ABSTRACT
Consort houses in the Mongol Empire were families with whom the Chinggisids intermarried over several generations. Typically a house was composed of multiple lineages, which ranged in status depending on the prominence of their female or male ancestors. Certain consort families dominated elite marriage politics across the Empire. The exchange system demonstrated an important loophole in the Mongols’ strict preference for exogamous marriage. Patterns of exchange marriage in the empire began with the nine children of Chinggis Khan and Borte, the senior royals: Princess Qojin; princes Jochi, Chaghadai and Ogodei; princesses Chechiyegen, Alaqa and Temulun; Prince Tolui and Princess Al Altan. The senior consort houses appear most frequently in the historical sources.
