Could the Mongols Have Conquered Europe? - DOCUMENTARY

could the Mongols have taken Europe the Mongols were certainly world-class conquerors in the 13th century they ruled the largest contiguous land Empire in history it s common place to hear that only the death of the great Khan prevented the Mongols from taking all of Europe the idea here being that the Mongols were on their way to conquering Europe but then they abandoned this project to rush back home and battle one another over who would be the next ruler of the Mongol Empire but could the Mongols really have subdued Latin Christian Europe or would Christian Europe have mounted an effective defense we know that the pope was calling for a crusade against the Mongols what a full-scale Mongol campaign Into the Heart of Europe have prompted this crusade to materialize what would have been the result today on real Crusades history let's examine the question what would have happened if the Mongols had tried to conquer Europe foreign [Music] filmmaker James Chambers ends his popular book The Devil's Horsemen with the following paragraph the campaigns of the Mongol armies were the last and the most destructive in the long line of nomad invasions from the step in just over 50 years they conquered half the known world and it was only their adherence to tribal traditions and the Rivalry of their princes that denied them the rest of it Western Europe and Islam were not saved outside the walls of krakov and on the field of anjalu they were saved before when the Mongol armies halted in their moment of Triumph if ogadai and manku had not died when they did the largest Empire that the world has ever known would have been bounded in the west not by the carpathians and the Euphrates but I the Atlantic Ocean James Chambers was not a trained historian he was a scriptwriter and worked in Film Production but his comments reflect popular feeling about the fascinating Mongol invasions in 1241 the Mongols led by Genghis Khan's grandson Batu and the great General subatai invaded Poland and Hungary one Mongol Army defeated the polls at the Battle of legnesa balbatu and subatai defeated the hungarians at the Battle of Mahi however these victories did not come easy the Mongols suffered High casualties subatai The Mastermind behind the victories of Genghis Khan himself was nearly defeated by the hungarians at Mahi after overcoming their enemies on the battlefield the Mongols then got bogged down in a series of costly unproductive sieges against Regional castles Guerrilla attacks by locals also created issues as the Mongols attempted to subdue the countryside so while the Mongols won on the battlefield and devastated unprotected Countryside they mostly failed to overcome the Fortified positions and never fully broke local resistance the following year 1242 the hmongols withdrew entirely from Hungary and Poland [Music] the reason for this striking withdrawal by the Mongols has long fascinated students of History why after winning so many spectacular victories did the Mongols just leave James Chambers in the opening quote Echoes the long popular explanation the death of the great Khan in December of 1241 ogadai Khan ruler of the Mongol Empire died while subatai and batu's European campaign was underway surely Batu grandson of Genghis Khan was eager to get back to the Mongol Heartland to stake his claim in the upcoming struggle for the throne historians aren't so sure about this the notion that ogadai's death prompted the withdrawal comes from a western chronicler Giovanni carpini who claimed that God had caused the Great Khan's death to spare Christendom from Mongol power an important chronicler from the Mongol Camp Rasheed Adin a high Minister and historian of the Mongol ilkane specifically states that Batu was unaware of ogadai's death when he abandoned Hungary Rasheed claims Batu left to put down a cumin rebellion and because he felt he'd accomplished his goals in Hungary in Poland between the two chroniclers Rasheed is likely the more credible source furthermore it may have been physically impossible for a Mongol Messenger to have reached Batu in time ogadai died in December of 1241 Batu withdrew in the first months of 1242 carpini himself stated that it took him five months to Journey from Mongolia to Kiev a much shorter Journey It seems impossible that a courier for Mongolia with knowledge of okidai's death could have reached Batu and subatai before they'd made the decision to abandon Hungary but even rasheed's explanation demands some scrutiny Victorious commanders who nevertheless failed to subdue a region are often given to claiming that they have completed their mission as they withdraw without achieving an actual Conquest surely we must take into account the difficult experience of the 1241 campaign the Mongols won several battles but endured High casualties and faced months of tough campaigning in rugged terrain dotted with stubborn castles indeed the Mongols were so near to defeat during the Battle of Mahi that Batu wanted to retreat and had to be reassured by General subatai also the Mongols may have been concerned about reinforcements arriving from the West one of batu's commanders baidar had to retreat before the advance of a western Army led by King Wenceslas of bohemia during the Polish campaign if we consider the first Mongol invasions of Poland and Hungary more comprehensively the decision to withdraw makes more sense we're left asking the question would it have even been possible for subatai and Batu to have advanced West despite their victories at Mahi and legnisa had their campaign essentially become bogged down you sometimes hear the claim that the Hungary Poland campaign was never intended to conquer territory it was simply a raiding Expedition this is possible but to test this explanation ask yourself the question what if the campaign had been easier what if the Mongols had encountered cowed surrendering populations rather than Fierce resistance what if they'd had local Lords lining up to submit themselves as Mongol vassals would Batu and subatai have refused insisting that they were only there to raid not conquer in medieval warfare invasions were multi-purpose Endeavors of course raiding was almost always a goal but an invasion was also a probing exercise if the opportunity to conquer presented itself a commander would generally take it famously the Arab conquest of Spain was supposedly only a large-scale raid at first but then the Arab Commander ended up defeating the visigothic king and the conquest of Spain suddenly became a reality we have to admit that if the Mongols had been able to conquer Hungary and Poland they likely would have done it historian Peter Jackson states there is no doubt that the Mongols envisaged further conquests this was the mission entrusted to them by heaven of course even considering all this we remain ignorant of Batu and subatai's mindset nor can we ever firmly answer the question as to why the Mongols withdrew in 1242 but it's important that we recognize the problems with a lot of the popular explanations and consider the possibility that the Mongols just couldn't effectively control the territory winning battles doesn't always win Wars [Music] so now let's indulge in a little speculative history let's imagine that Batu and subatai did manage to continue their invasion of the West they pressed deep into the heartland of Europe maybe even as far as France what happens do they win do they conquer Europe for the Mongol Empire to be realistic in our answer we need to consider the issues the Mongols faced in Hungary and Poland such issues would have only multiplied in Western Europe Hungary had broad grasslands more suited to Mongol Cavalry but the territory farther west was generally more rugged and forested in addition the farther west the Mongols March the more Stone castles they encounter situated on high well-defended positions as their supply lines lengthen the Mongols have increasing difficulty finding adequate plunder undefended areas are Open Season to the Swift Mongol Horsemen but Stone castles allow local forces to mount resistance and protect Provisions in peasants Logistics are the most crucial limiting factor in a full-on Mongol invasion of Europe the Mongols rely on large forces of horse archers and need abundant grasslands to provide adequate grazing the paucity of grasslands west of Hungary imposes enormous hardship on our invading Mongol Army the lack of paved roads shatters supply lines and prohibits the transportation of Siege equipment over great distances supplying the Army by plunder is greatly restricted for Europe unlike China is dotted with many strong powerful Stone castles some of which are so positioned that they in fact cannot be reduced by Siege equipment we know for a fact that the Mongols suffered from starvation during the second Mongol invasion of Hungary in 1285-1286 precisely because by that point Hungary had built far more Stone fortifications than had existed at the time of the first Mongol invasion this problem is only compounded for our Mongol Army attempting to invade the heart of Europe [Music] Also let's consider the reaction from the European rulers themselves in historical fact Pope Gregor IX proclaimed a crusade against the Mongols in July 1241 when the Mongols were at the height of their Triumph and raiding the outskirts of Austria at the time the implementation of the Crusade was hindered because the pope and the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II were fighting each other however if the Mongols actually drove into the heart of the Holy Roman Empire and even threatened France we can imagine that even the ruthless Frederick II would have paused his squabbles with the Pope to join a common cause to protect his own territory foreign but there are two other rulers in Christendom that should grab far more of our attention [Music] in the early 1240s the kingdom of France was by far the wealthiest and most powerful domain in Latin Christendom it was also ruled by a remarkable King Louis IX a devout Christian deeply committed to crusading Louis was known for his respect for the rights of his fellow monarchs and his dedication to Justice such was his reputation that rulers throughout Christendom called on him to settle disputes given what we know about Louis it's quite possible that he would have become the rallying point for a crusade against an invading Mongol Army also we should look at another king Fernando III of Leon Castile Louie's cousin who shared a similar attitude about the Crusades and a Devotion to the defense of Christendom as the most powerful ruler in Spain Fernando spent most of his Reign crusading against the Moors of alandalus but given a Mongol invasion of France we can imagine Fernando answering the call and joining with his cousin to defend Christendom both Louis and Fernando ruled domains far wealthier than either Hungary or Poland at the time and both could call on larger better equipped armies both were also well respected throughout Europe for their impartiality and adherence to the ideals of Christian kingship given a crisis as large as a full-on Mongol invasion of the West it's reasonable to imagine Louis and Fernando becoming the focal leaders of a large Crusader Army which would attract contingents from throughout Europe it's interesting that these two monarchs were ruling at a time when a Mongol invasion of Western Europe was most likely Louis and Fernando would have been the ideal men to rise to such an occasion given the home advantage of Louis and Fernando's Crusader Force we can imagine the Army assembling around them to be a serious hindrance to the Mongols we've already outlined the problems the Mongol invasion force would have likely faced with a well-equipped crusader Army in operation there's a good chance that a general as wise as subatai orders a withdrawal recall the withdrawal of Bidar before the advance of Wenceslas of bohemia in Poland the Mongols could travel far faster than a European Army so it's likely that the Mongols never encounter Louis and Fernando's Crusade there's a good chance subatai and Batu do major damage raiding undefended areas as they Retreat nevertheless Europe is successfully defended the Mongols repelled in the event that the Mongols actually meet Louis and Fernando in battle just about anything can happen both a Christian and a Mongol Victory are possible but the Mongols are already weakened by the difficulties discussed earlier while the Crusaders are likely well Supply and well positioned as we've already discussed it's unlikely that a Mongol Army even gets this far or chooses to go this far but if we're going to consider the possibility we have to accept that we're looking at a Mongol Army that is hungry and poorly supplied going against a western Army that is well fed and well supplied this Western Army is better armed and better equipped than those faced by the Mongols at Mahi and lagnisa likely the Christian host contains substantial crossbow contingents which can be used to counter Mongol horse archers in addition the Mongols are now facing far more well-armored Knights than they dealt with in Hungary or Poland we very well could be looking at a decisive Coalition European victory ultimately this last portion of the video is just speculation but it does help us deal with some of the issues surrounding the idea of a Mongol conquest of Europe the earlier part of this video is more useful analyzing the course of the actual Mongol campaigns in Europe the first invasions of Hungary and Poland when we examine these campaigns honestly it makes more sense as to why the Mongols never conquered Europe the reality is that these campaigns for all their Battlefield successes show that such a conquest was probably impossible thanks for watching if you'd like more details on the Mongol invasion of Hungary check out the video linked on your screen click on this video to learn about the incredible clash between subatai and King Bella IV of Hungary at the Battle of Mahi in 1241 also please subscribe to this Channel and check us out on patreon Linked In the description below [Music] [Applause] given the choice

Channel: Real Crusades History

Views: 42,467

Keywords: crusades, mongols, mongol invasions, mongol invasion of europe, mongol invasion of hungary, crusades documentary, subutai, subutai documentary, batu, batu documentary, odegei khan, bela iv of hungary, king of hungary, kingdom of hungary, kingdom of poland, knights templar, templars, mongols documentary, mongol battle, louis ix of france, saint louis ix of france, fernando iii of castile, kingdom of france, kingdom of castile, battle of mohi, battle of legnica, pope gregory ix

Id: id2OgnzTzho

Length: 15min 54sec (954 seconds)

Published: Thu Oct 27 2022