The Mongol Empire had a quality that was not characteristic of the other empires built by nomadic khans: it continued to expand after the death of its charismatic founder (Chinggis Khan) and almost doubled its territorial possessions under the rule of his successors. But, one attribute it did share with the other nomadic empires was the problem of securing a peaceful succession to the throne. The elective nature of the Mongol succession often created periods of interregnum between the death of a ruler and the reunion of the assembly of notables (quriltai) in charge of designating the new ruler. This became more problematic as the empire expanded, since bringing together all the royal family members scattered across Eurasia in order to elect a new ruler took a long time and opened up periods of power vacuum that created instability in the empire. The first occasion on which a regent was needed in the Mongol Empire occurred immediately after the death of Chinggis Khan in 1227. Although, according to the sources, the heir to the throne – Ögetei Khan (d. 1241) – had been designated beforehand by the Great Khan, the Mongol succession tradition made it necessary to wait for two years until all the relevant members of the royal family had reunited and elected – or rather confirmed – the new ruler. Some sources have speculated that Chinggis Khan's wife Börte was the regent in this period; however, it seems clear that Börte died before her husband. A biennium without a ruler would have been a dangerous political move for an empire in expansion. Tolui (the youngest son of Chinggis Khan) was therefore named regent until his brother was confirmed on the throne in 1229, a move that followed a questionable tradition of ultimogeniture among the Mongols. As we discover, in particular moments in the history of the Mongol Empire, these power vacuums created by the Mongols’ elective system would often be filled by women.

Although, as we have seen in Chapter 1, women did wield influence in Mongolia before the rise of Chinggis Khan, it was necessary to wait more than a decade after Ögetei's accession in 1229 to see the first woman take charge of the empire's affairs and be recognised as an empress of the realm.