The Mongol Invasions of the West, 1240-1288 - full documentary

over the course of the 13th century the Mongols conquered the largest contiguous land Empire in world history this astounding world power emerged from the unification of the seven Mongol tribes under the leadership of Genghis Khan whose very name has become synonymous with Conquest proclaimed ruler of all the Mongols in 1206 Genghis and his descendants dispatched invading armies in all directions and by the end of the great Khan's life his Empire included much of China and Central Asia Mongol forces also drove into Western Asia and Europe they subdued much of the Arab world destroying Baghdad in 1258 Latin Christendom would face the full force of the Mongol Empire when they assailed Hungary and Poland on the battlefields of leilitza and mohi the hungarians poles croatians and their allies including the Knights Templar would face the virtually unbeatable military machine of the Mongols finally in 1216 the mum looks the champions of Islam stood virtually alone in their defense of the Muslim World against the Mongol threat today on real Crusades history we'll dive into the Mongol invasions of the West join us foreign [Music] saw a multi-pronged Mongol invasion of Europe with Poland and Hungary both targeted simultaneously Batu senior grandson of Genghis Khan and the great General tsubotai marched on Hungary meanwhile an army led by baidar and Order attacked Poland in February 1241 baidar boned Lublin crossed the Frozen Vistula River then attacked and sacked sandor miesh plundering the local cistercian Monastery meanwhile baidar's Invasion would be opposed by Duke Henry the pious and his Coalition of Polish and Moravian Horsemen as well as a few Templar knights The climactic Showdown came at the Battle of legnitza one of the most pivotal clashes in the history of the Mongol invasions the polls were taken completely off guard however baidar and orda were limited by the strategy of subatai and Batu who were focused primarily on Hungary baidar and orda Were Meant to prevent a Polish Army from aiding the hungarians although the two Mongol hosts were operating on different fronts baidar and orda kept in close contact with subotai and Batu so that the whole Mongol operation could be coordinated as always the Mongol messenger system was outstanding couriers rushed between Poland and Hungary at rapid speeds so that tsubutai always knew what was happening in Poland to spread chaos baidar and orda broke their forces into smaller raiding parties this was risky as their army was already fairly small and might be overwhelmed by Dar himself led the Vanguard and Drew toward the Polish capital of krakov burning pillaging and terrorizing the countryside baidar came within several miles of krakov most of the citizens fled Legend has it as the evacuation was taking place a single Trumpeter stood on a tower sounding the alarm until he was killed by an arrow from a Mongol Archer foreign by the time the Mongols arrived the city was deserted the inhabitants all hiding in the woods on March 24th baidar burned krakov to the ground to this day the alarm of the trumpeter of krakov is still commemorated by the City's Fire Department a Trumpeter sounds the call from the four corners of the cathedral Tower though the call is never finished ending abruptly at the exact moment when the lookout was struck in the throat by a Mongol Archer baidar and orda arranged to meet again at Breslau once baidar arrived at the town he found that it had already been abandoned its citizens taking Refuge within the Fortified Castle before orda arrived baidar decided to lay Siege to the castle of Breslau however he received reports from his Scouts that a Polish Army under Duke Henry the Pius of Silesia had assembled at lagnitza some 40 miles away meanwhile King Wenceslas of bohemia was traveling with his army to join Henry baidar vowed to prevent this Rendezvous between the two Christian forces abandoning The Siege by Dara sent word to order that he must join him at once at lagnitza before King Wenceslas arrived the Army assembled hastily by Henry at legnitza was not large perhaps numbering seven or eight thousand its infantry consisted of mostly untrained and unarmored Farmers many of them brandishing little more than their agricultural tools a Moravian contingent was present under the sun of the margrave of Moravia a tiny contingent of French Knights Templar was also present well-armed but numbering only around 70 men aside from these Duke Henry himself led a force of experienced well-armored silesian Knights as well as some capable Mercenaries but overall the bulk of the Christian Army was composed of ill-equipped inexperienced levees with only a small force of capable cavalry [Music] the situation was Dire indeed orda joined baidar and together they approached legnitza their Cavalry numbering between six and seven thousand was slightly smaller than the Western Force but its quality was far more consistent on April 9 12 41 Duke Henry Advanced from the city to meet the Mongols [Music] unfortunately he was unaware that King Wenceslas was on the way with his army on the plane outside of the city the Duke Drew up his army in four divisions in the center Henry placed his own silesians the Templars and the moravians initially the Mongol Vanguard Advanced and Henry dispatched his own silesian Cavalry to meet it the Mongols launched a reign of arrows which drove the silegions back Henry dispatched the horsemen from great Poland to reinforce the silesians the Mongols now retreated Henry next Advanced with his own Horsemen and the Templars ready to deliver a decisive charge however Mongol reserves now Advanced on either flank the Mongols seized the advantage and bombarded the Christian knights with arrows this caused Henry's Cavalry to lose cohesion at this crucial moment the Mongols launched smoke bombs behind the rear of the western Cavalry which separated the knights from their Infantry has created maximum confusion the Mongols moved in for the kill with heavy Lancers there was intense fighting but the Christian Knights were defeated picked off as they struggled against the whirling Mongol cavalry once this was accomplished the Mongols rode down the inexperienced poorly armed Western infantry who were slaughtered mercilessly the Battle of legnitza was over the Mongols had achieved victory losses for the polls and their allies were heavy gruesomely the Mongols counted their dead opponents by cutting an ear from each Fallen man Gathering them up into nine large sacks and sending them to Batu and subatai the Templar Grand Master records his orders losses from the battle nine brothers three Knights two sergeants and 500 men at Arms these 500 men at Arms surely being local peasants who'd been enlisted as Infantry Duke Henry tried to flee with three bodyguards the Mongols pursued him shooting down the Duke's attendance one by one capturing Henry himself the Mongols cut off his head and in a horrific display hoisted their head upon the end of a lance to be paraded before the Citadel of legnitza this terrified the citizens who had taken Refuge within the walls of the Fortress after the Invaders had Departed the Duke's Widow searched the field for his body when she found the Headless corpse it was so mutilated and mangled that she could only recognize it by the extra toe on his left foot when news of the Polish defeat at legnitza reached him King Wenceslas Drew back to gather reinforcements from thuringia and Saxony at quadsko the Mongol Vanguard encountered him augmented with additional forces wenceslas's Army was powerful enough to press the enemy and the Christian Cavalry managed to drive back the Mongols the Mongol Vanguard retreated baidar and orda had suffered heavy casualties during the Battle of legnitza and understood that they didn't have the forces to overcome King wences nurse breaking up into smaller contingents they raided Moravia then withdrew to Hungary where they were due to join the main Mongol Army under subutai and Batu the Battle of legnitza had been a clear victory for the Mongols and yet it was a costly one the casualties suffered by the Mongols limited their ability to maintain the campaign especially with the army of King Wenceslas still intact nevertheless the invasion so devastated the silegian and Moravian towns that many regions were left nearly deserted local rulers brought peasants in from Germany to restore the shattered populations the numerous forests and marshes of the land had been a godsend here many peasants hid from the attackers and survived [Music] the Mongol invasion of Poland had accomplished its goals subutai had charged by Dar and his colleagues with preventing the polls from carrying Aid to Hungary by defeating Duke Henry of Silesia at the Battle of legnitza baidar had achieved just that however as in Hungary Mongol losses in Poland had been considerable and it was a tough hard-fought campaign for the polls The Invasion had been nearly apocalyptic in character the Mongols had spread destruction and death everywhere they'd ridden leaving their victims to wander at God's anger against them [Music] the Battle of legnitza endured in legend for centuries it has long been believed that hospitals and Teutonic Knights were present at the Battle although historian Peter Jackson insists that Templars were the only participating military order William Urban recounts the long popular legend that the Prussian Master of the Teutonic Knights met his death at legnitza under a Hale of tartar arrows though Urban concludes that this has repeatedly been demonstrated to be false in 1241 Hungary led by King Bella IV faced one of the most devastating attacks of the Medieval Era the attack was orchestrated by the Mongol military genius subatai as well as Batu grandson of Genghis Khan and one day founder of the golden horde by now the Mongols were considered virtually Unstoppable conquerors sweeping aside armies from east to west on the battlefield of Mahi King Bella would be joined by a few staunch allies the croatians under Duke kulamon and a band of Templar knights as well as the warrior Archbishop ugrin subitai's plan of attack was brilliant and King Bella seemed to fall right into it but would the Mongols truly emerge Victorious what were the real results of the battle of Mahi today on real Crusades history we'll look at the harrowing first Mongol invasion of Hungary and the epic battle of mahi the Mongol invasion Force under the leadership of the general subatai and Genghis Khan's senior grandson Batu attacked and burned Moscow in 1238 and then the city of Vladimir here they killed the entire population the family of the Grand Duke took refuge in the cathedral but the Mongols burned it over their heads a month later the Grand Duke met them in battle at the Sita river near yaroslavi where he was defeated and killed Terror of the Mongols now spread westward in 1239 the prince of the humans asked King Bella IV of Hungary for permission to settle with his people in the Hungarian Kingdom Bella agreed and the humans on their arrival in Hungary converted to Latin Christianity the Mongols who had been targeting the humans considered this a provocation they dispatched word to King Bella that they now numbered him an enemy and a legitimate Target for subjugation in 1240 the Mongols captured Kiev utterly looting the city even the tombs of the saints were broken open the Mongols were now within Striking Distance of Hungary they preferred to campaign in the winter when the rivers and marshes were frozen the hearty Mongolian Horsemen functioned well in the winter while their opponents generally suffered from the bitter cold the most important Mongolian Commander during this period General subatai is remembered today as one of the greatest military mines in history it was he who had been the primary military strategist for Genghis Khan Now subatai set the winter of 1241 for the invasion of Hungary the Mongols invaded Poland and on February 13 captured sandomirsch they now divided their host into several smaller armies Batu assigned part of the army to his brother orda and baidahar Son of the late shagatai Khan on April 9 at the Battle of legnesa order and baidar defeated a Polish and Moravian Army while baidar and orda swept through Poland Batu and subatai advanced into Hungary two Mongol forces showed remarkable coordination the speed of the Mongol Messengers allowed Batu and subatai to know when baidar and orda had overcome their polish opponents a mere day after the Mongol victory at legnisa the Mongol Southern flank was secured by a Detachment which ravaged Herman's stock some 500 miles away and defeated the army of Transylvania Batu and super Thai had already been harassing King Bella's forces at peshed they withdrew allowing the Hungarian King to pursue them then on the heath at Mahi south west of the Shia River just before it links with the teaser River Batu and subatai halted and prepared to engage the hungarians in battle during the Mongols feigned Retreat subatai and Batu rode ahead to inspect their selected field of battle on April 10 the Mongol Army passed over the heath cross the river shio using the stone bridge and advanced 10 miles farther into the woods concealing their position from here the hills and Vineyards of Tokai lay ahead of them with the teaser River on their flank that evening the army of King Bella IV arrived at the heath of mahi the king dispatched Hungarian Scouts on Horseback to inspect the land ahead the scouts crossed the bridge Road toward the woods found nothing then returned to guard the bridge while the Hungarian Army laid camp on the Heath as a defensive barrier Bella and his men encircled the camp with hundreds of wagons tied together with chains and ropes this was a battle-tested tactic against nomadic armies however batu's Army was no traditional nomadic Army but had brought with it Advanced Siege equipment as the sun set Batu LED his commanding staff to a Hilltop so that they could view the position of the Hungarian Army essentially the enemy was boxed in to the right of the hungarians lay the marshes of the river teaser while ahead of them lay the river shio and to their left and rear lay Hills and forests Batu implored his commanders that the hungarians must be kept on the heath at all costs after Nightfall subitai Advanced with perhaps 30 000 Horsemen over the hills and back around to the flooded shio River across from the heath from this position he would be able to rush over and attack the hungarians from behind while baksu engaged them from the front to prepare for this subatai had his men begin constructing a wooden bridge to the South surprisingly King Bella's Scouts didn't detect any of this according to James Chambers Bella's Scouts had already proved themselves to be inept on several occasions at dawn Batu began his assault on the stone bridge the Hungarian Defenders held the West Bank until more troops arrived from the camp it appeared that the dense ranks of hungarians would be able to hold the bridge against batu's Cavalry but Batu had planned for this he brought up seven catapults and began to bombard the hungarians holding the bridge as one Chronicle recorded to the accompaniment of thunderous noise and flashes of Fire batus bombardment began to drive the hungarians back sources from the time describe the catapults launching fireballs and historians have speculated that the Mongols may have employed gunpowder during this battle if that's the case it's no wonder that batu's engines proved so effective protected by this barrage the Mongol Horsemen now crossed the stone bridge batu's Cavalry now faced the full Hungarian Army the battlefield limited Mongol maneuverability which had so often been their deadliest weapon slowly the Mongols Advanced toward the center of the heath holding back the Hungarian Cavalry with repeated bursts of arrows meanwhile Duke Coleman the Templars and Archbishop ugrin led the attack against the Mongols over the course of two hours of fighting in these Close Quarter conditions the Mongols suffered major casualties their ranks becoming dangerously depleted the hungarians croatians and Templars fought with intense Valor and at this point the battle was in their favor desperate the Mongols began to stretch out into a half circle as though they might try and surround the enemy hungarians now seem poised to deliver a decisive charge through the Mongol line however at this moment subatai's forces arrived from the rear arranging themselves in a half circle subitized Cavalry now operated in conjunction with batus closing in on the enemy with a hail of arrows this was a critical moment lesser Warriors would have panicked but the hungarians were experienced enough to form into columns and before the Mongol Circle could close withdraw to the Fortified camp the Mongols now surrounded the Hungarian camp but Batu was Furious over developments subatai's wooden bridge had taken too long to build so that batu's forces had endured horrible casualties while trying to pin down the hungarians Batu blame subatai for this and worried that his exhausted soldiers would be unable to storm the Hungarian camp or even hold up against another Hungarian attack Batu informed subatai that he wanted to retreat but subatai disagreed feeling confident in his men if the princes wish to retreat they may do so said subatai but for my part I am resolved not to return until I have reached pesht and the Danube battle raged on there was dangerous disunity in the Hungarian Camp many of the Hungarian Barons despised King Bella and would have abandoned him their Camp wasn't already surrounded after hours of bombardment by the Mongol Siege engines the Hungarian camp with its ring of wagons was thoroughly wrecked Hungarian morale was now collapsing the Mongols recognized their advantage and began to mass for a charge this left gaps in the encirclement which in part was a component of subitai's plan the gaps allowed the discontented Hungarian Barons to flee with their Horsemen the Hungarian ranks were now dangerously depleted only Duke Coleman a contingent of Knight's Templar under their master rembald and knights led by Archbishop ugrin held firm forming a wedge to meet the Mongol attack the Mongols now launched repeated Reigns of arrows down on the Hungarian wedge thinning its ranks then following this up with a devastating charge of heavy Cavalry led by shaibon in these final desperate moments the Templars showed great courage refusing to surrender and taking many Mongol lives with them before they were all slain to a man Archbishop ubrin also went down fighting Duke Coleman was fatally wounded and barely escaped with only a small number of men to join King Bella and the other survivors meanwhile those that had escaped earlier ran right into a Mongol trap attacked by horse archers as they fled soon the heath was littered with Hungarian dead the battle had been ferocious and the Mongols had sustained great casualties themselves but the Hungarian Army was destroyed King Bella only escaped by taking a fresh horse from one of his loyal servants every time his own grew tired once he'd escaped his Mongol pursuers he swam the shio and spent the night hiding out in the woods guarded by a single Slavic retainer Duke Coleman managed to cross the Danube with a boat of fugitives fleeing peshed and made it to his own lands in Croatia where he died of his wounds the Mongols were now free to devastate Hungary on Christmas day 12 41 the Mongols crossed the Frozen Danube River they captured Buddha and next invaded Croatia where they took Zagreb all the while they were still pursuing The Fugitive King Belle IV though repelled from some strongly defended castles the Mongols ravaged territory in Austria as far as Vienna but during the winter of 1242 important news seems to have arrived from Mongolia itself ogadai the great Khan third son of Genghis Khan had died suddenly by Mongol tradition a council must now be assembled of all the Mongol leaders to determine who will be the next great Khan perhaps Batu is now determined to return home for the council but historians dispute this indeed one important Mongol chronicler Rasheed Aldine insisted that Batu was unaware of the death of the great Khan when he ordered a general withdrawal by the spring of 1242 the Mongols departed from Hungary Croatia and Poland the Battle of Mahi was a decisive victory for the Mongols and a devastating defeat for Hungary however it had been a hard-won victory for subatai and Batu they'd suffered serious casualties and the hungarians and their allies had proven to be tough fighters in addition once the Mongols entered Western Hungary they found it difficult to occupy the regions protected by Stone castles generally they bypassed the castles and instead focused on plundering the surrounding territory the Mongols had difficulty holding rugged territory defended by high position fortresses indeed by the end of the campaign the Mongols were often bogged down and costly ineffective sieges while plunder and supplies ran short also well after the major Battlefield victories of the Mongols the locals engaged in Guerrilla attacks on the occupiers subatai punished such Guerrilla attacks with brutal cruelty nevertheless it was one more example of Hungarian polish and Croatian tenacity at Mahi the Mongols had encountered serious resolve with many warriors fighting to the death for the Mongols this was not an ideal situation they far preferred to encounter cowed surrendering populations rather than dogged Fighters willing to go down to the last man perhaps the death of the great Khan played a role in prompting the Mongols to withdraw from the European campaign but their decision to abandon Hungary Croatia and Poland may also owe to the hard fighting they encountered and the high casualties that they suffered in these regions as well as the castles that dotted the more Westerly regions of the conquered lands the reasoning behind the Mongol withdrawal remains unknown and continues to be a hotly debated topic [Applause] in the year 1260 the Mongols were at the height of their power and poised to swallow up the very heart of Islamic civilization at this moment a Mongol Army swept into Syria ready to crush the forces of the mamluk Sultan katus in Defiance the mamluk sultan assembled his army and prepared for The Showdown that would determine the very future of Islam the Battle of angelud here the mamluks and the Mongols would decisively test one another in one of the truly remarkable battles of the Middle Ages 1260 three decades after the death of Genghis Khan the Mongols are one of the world's most formidable Powers with their swift-mounted archers and immense armies they have defeated virtually all forces in their path monkey Khan grandson of Genghis tasked his brother hulugu with subduing his Empire's Western enemies by the middle of the 13th century the Mongols had made serious gains at the expense of the Islamic world in 1258 hulugu annihilated Baghdad the seat of the Abbasid caliphs he next entered Syria and subdued Aleppo and Damascus now yet only to break the mamluks who ruled Egypt he dispatched a messenger to katus Sultan of Egypt with the message we have conquered vast areas massacring all the people fortresses will not detain us nor armies stop us katus responded by beheading the Mongol envoys and displaying their heads on the gates of Cairo but the death of monkey prevented a hulugu from responding immediately hulagood part of the Levant for Mongolia to join in the political wrangling that always followed the death of the great Khan meanwhile katus took the opportunity to overrun Mongol Holdings in Syria but the Mongols did finally respond hulagu's Lieutenant kitbuga received intelligence that kutuza's Army outnumbered his own by at least two to one nevertheless get Buca decided to move out against the mamluks leading an army of some twenty thousand men gitbugga crossed the Jordan River and entered the valley of Ein jalud which according to tradition was the site of the battle between David and Goliath the battle took place on September 3rd 1260. aside from their numerical Advantage the mom looks knew the territory better katus concealed a large portion of his army in the Hill Country while he dispatched an advanced Force Under the commander by bars to Skirmish with the Mongols and try to lure them into a trap at first exchanges were limited to hit and run tactics with mounted archers from both sides hammering one another with waves of arrows this fighting went on for some time with neither side gaining a clear advantage at last the Mongols launched a heavy assault this was exactly what by bars wanted by bars responded by executing a feigned Retreat designed to draw the Mongols into pursuing his Cavalry the Mongols took the bait bivars broke for the hills drawing the Mongol forces after him at last bibars had his enemies where he wanted them suddenly the rest of katusa's forces emerged all at once the Mongols found themselves surrounded facing the full force of the mamluk army despite this disastrous situation the Mongols fought fiercely to break out from the encirclement kidbuka's Vanguard Advanced to take on the main memluk body while the mongol's second line wheeled right to overwhelm the mamluk's left wing [Music] from a distance gatus observed the battle with his personal Force when he saw the Mongols overwhelming his left wing the sultan threw off his helmet so that all his men could see his face oh my islami cried out he sent his right wing to support his crumbling left wing for hours the sultan struggled to regain his left side eventually the Mongols were repulsed and the mamluk's left side was restored katus dispatched his reserves to his far Wings to bolster his position at these vulnerable points outnumbered exhausted the position of the Mongols was now critical taking the lead with his personal bodyguard katus launched the final General assault the Mongols fought with much Spirit but they were overwhelmed by the sheer superiority of the mamluk's numbers while his main Force pushed the Mongols back the mam look right and left swept in to flank the Mongols on either side at this critical moment get Buca died and the Mongols now broke and fled in total Mongol casualties numbered between five and ten thousand men it was a resounding victory for cartoons by bars and the mamalukes the mom looked victory at anjalut was the result of katusa's superior numbers and his effective use of terrain bivars played a critical role in drawing the Mongol Army into a deadly trap Ein jalute also cemented the mamluks as the leading Muslim power of the era after the abbasids were swept aside by the Mongols the mom Luke successfully halted Mongol expansion thus the mom looks emerged as the Defenders of Islam meanwhile internal strife within the Mongol Empire prevented the Mongols from responding to their humiliation at anjalut indeed it was the succession crisis in Mongolia that had drawn hulugu away in the first place and left kitbuga with inadequate forces to finish the conquest of Syria and Egypt within five years Civil War would hopelessly fracture the enormous Mongol Empire only a month after his great victory at anjalut katus was killed by the dagger of an assassin during a Hunting Expedition at the time many suspected by bars was involved and this suspicion continues to this day no doubt by bars benefited more than anyone else from katusa's death for he became Sultan of Egypt in October of 1260 thus crowning an already brilliant military career foreign in the 13th century the Mongols achieved a string of virtually unbroken victories gaining the largest contiguous land Empire in history in the 1240s they devastated Hungary destroying the army of King Bella IV at the famous battle of mahi this experience profoundly impacted the hungarians and caused them to fundamentally alter many aspects of their society four they feared that the Mongols would one day return as it turned out they did in 1285 a vast Mongol Army again drove into the lands of the hungarians how would Hungary fare this time in fact the result of the second Mongol invasion of Hungary presents one of the most striking and surprising episodes in the history of the Mongols we'll find out how the hungarians dealt with this second terrifying Invasion today on real Crusades history in 1241 at the Battle of mohi an enormous Mongol invasion Force defeated the hungarians and their allies for a year the Mongols pillaged and ravaged the countryside when the Invaders finally withdrew a quarter of hungary's population had been slaughtered and virtually all of the towns and Villages had been destroyed after this disaster the king of Hungary Bella IV was left to pick up the pieces he recognized that his kingdom had been poorly prepared for the Mongol invasion for one Hungary had few fortified positions indeed many of its cities had no walls at all only the Kingdom's few Stone castles had managed to resist the Mongols also the Kingdom's Army had been made up primarily of lightly armored Horsemen in 1241 only a small contingent of Knight's Templar and Teutonic knights garbed in heavy armor had managed to inflict serious damage on the Mongols what if a vast Army of heavily armored Knights had been present to face the Mongols taking note King Bella began to implement major reforms first and foremost Bella reorganized his Kingdom's Horsemen into a new class of heavily armored mounted knights in the western style in 1247 he struck a deal with the crusading order known as the knights Hospital granting them his Southeastern Frontier in exchange for the help in bringing in more heavily armored Knights at raising New Stone castles in 1248 the King extended the privilege of Knighthood allowing the Kingdom's middle strata to serve in a Barrens Cavalry provided they were equipped with armor and a horse he encouraged new settlers to move to Hungary granting them rights of Knighthood and nobility if they could outfit themselves for combat another lesson from the Battle of Mahi crossbowmen who'd been scarce during the first Mongol invasion had nevertheless performed well against the Mongols in 1241 King Bella struck a deal with the venetians famed for their crossbowmen by this deal at least 1 000 Venetian crossbowmen entered into the Hungarian King's Service finally King Bella offered grants and incentives to every Hungarian City that outfitted itself with stone fortifications these reforms paid off resulting in the construction of some 100 new fortresses all of hungary's important cities were now surrounded by stone walls the kingdom of Hungary was transformed by the end of King Bella IV's reign King Bella wouldn't live to see the fruit of his efforts he died in 1270. in 1285 his reforms would be tested that winter nogai Khan de facto leader of the golden horde pointed his army Westward and invaded Central Europe the golden horde representing the Northwestern sector of the Mongol domain had operated as an essentially independent carnate since the fragmentation of the Mongol Empire in 1259 given its location Central Europe was the golden horde's logical grounds for expansion nogai Khan was eager to subdue Hungary once and for all no guy believed that the hungarians were weak he'd heard rumors of internal strife in Hungary which seemed confirmed when a large number of humans were driven from the kingdom and sought service with the Mongols as in 1241 the Mongols struck at Hungary on two fronts no guy led a force through brush off into Transylvania while his Kinsmen talabuka marched by the varric pass in modern Ukraine into transcarpathia at the time the Mongol Empire was at peace mostly free of internal power struggles therefore no guy was able to field a very large Invasion Force which historians estimate numbered somewhere between 30 and 50 000 men as usual the Mongols focused on speed and surprise it was Winter and no guy expected to catch the hungarians off guard he expected to easily annihilate whatever resistance he encountered initially there were signs that the invasion might not go so well as planned talabuka who led the largest contingent into the north of Hungary had difficulties provisioning his men this was owed to the improved fortifications in Hungary many local villagers had fled to the regional castles where they hoarded their livestock and Food Supplies the Mongols found themselves marching through territory devoid of plunder as they passed Stone Castle after Stone Castle the Mongols began to suffer hunger and talabuka lost thousands of men to starvation early in the campaign the Mongols attacked the town of pescht but the town had already been abandoned its inhabitants having taken refuge in the local castles once again the Mongols found nothing to plunder from their well-fortified base at Buddha a contingent of Hungarian Knights launched a successful harassment attack on the Mongol column and sources reveal that the Hungarian Queen Elizabeth of Sicily was able to observe the action from the walls of the city talabuka grew frustrated his men were able to raid territory as far as the Danube in some places they inflicted heavy casualties on the civilian populations but in many areas villagers were scarce having taken Refuge Behind the Walls of a nearby Fortress the Mongols were unable to capture any of the regional castles and they kept encountering well-armored contingents of Hungarian Knights with well-defended fortresses nearby the hungarians could attack inflict casualties on the Mongols and then withdraw to safety before talibuka could launch an effective counter-attack one such battle took place near the castle of turusco here the Mongols suffered a serious defeat and heavy casualties the Hungarian Knights were able to inflict devastating charges on the Mongols the Victorious hungarians captured around 1 000 prisoners during this engagement the decisive encounter came in the hills of Western Transylvania here talibuka's weakened Army suddenly met the Royal Hungarian Army led by King ladislaus IV unlike the Army encountered by the Mongols in 1241 this Hungarian Force contained many heavily armored Knights their numbers reduced and their morale low the Mongols were soundly defeated by the determined well-timed charge of the hungarians recognizing that his situation was hopeless talabuka now ordered a retreat from Hungary but on the return trip his army was ambushed by the CK people who struck as Swift light Cavalry this final disaster all but destroyed talibuka's Army and by the time the general returned to Mongolian territory his forces had ceased to exist one chronicler even commented that talibuka returned with nothing but his wife and a single horse an exaggeration surely but one that highlighted the level of destruction of his army nogai Khan fed only slightly better he remained in Transylvania until the spring of 1286 and managed to plunder the towns of regime prashof and bistrita but like talibuka no guy was unable to capture any major castles or cities after defeating talibuga's Army King ladislaus Advanced with his Force to attack no guy's host however by the time the king had caught up with no guy the local Hungarian and Romanian troops led by Roland borsa had mostly destroyed the Mongol Army ladislaus had only to harass the remnants of nogi's army as it limped away in retreat the second Mongol invasion of Hungary of 1285 stands in stark contrast to the first one in 1241 despite serious civilian casualties in some regions the hungarians soundly defeated the Mongols and the Mongol leaders were fortunate to escape with their lives the reforms carried out across the kingdom of Hungary enabled this decisive victory over the invasion strong castles impeded the progress of the two Mongol armies and denied them plunder indeed starvation just as much as the military might of the hungarians crippled no gaikan's campaign the adoption of western-style armor and the use of heavy Cavalry also gave the hungarians an important Edge never again would the Mongols launch a major invasion of Hungary or indeed Central Europe in general the results of the second Mongol invasion of Hungary are an important reminder that Lessons Learned From A major defeat can create the opportunity for reform recovery and future victory indeed in the future a Hungarian Army would invade Mongol territory and ultimately seize Moldavia from the golden horde [Music] 1287 the Mongolian golden horde launches a major campaign against the kingdom of Poland this would be the third time a Mongol Army invaded the country the polls knew well they were facing a formidable opponent commanded by two capable and experienced military leaders nogikon and talabuga Khan the Golden horde's Army divided and entered Poland via two attack points for many of the polls they had little option but to hold up within the country's fortresses however Duke lezic the black would muster an army and confront the golden horde meanwhile Lezak would appeal to his neighbor the king of Hungary for help Hungary would respond and soon a coalition polish Hungarian force would stand against the Mongols bolstered by the courageous Hungarian Commander George of sovar today on real Crusades history where we don't just do Crusades history will delve into yet another fascinating campaign in the history of the Monumental Mongol invasions the third Mongol invasion of Poland in 1287 talabuka a descendant of Genghis Khan became Khan of the Mongolian golden horde one of the successor states to emerge after the breakup of the original Mongol Empire talibuka was essentially the rightful heir to the throne representing the senior branch of the line of his great-grandfather batukan talabuka ruled alongside his Kinsmen the general nogai Khan who during his life acted as something of a king maker in the golden horde recently in 1285 no guy in talibuka had led the second Mongol invasion of Hungary which had resulted in defeat for the golden horde however the two decided to once again attack Europe This Time targeting the kingdom of Poland according to James Chambers to prevent the polls from supporting the Hungarian barons [Music] foreign in November of 1287 no guy ordered his ruthenian vassals to prepare their armies for an expedition into Poland while he and talibuka assembled their cavalries as a result no guy and talibuka marched out at the head of a large Invasion Force numbering around 30 000 composed of Mongol and turkic Cavalry as well as some ruthenian auxiliaries no guy himself devised the plan of attack as in their previous invasion of Poland in 1259 the golden horde host was divided into two armies one Cavalry Force numbering around 20 000 including some ruthenian troops was led by talibuga Khan and would drive towards San domirsh and the north of Poland simultaneously no guy Khan would lead 10 000 Cavalry composed entirely of Mongols and Turks toward krakov this two-pronged raid was to be conducted at lightning speed to prevent the poles from mounting an effective defense after plundering their respective targets and conquering sandomirsch the two armies were to reunite north of krakov from here they would loot kiltse Yen jeof nietgov and finally krakov once Poland was thoroughly ravaged the combined Mongol host would withdraw back into the territory of the golden horde the Mongols did achieve surprise the first polish Prince to March against the Mongols was lezic the second the black high Duke of Poland described as king of Poland by historian William Urban at the time the Polish monarchy was experiencing a period of fragmentation but according to Urban lezic had restored the kingdom and himself become king lezic was a gifted ruler and military commander he defeated the ruse in battle and in 1282 crushed the sudovian prussians during the northern Crusades joined by Hungarian and human allies he'd captured Krakow in 1285 now during the third Mongol invasion he managed to assemble an army numbering as many as fifteen thousand men though ultimately historians are unsure as to the size of this host despite his success as a warrior lessick's married life proved less fruitful his wife graffini of halik never conceived a child in 1271 she fled to Krakow and openly accused lezic of impotence claiming that her marriage had never been consummated this caused Great Scandal but in 1275 with the intervention of other members of the Polish nobility the couple were reconciled lezic sought treatment from the famous physician Nikolai of Krakow the physician's cure included eating frogs and snakes however lezic and graffina never had children which according to the annals of Poland caused a great Abomination for the country like the hungarians the poles had improved many of the fortifications in their Kingdom by the 1280s karakov now had a strongly built stone Citadel in its own defensive catapults conversely during the first two Mongol invasions of Poland krakow's walls had been made of wood on December 7 1287 talabuka's Army broke camp at vola damira avoiding Loveland they attempted to cross the Vistula near zavigast the talibuka's annoyance the river was not frozen and so he had to March South in search of a Ford after crossing the river the Mongols laid Siege to San domirsh but the city's defenses and Garrison proved too strong his assault repelled talabuka ended the siege he dispatched raiding forces into the countryside on December 20 while the main column of talabuka's army was near the Holy Cross mountains they encountered a Polish force of unknown size again around fifteen thousand of the higher estimates this polish force was led by Duke Lezak II the black thus began the Battle of Lago Duke lezek's Army triumphed and talabuka suffered defeat after reaching the District of kyotze talibuka began a retreat by January of 1288 the Mongols had reached leviv where they laid Camp meanwhile lezic marched his army toward Krakow to ready the defenses of the capital city meanwhile no gaikon's forces the southern division of the Golden horde's Army entered Poland on Christmas Eve 1287. they besieged krakov the city's Stone fortifications proved resilient and no gaikon decided to attempt an assault this proved to be a disaster the polish Defenders inflicted serious casualties in the Mongol forces who lost several important Commanders frustrated no guy Khan changed tactics he lifted The Siege and instead dispersed his forces to plunder the countryside to the north and south of Krakow Mongol and turkic detachments raided The Villages this resulted in several small battles between local polish forces with the small Mongol raiding parties meanwhile no guys troops besieged the towns of orolinets and studyson after the siege of krakov was lifted Duke lezic took his wife in a band of his Knights and a road for Hungary to seek help from King latislaus IV the hungarians had defeated a Mongol invasion only two years earlier so they were a good choice for an alliance against the golden horde the Mongols devastated honolinic and skirmished with local polish forces however they failed to capture studyson which had strong walls and a capable Garrison meanwhile King lattice Laos of Hungary dispatched a force under the nobleman George of sovar to March to the aid of Poland on the way George's troops were joined by local polish forces to form a coalition Hungarian polish Army George managed to surprise a Mongol force of around 1 000 near starisons the Mongols were caught completely off guard and annihilated their Commander dying during the fight the Battle of study sanch proved to be the final major engagement of the campaign Duke lezic marched with his army to join forces with George of sovar the plan was then to deliver a knockout blow to the Mongols however no guy Khan recognized that his situation was collapsing and ordered an immediate retreat with most of his army still intact no guy was back in ruthenia by January or February of 1288 oh [Music] the third Mongol invasion of Poland was very different from the previous two invasions but quite similar to the 1285-86 Fiasco in Hungary the Mongols failed to take any major cities or castles and suffered serious losses in the field against polish and Hungarian forces as in Hungary Poland's improved fortifications proved effective historian James Chambers states that for the most part the only towns or castles that were sacked were those that were tricked into opening their gates after being promised an amnesty by the ruthenian auxiliaries also rivalry between no guy and talabuka hindered their cooperation conversely cooperation between the Polish and Hungarian forces allowed them to deliver an effective counter blow which convinced no guy to retreat although the invasion was a failure it did inflict considerable damage to Poland and the Mongols might well have achieved their goals had no guy and talabuka cooperated more effectively it was a close run Victory but undeniably a great victory for Poland and Hungary in February of 1288 Duke lezic expressed his gratitude to George of sovar by granting him a villa in Poland meanwhile within a few years nogai and talabuka would be engaged in civil war with one another which in retrospect further helps explain the poor execution of the third Mongol invasion of Poland [Music] 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 commonplace 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 filmmaker James Chambers ends his popular book The Devil's horseman 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 by 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 poles at the Battle of legnissa balbatu and subatai defeated the hungarians at the Battle of Mahi however these victories did not come easy the Mongol 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 ogedi'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 Rashid 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 karpini himself stated that it took him five months to Journey from Mongolia to Kiev a much shorter Journey It seems impossible that a courier from Mongolia with knowledge of ogadai'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 lagnisa 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 cow 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 of 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 and 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 baidon 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 supplied 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 Ed 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 did crusaders ever form an alliance with Mongols against any of their various saracen enemies in today's video we'll answer that question in the 13th century the Mongols conquered much of the heart of the Muslim World capturing Persia Mesopotamia and Anatolia it's no wonder that many in Latin Christendom contemplated joint operations between Western Europeans and Mongols against saracen powers Saint Louis IX of France spent the early 1250s in the Crusader States in utramere where he acted as de facto ruler and improved the castles and Military establishment during this time Louis opened negotiations with the great Khan ruler of the Mongol Empire Louis proposed a joint alliance between the Khan and himself with the Muslim powers of Syria and Egypt as their targets Louis expressed the spiritual ideals of crusade to the great Khan but these Concepts were basically unintelligible to the Mongols who fought not for religious ideals but for sheer power the mongol's ultimate goal was in fact total World Conquest the Khan viewed King Louis as a petty Chieftain ruler of a small Kingdom that should ultimately be subsumed into the Mongol Empire in his reply to Louis the Khan had the nerve to demand that Louis surrender France and sent an annual tribute to the Mongols Louis of course scoffed at such an absurd proposal and the negotiations went nowhere however Christian Armenia and Antioch did offer tribute to the Khan and under the Mongol General kitbooka an historian Christian joined in an invasion of Syria in another video we'll discuss this episode in more detail since it demands its own full treatment in 1271 Prince Edward of England arrived in Opera at the head of a small force of some thousand troops thus beginning the minor campaign known as the ninth Crusade Edward in considering his options against the mamluks sends an embassy to the Mongol ruler of Persia abaka Khan abaga responded quite positively to Edward's request after talking over the matter we have on our account resolved to send to your Aid samagar the head of a mighty Force thus when you discuss among yourselves the other plans involving the aforementioned samagar be sure to make explicit arrangements as to the exact month and day on which you will Engage The Enemy Edward letter raid on the mamluk held Town cocoon while the Mongols devastated the lands around Aleppo however internal troubles within the Mongol State Drew abiga's attention away from the mamluk territory and his troops withdrew Edward never had the numbers to launch a major campaign against the massive forces of the mamluk sultanate but his efforts did result in a 10-year peace treaty between the Crusader States and the mamluks ultimately what we just discussed represents the bulk of what could be described as a crusader Mongol Alliance back in Latin Christendom some theorists discussing possible strategies for future Crusades would continue to entertain the idea of a joint effort by the Mongol and Latin Christian worlds but such planning never resulted in any substantial military Enterprise

Channel: Real Crusades History

Views: 381,975

Keywords: mongols, mongol history, mongol empire, mongols documentary, mongol battle, battle of mohi, knights templar, kingdom of hungary, bela iv of hungary, battle of legnica, battle of mohi documentary, mongol hungary battle, mohi, hospitallers, second mongol invasion of hungary, third mongol invasion of poland, historical documentary, legnica, templar mongol battle, crusader mongol alliance, mongol empire history, genghis khan, subotai

Id: SPZB2lYejYc

Length: 75min 3sec (4503 seconds)

Published: Sat Nov 26 2022