Tolui

Tolui (c. 1191 to 1232) was the youngest son of Genghis Khan and his wife Borte, and one of the most capable commanders of the early Mongol conquests. He served under his father in the first invasion of Jin China between 1211 and 1215 and in the war against the Khwarazmian Empire, after which he was sent to subdue Khorasan, where his armies took Merv, Nishapur and Herat with great severity. Under the Mongol custom of ultimogeniture he was a leading candidate to succeed Genghis, but the succession passed to his brother Ogedei. Tolui acted as regent of the Mongol Empire for about two years after his father died in 1227, until Ogedei was enthroned in 1229. He died in late 1232 in unclear circumstances; the official account says he died in a shamanic ritual meant to save Ogedei, while other accounts point to drink or poison. His wife Sorghaghtani Beki secured the rise of their sons Mongke and Kublai, later khans, and Hulagu, who founded the Ilkhanate.