimacy. NOT because they "snatched" pretty women
· Royal marriages were strategic, not personal
· The "you killed my people and made me your queen" plot is historically nonsensical
Why would a khan elevate a mortal enemy to queen? He wouldn't. It's politically suicidal.
- Mongol Women Had MORE Rights Than "Civilized" Societies
· Could own property
· Could initiate divorce
· Could ride horseback and fight
· Could serve as regents and political decision-makers
· Could lead armies
Meanwhile, the so called "civilized" societies:
· Chinese women: foot-binding, no property rights
· Korean women: no inheritance, no remarriage
· Japanese women: legal minors, no political power
So why are we the ones being portrayed as barbaric oppressors?
- Sons Were a Queen's Lifeline
· Töregene's son Güyük became Great Khan BECAUSE of her political maneuvering
· Her power depended on the empire's stability
· Why would she destroy the system that guaranteed her children's future?
The manga literally can't mention her son without contradicting its entire premise.
Why Does This Keep Happening?
- It's the "Otherness"
The Mongols are foreign enough that creators can project whatever they want onto us. We're the convenient "barbarian" backdrop for their "empowering" revenge fantasies.
- It's Projection
Japanese and Korean creators use our history to safely critique their own patriarchal systems without offending their cultural ancestors. They can't write about their own "women fighting the system," so they use ours as a punching bag.
- It's Lazy Writing
It's easier to write "victim queen secretly hates empire" than "powerful queen masterfully navigates complex political system."
- It's Western Orientalism Recycled
The "Mongols are savage barbarians" stereotype is a Western invention and East Asian creators are happily recycling it.
- It's Double Standards
· Western arranged marriages = "Diplomacy, statecraft, duty"
· Mongol arranged marriages = "Barbaric snatching, the wives are victims"
The series that claim to "empower" women:
Take the most powerful women in Mongol history
Strip them of their agency
Turn them into victims or saboteurs
Make them sidekicks in their own stories
Erase their actual legacy
It's funny because the manga's depiction of Töregene is essentially: "I need a Persian slave to give me strength so we can 'bring in the storm and destroy the evil empire'
It's genuinely insulting.
What Can We Do?
- Don't Review Bomb
It backfires. Instead, write thoughtful, historically informed reviews that explain why these portrayals are wrong.
- Share the Real History
The more people know about actual Mongol queens, the harder it is to erase them.
- Call Out the Double Standard
When you see a European or East Asian queen portrayed as a powerful ruler, and a Mongol queen portrayed as a victim or schemer, point it out.
- Support Mongolian Creators
We need to tell our own stories. No one else will do it justice.
- Engage with Critical Reviews
When you see a good critique of these series, upvote it, share it, engage with it. Build the conversation.
Thoughts:
I'm tired of seeing our history turned into a backdrop for other people's fantasies.
These women didn't need to be "saved." They didn't need to be "empowered." They already had power. They already ruled. They already built.
Stop erasing our history. Stop projecting your own struggles onto us. Stop using us as your convenient "barbarian" backdrop.