"Now know in all truth that King Qaidu had a daughter called Ai-yaruq (Aigiaruc) in Tartar, which means "shining moon" in French. This maiden (dameselle) was so strong that in all the kingdom there was no young man or squire (damesaus, ne valet) who could defeat her, but I tell you that she defeated all of them. Her father the king wanted to marry her and give her to a baron, but she didn't want that."
"Marco Polo's description of the Mongolian princess Qutulun is among the most famous parts of his work. In his account, Qutulun, daughter of Qaidu Khan (r.1271-1301) is an undefeated wrestler, who faces many challengers for her hand in marriage. She defeats them all, and collects a vast herd of horses as spoils. At the same time, Polo also presents her as a great warrior, accompanying her father on a multitude of campaigns, riding amongst enemy lines and returning with captives."
"While it is popular in some circles to dismiss Polo's work as entirely fiction, making his "Ai-yaruq" (Turkic for "moonlight") a highly exaggerated, if not totally fictional account, scholars like Igor de Rachewiltz, Hans Ulrich Vogel, Stephen Haw and many more have thoroughly demonstrated Polo's authenticity and reliability of his reports. Regarding Qutulun, Polo is in fact the earliest writer to comment on her, and in broad strokes his account is confirmed by independent writers in the Mongol Ilkhanate like Rashid al-Din and al-Qashani."
Qutulun (Ai-yaruq, "moonlight") was the daughter of Qaidu Khan and an undefeated wrestler who defeated every challenger and amassed large herds of horses as spoils. She refused arranged marriage, declaring she would only marry a man who could defeat her in combat, and retained the right to choose her husband. Qutulun accompanied her father on numerous military campaigns, rode within enemy lines, and returned with captives. Core elements of her story have been validated by modern historians and are corroborated by independent Ilkhanate chroniclers such as Rashid al-Din and al-Qashani. Her life combines martial skill, political agency, and dynastic loyalty.
Read at Medievalists.net
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