Ogedei was the third son of Chingis Khan and Borte Ujin. He participated in the turbulent events of his father's rise. When Ogedei was 17 years old, Ghingis Khan experienced the disastrous defeat of Khalakhaljid Sands against the army of Jamukha. Ogedei was heavily wounded and lost on the battlefield. His father's adopted brother and companion Borokhula rescued him. Although he was already married, in 1204 his father gave him Töregene, the wife of a defeated Merkit chief. The addition of such a wife was not uncommon in steppe culture.