Asked by caleb

When Genghis Khan married his wife Borte, his in-laws gave him a beautiful sable coat as a wedding present. Why would Genghis Khan immediately give the coat away to the leader of a neighboring tribe?

He had no use for a coat of this type, given Mongolia's mild climate.

He did not want his wife to have the coat and he feared she might try to claim it.

He needed to form alliances with other tribes in order to help his family survive.

He owed money to the other tribe's leader, and the coat was valuable to enough to pay his debt.

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
He gave it away to form alliances with other tribes to help his family survive.

Explanation: In the steppe gift-economy, valuable gifts were used to create bonds and obligations. By giving the sable coat to a neighboring leader, Temüjin (Genghis Khan) secured political support and loyalty that were more valuable than keeping the coat.