Mongols Season 1 Full - from Genghis to Kublai
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KINGS & GENERALS
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Hard places often breed hard people and Mongolia is one of the most inhospitable lands in the world
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This is the story of the people who came out of the steppes and built the biggest empire in history
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This is the story of Temujin and how he became Genghis Khan
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The history of the eastern part of the Asian steppe is shrouded in mystery
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and so the early history of the Mongols is still debated
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At the beginning of the 10th century, the proto Mongolic Khitan people formed an empire called the Great Liao
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the Khitans fought many wars in Korea China and Central Asia,
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but by 1125 were defeated by the Chinese Jin dynasty
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and moved to establish a new Khitan state called Western Liao
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To the north in modern-day Mongolia, a number of nomadic tribes united in a tribal confederation
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called Khamag Mongol, which can be translated as the Whole Mongol
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one of the clans within the confederacy was the Borjigin
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and its representatives were elected the khans of the union multiple times in the 12th century
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Khamag Mongol was in a long-term rivalry with the Tatar confederacy, which also nomadizes in the region
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This struggle weakened the Mongols
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and their Confederacy almost ceased to exist in the second half of the 12th century
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The chief of the Borjigin clan at the time Yesugei was trying to reunite the tribes once again
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in 1171 He arranged a marriage between his 9-year-old son Temujin
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and the daughter of the chief of a nearby clan, Börte
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Some sources claim that Yesugei was poisoned by the Tatars during the wedding
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Temujin attempted to assume the role of chieftain but he was rejected and exiled with his family
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For the next six years Temujin lived in poverty and was even enslaved on occasion
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Eventually, Temujin started forming his tribe with the help of his blood brother Jamukha
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and the leader of the Karaite tribe Toghrul Khan
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Temujin and Jamukha raided other tribes together, but eventually they had a falling-out
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Jamukha supported the traditional Mongolian aristocracy
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while Temujin gave positions of power to capable people outside his tribe
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Threatened by Temujin rise in popularity Jamukha attacked him in 1187 with an army of thirty thousand men
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Temujin's twenty thousand men were decisively beaten at the Battle of Dalan Balzhut
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Not much is known about Temujin life in the next ten years
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but in 1197 we see him commanding a united force of the Mongols the Karaite
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in the war against the Tatars initiated by the Jin dynasty
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Temujin would avenge his father in this conflict
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The leaders of the Tatar tribes were executed while the non aristocrats were invited to join his ranks
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He delegated authority based on skill and loyalty rather than tribal affiliation or blood
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As an incentive, Temujin promised civilians and soldiers a portion of the war spoils
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His new rules laid the foundations of a code of law, which would eventually be developed and applied to his empire
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His father's death influenced Temujin. And one of the laws was that hospitality was sacred
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Guests and envoys should not be harmed
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Temujin revolutionized the steppe world
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Each victory brought more warriors to his site and he reformed the Mongols into an army
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The decimal system was implemented
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and the army was divided into tens hundreds thousands and ten thousands
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Transfers between the units were forbidden and if one man deserted the other nine in his unit were put to death
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Commanders were chosen by their men except for the commanders of the ten thousands
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so-called Tumen who were handpicked by the Khan himself
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This chain of command allowed flexibility discipline and loyalty and was vital to performing sophisticated maneuvers
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Every able-bodied man had to be a part of this structure
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In 1201 a number of opposing clans called the council Kurultai in the Mongolian language and
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declared Jamukha the Khan
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this sparked a five-year war between him and
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Temujin and the latter managed to defeat his former blood brother at the Battle of the Thirteen Sites
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that same year Temujin assembled another council of the Mongol chiefs
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who elected him as their leader giving him the title of
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Genghis Khan the leader of all
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For the first time, the warring tribes united as one nomadic nation under one banner and one authority
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In 1209 the Mongols began their first invasion against the powerful Western Xia state to the southwest
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The details of this conflict are not clear, but it seems that Genghis Khan was successful in open battles
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But had difficulties taking the well-fortified cities
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The Mongols learned the importance of siege warfare in this campaign
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the surrounded city slowly succumbed to starvation and
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Diseases and the Xia Emperor had to submit to Genghis Khan and become his vassal
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Up until this point the Jin dynasty
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Underestimated the Mongols as a nuisance on their northern border and even refused a call to aid by the Liao
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But by 1211 they were on high alert
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They even demanded Mongol submission which led to war
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In March 1211 GenghisKhan summoned all Mongol chieftains and prepared to wage war against China
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The Jin had a massive population and mobilized around
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800,000 infantry most of which were untrained peasants with low morale and
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150,000 highly-trained heavy cavalry
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This vast army, however, was spread across the Great Wall and Garrison's separate fortresses
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Meanwhile, the Mongols had a 90,000 strong cavalry army, which had three main components
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Like cavalry scouts horse archers armed with composite bows and heavy cavalry
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With lances and curved swords, all of these men were highly trained and loyal
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After they bypassed the hopelessly ineffective Great Wall the Mongol split into two armies
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The main army was led by the Great Khan himself and was 60,000 strong
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While the other 30,000 were taken by his son Ögedei to attack the city of Datong
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Genghis Khan headed for the strategic Juyong Pass protecting Beijing
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but along the way, he was stopped at the pass of Yehuling
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where the bulk of the Jin army awaited him
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For months the Mongols waited for the Jin to make a move, but they held their ground
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while waiting Genghis sent his trusted generals Jebe and Subutai
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To lead a small force which attacked the western front from the rear in the Battle of Wusha Fortress
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The Jin army and their commander were annihilated
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Once the secondary army quickly grouped up with the main force, which was still waiting in Yehuling
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The Mongols attacked the defenders in the mountainous terrain and pushed the Jin forces back
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Genghis sent men over the peaks surrounding the pass which the Jin generals thought was impossible and
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attacks the much larger army from both sides
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Jebe, one of the best Mongol generals used the trademark Mongol tactic of a feigned retreat
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after a short skirmish the Mongols pretended to flee leaving loot as they fled
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the Jin defenders took the bait and left their fortifications trying to chase them down
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Little did they know they were falling into a deadly trap where thousands of them were attacked from all sides by Mongol archers
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With the gates of China now open, Genghis Khan began raiding the countryside before he withdrew for the winter
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The following year the Mongol struck again
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only this time they besieged Datong where Genghis was wounded by an arrow
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The city held out against the invaders who once again retreated for the winter
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This time with even more knowledge about their enemy and siege warfare
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In 1213 when the Mongols invaded again
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Their mobility prevented the Jin from organizing a successful resistance as their countryside was raided
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The Mongols began besieging multiple fortresses and cities
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and waited for the enemy to attempt to break the siege only to be ambushed and defeated
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The Mongols were fighting guerilla warfare within a foreign land
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The cities that surrendered had most of their inhabitants murdered or enslaved
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however engineers artisans merchants doctors teachers priests
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and administrators were spared and asked to join the Mongol horde
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Many others were taken and used as meat shields for the following sieges
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Marching in the vanguard to block arrows or discourage the archers from firing
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After securing all Jin lands north of the Yellow River
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Genghis moved against the capital of Beijing and besieged it
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The Mongols tried to starve the city out, but after a few months an epidemic spread through their camp
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And they had to negotiate with the Jin emperor Xuanzong
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He agreed to peace in exchange for a tribute of loot men
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horses and his daughter along with subjugation to the Mongol Khan
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Thus the Mongols left China and returned to Mongolia with their treasure
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but just outside the Great Wall a messenger galloped to Genghis Khan the
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Emperor had moved his court to Kaifeng to the south
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This enraged the Great Khan as it signaled that the Jin planned to retaliate
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The Mongols quickly returned to Beijing and precedes the city with the help of thousands of Chinese engineers
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The city was surrounded breached and raised
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For weeks thousands of carts hauled loot back to Mongolia
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The fires in the city burned for over a month while its people were massacred
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what was once considered a nuisance had brought a twenty million strong nation to its knees and
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Now the Mongol devastation was heading west
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The Naimans were one of the tribes defeated by Genghis Khan in 1205
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After the defeat the Prince of the tribe Kuchlug fled to the west
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In 1208. He was defeated by Genghis yet again and found refuge in the nearby Western Liao empire
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He was welcomed and even married the daughter of the Emperor, Zhilugu
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Two years later Kuchlug rebelled against his father-in-law and took control of the Empire
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In 1216 Kuchlug attacked the city of Almaliq, which was under Mongol protection
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Genghis Khan sent his best general
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Jebe, who defeated Kuchleg in the Battle of Balasagun
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and in two years the entire empire was under Mongol rule
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Now they were bordering the great Khwarezmian empire that was ruled by a Persianate Turkic dynasty
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Genghis Khan sent a caravan with precious gifts to Shah Mohammed II hoping to establish trade
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However, the governor of the Khwarazmian's city of Otrar
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Inalchuq had the members of the caravan arrested claiming
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They were spies
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Genghis Khan then sent three ambassadors to the Shah himself to demand the merchants be set free
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Mohammad refused the merchants along with one of the ambassadors were executed
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the rules of hospitality
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Which Genghis Khan considered sacred were broken and he started planning his retribution
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He gathered information from the Silk Road about his enemies
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assembled siege engineers from China and created a plan involving
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Separating his army into three columns
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The numbers for both sides are highly disputed
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but most scholars agree that at the start of the campaign the Mongols
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outnumbered the Khwarazmian forces with
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100,000 against 60,000
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In the winter of 1219
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Genghis Khan sent his oldest son Jochi and Jebe to cross the Tian Shan
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Mountains to ravage the Fertile Fergana Valley with around 20,000 men
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It was risky
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But paid off as they slipped through the defensive lines
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and confused the enemy who thought this was the main force
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meanwhile, another army under his second and third sons
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Chagatai and Ögedei passed through the Dzungarian Gate with haste and
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Besieged Otrar, which had a garrison of 20,000
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After five months a deserter opened the gates and allowed the Mongols into the city
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Otrar became the first of many settlements
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to have its entire population slain or enslaved before it was razed to the ground
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Inalchuq was captured and reportedly had molten silver poured into his eyes and ears
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Mohammed II was preparing a strong defense around his capital Samarkand,
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but Genghis tricked him by traversing
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300 miles across the Kyzylkum Desert, which was considered impossible
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Hopping from Oasis to Oasis
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The Mongols found themselves had the gates of Bukhara
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The city's defenses were weak
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So the desperate defenders tried to sally out and meet the Mongols in open battle
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where they were massacred on mass
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Next came the Khwarazmian capital of Samarkand the Mongols closed in during March of 1220
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The Mongols assaulted the city and it's 40,000 strong garrison
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using prisoners as meat shields on the third day the garrison launched a counter-attack
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feigning retreat Genghis drew approximately half of the garrison including war elephants outside of the
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fortifications of Samarkand and slaughtered them in the open fields
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Shah Mohammed II attempted to relieve the city twice but was driven back
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on the fifth day, all but a handful of soldiers surrendered
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the city's inhabitants numbering around 100,000 were slaughtered
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The Shah and his son managed to escape to the west
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so Genghis Khan ordered his generals Subutai and Jebe to hunt them down
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with a force of around 20,000
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the legendary expedition of this army deserves its own episode and will be covered soon
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After finishing the destruction of Samarkand
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Genghis Khan moved against the wealthy city of Urgench from the south
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While his son Jochi attacked it from the north
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Despite the stout defense, the city was taken but that created a new complication for the Mongols
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Jochi was given the right to loot the city for himself
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but preferred to negotiate with the locals to avoid property damage
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While his brothers who disliked him argued against this unusual behavior
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Genghis removed his oldest son from command and appointed his third son Ögedei instead
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who in turn ordered the city to be destroyed
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This decision would have a significant impact on the Mongol Empire in the following decades
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as it forever alienated Jochi from the rest of the family
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While Urgench was being destroyed,
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Tolui, Temujin's youngest son took 50,000 men into the region of Khorasan
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He occupied and razed the cities of Balkh, Meru, and Nishapur in rapid succession
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Herat at surrendered and was spared as was any other city that surrendered without a fight
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The Mongols couldn't control such a vast population
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So they used practical brutality as their primary method to subjugate a nation
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the massacres were committed without religious or cultural reasons and they wanted everyone to know it
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as a method to prevent resistance
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Until now the Mongols never allowed their enemy to raise an army
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using psychological warfare and picking off smaller parties
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Also, they were never at one spot all at once
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While a city was besieged another army was patrolling and pillaging the countryside
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The son of Mohammed, Jalal ad-Din
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Managed to recruit an army of Turkic and Afghan warriors numbering 60,000 which was not expected by the Mongols
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As soon as news of this reached Genghis Khan, he sent an army of 30,000 men led by a tartar nobleman Qutugu
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Jalal ad-Din moved to Parwan 50 miles north of Kabul Afghanistan where he awaited the inevitable battle
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Qutugu decided not to wait for the orders of their Khan and engaged the enemy
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At Parwan, the two sides met in a narrow valley
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unsuitable for cavalry maneuvers
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Jalal ad-Din took the initiative
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Ordering his right wing of Turks to dismount and engage in a skirmish
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pouring arrows onto the Mongols
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His archers were winning the skirmish
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as the dismounted archers were more accurate and deadly than the mounted ones
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Both sides held their ground until the following morning
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when the Afghan warriors noticed the Mongol army was being reinforced
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This alarmed the commanders but Jalal ad-Din calmed his officers and instead of retreating
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Ordered his entire line to dismount and engage
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In reality the Mongols had put straw men on the usual three to four spare horses they had with them as a bluff
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Seeing the entire line dismounted Qutugu ordered his horsemen to attack the Afghan left-wing with a barrage of arrows
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But they were repelled by the unwavering archers
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Then the Mongols charged along the entire front
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Hard pressed by the rough narrow terrain
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Which rendered the usual tricks of feigned retreat and encirclement impossible
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the famous Mongol discipline
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Disintegrated for the very first time against a foreign foe
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as the riders faced the arrows of the numerically superior force head-on
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At this point, the Mongols began to retreat and Jalal ad-Din saw his chance
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He ordered his men to remount and counter-attack
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Half of the Mongol army was obliterated while the other half escaped
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This defeat broke the illusion of Mongol invincibility
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and the cities who had peacefully surrendered rose up in arms
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Which forced Genghis and his son Tolui to spend extra month subduing the revolts.
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But the army of the Khwarazmian Prince started to fall into discord immediately after the victory
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Left with only 20,000 men to Jalal ad-Din headed for the Indus River to find refuge in India
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The Great Khan immediately made his way to Parwan
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After a two-day race across Punjab Genghis Khan caught up to Jalal ad-Din at the Indus River
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Just before the prince was able to cross
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The mongols rested for the rest of the day and at dawn charged the enemy
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Pressed up against the river while their flank was covered by the mountain
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The initial charge was repelled and Jalal ad-Din ordered a counter-attack, which nearly broke the Mongol army
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Genghis then sent his reserve of 10,000 around the mountain to flank Jalal Aldean's army
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With his forces attacked from two directions and collapsing into chaos. Jalal Aldean decided to escape
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Following the victory, Genghis sent one of his commanders along with 20,000 men to chase down the prince
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But the prince was nowhere to be found
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Regardless most of the Khwarazmian territory was annexed
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and it's Shah died on an island in the Caspian Sea
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as for its people, it is said that the Mongols reduced the population of this prosperous region to
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200,000 from the initial 2,000,000
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The Mongol invasion of Asia was just starting
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After Mongol general Subutai and Jebe and their
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20,000 Warriors failed to catch up to the Khwarazmian Shah
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they spent the winter of 1220 in Iran and Azerbaijan
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raiding and looting while preventing the Western Khwarazmian forces from assisting Jalal ad-Din to the east
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Here they conceived the idea of conducting the most audacious reconnaissance in force in history
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in 1221 the army first entered the kingdom of Georgia where they pillaged the countryside for supplies
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The King George IV seeing his lands ravaged by the invaders
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Assembled an army which included many knights who had pledged to join The Fifth Crusade
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in the ensuing battle at Sagimi Subutai feigned a retreat
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which lured the slower heavily armored cavalry away from their infantry
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before he encircled and massacred them.
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The Mongols then returns to Azerbaijan and Iran and burned and pillaged a few more cities in
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A few months, Georgia was invaded by Subutai yet again
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George IV attempted to stop the invaders near Tbilisi, but his army was ambushed yet again
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These battles weakened Georgia and allowed the Mongols to pass through the Caucasus Mountains
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Subutai pushed his forces through the mountains during the winter.
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His troops took heavy casualties and were exhausted
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when they descended from the mountains
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Their army was met by a coalition of the local Lezgins, Alans, Kipchaks, and Volga Bulgarians
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The enemy army had more than 50,000 troops
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At first the Mongols charged, but were repelled
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The coalition decided to hold their ground and wait for the Mongols to die of starvation
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Low on supplies and unable to outmaneuver his opponent
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Subutai secretly sent bribes to the Kipchaks
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who made up most of the force appealing to them as fellow nomads
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in the middle of the following night, the Kipchaks left and headed home
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Subutai immediately charged the remaining troops and defeated them
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However, he didn't stop there and ordered his horsemen to chase after the Kipchaks
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who were slowed by the baggage train of treasures they had received
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The Mongol slaughtered them as well and then raised the wealthy city of Astrakhan on the Volga River
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Finding themselves on familiar flat terrain with plenty of villages to pillage Jebe and Subutai now parted their forces
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Jebe travelled towards the Dnieper River while Subutai moved south to the Crimea
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Subutai and the local Venetian Trading Post entered an alliance and the Mongol general
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promised to destroy any non Venetian colonies in the area
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Indeed he attacked and razed so dire
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and in return, the Venetians provided the Mongols with information about the kingdoms of Europe
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Meanwhile, the surviving Kipchaks fled and informed the Rus princes of their plight
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The area of modern Russia and Ukraine was controlled by a number of Rus' principalities
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They united into one alliance to defend against the Mongols
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With the addition of the Kipchak forces this alliance had a combined force of around 60,000 troops mainly cavalry
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The Mongols united into one army also and then sent
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ambassadors to the Rus princess
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Telling them to stay out of the conflict
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as it didn't involve them and the Mongol quarrel was with the Kipchaks alone
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But the princess broke the golden rule, they killed the envoys
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The allied army caught up to the Mongols on the banks of the Dnieper River and tried to encircle them
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Subutai sacrificed a rearguard of a thousand men who held the enemy
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while the rest of the army crossed the river and retreated east
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the Russians now discussed how to follow up this minor victory
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Some urge to pursue the Mongols while others argued to hold the frontier
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But it was the vengeful Kipchaks who tipped the scales and the princes decided to chase the Mongols
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Each Prince marched separately from the others miles apart
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For nine days, the Mongols retreated just ahead of their pursuers
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They used hit-and-run tactics while leaving behind loot prisoners and livestock
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giving the Russians a sense that they were winning
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However, this was a trap.
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By the end of the ninth day, the Kipchak vanguard was way ahead of the rest of the army and smashed against the Mongols
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Subutai ordered a retreat
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Crossing the small Kalka River with the Kipchak hot on their tail
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and the Russian princes lagging behind even more
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With all the pieces in place,
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Subutai sent his heavy lancers charging against the unprepared Kipchaks from the front
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While his horse archers attached the Rus with arrows to further slow their advance
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Undercover of arrows the heavy Lancers kept plowing with ever-growing momentum
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against the unorganized Rus
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who were charging at them one prince at a time?
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Every Rus who was not slain during the initial impact was funneled by the arrow fire into a narrow
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Corridor, which forced them to smash against the forces behind them creating a domino effect
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The battlefield became the most chaotic at the river itself
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The only army with the resemblance of a formation was that of Mstislav of Kiev who had previously advised caution
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He rallied his 10,000 and many of those who were retreating to meet the charging Mongols
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Baggage trains were arranged into a fortified circle on high ground to become a beacon for the fleeing soldiers
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the Mongols soon surrounded this position
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Here Mstislav held out for three terrible days
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while being showered with whistling arrows and bombarded with smoke bombs
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The defenders were left with no water and had to accept the Mongol offer of a peaceful surrender
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But as soon as they left the protection of their camp, they were attacked
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the Allies were surrounded on all sides
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except for a small gap
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Intentionally left open giving hope to many who took this chance to escape
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Subutai laid this trap as he preferred to have those men be killed in smaller groups by the
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faster horse archers who picked them off one by one
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Only 1 in 10 warriors in the allied army managed to avoid death or capture
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as for Mstislav of Kiev and the Rus Nobles they were tied up and placed beneath a wooden platform on which
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The Mongol generals feasted while the Russians were crushed beneath them
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Subutai then passed through the other side for the Caspian Sea
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defeating even more Kipchaks and Volga Bulgars on the way back to Mongolia
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While the Mongols didn't conquer new lands on this grand expedition.
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They gained knowledge about the landscape the people and their armies
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Upon returning from the great raid Subutai wasted no time resting as he was assigned a new mission
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punishing the vassal kingdom of Xi Xia for not contributing to the Mongol campaigns
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Genghis Khan never tolerated betrayal and so he mustered a colossal force
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only this time the Mongols knew the territory and the art of the siege the
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Kingdom quickly fell and the emperor was murdered
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However, before the invasion began Genghis fell from his horse and injured his shoulder
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He quickly developed a high fever and was advised to go back to Mongolia and rest,
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but the Great Khan pushed forward
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Life is full of irony and the Xi Xia would be the very first and the very last people conquered by Genghis
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On August 18th, 1227 at the age of 66 Genghis Khan passed away
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Genghis' empire endured after his death through a series of laws
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He developed and the capable children he had raised
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He had tried multiple times to deal with the looming question of succession
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before the campaign in Khwarazm
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He gathered his four sons in a tent and prepared to break another Mongol tradition
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According to which when a father died,
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his domain was inherited by the youngest son while the herd was divided between the rest
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Genghis Khan, however, urged his sons to maintain the unity of the Empire
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They helped him build and asked Jochi to take the floor and speak his mind
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Before he could say a word
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Chagatai who rumors claimed was the real firstborn to Genghis
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Insulted him saying that he was not one of them and that he would never follow him as Great Khan
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Genghis decided the best way to keep the Empire intact was to give each son lands where they could settle and rule
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as long as they respected the Great Khan
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The third son Ögedei would be the one to ascend to the throne
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Jochi was promised Persia and Europe, Chagatai was given Central Asia
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Ögedei would get China while the youngest Tolui would take care of Mongolia and
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So this family dispute over the Empire of one man led to lines being drawn all over the known world
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Creating a division which put the Mongol legacy in danger
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Genghis Khan passed away in 1229 and his son Ögedei became the Great Khan
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he was a talented administrator who transformed the Mongols from a tributary to a tax based Empire and
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commissioned the construction of the capitol Karakorum
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he developed the Yasa law, created a postal service, introduced paper currency, and
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created civil service exams open to everyone while implementing a culture of religious tolerance
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This colossal shift from nomadic to bureaucratic governance led to a period of prosperity
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Called the Pax Mongolica
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In the next few decades Mongol conquests had three main directions
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central and southern China
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Central Asia Iran the Caucasus and the Middle East and
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modern-day, Russia and Eastern Europe
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As these three were often detached theatres. Each of the next three videos will focus on one direction
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starting with the invasion of Europe
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In 1235 the Mongol Kurultai decided to
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send a big army to conquer Europe
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130,000 commanded by the son of Jochi, Batu headed to the region
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By 1237 Volga Bulgaria was conquered
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Crimea and the lands of the Kipchaks, Alans, and others were next and by the end of summer of that year
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All the lands to the east of the Don River belonged to the Mongols
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In November Batu Khan sent his envoys to the court of Prince Yuri II of Vladimir-Suzdal and
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Demanded his allegiance
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it is not clear what happened during this embassy
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but in February of 1238, the capital of the princedom Vladimir was razed by the Mongols
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the chronology of events are open to debate, but we know that in 1238 and 1239
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many Rus princedoms were destroyed and their capitals were razed
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the Mongols moved fast, dividing and conquering along the way not allowing the Rus to unite their forces
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The biggest open battle of this campaign happened near the River Sit and the Mongols prevailed
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The only major cities to escape destruction were Novgorod and Pskov. as they accepted Mongol Authority
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By the end of 1239 the Mongols returned beyond the Don.
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Batu had to send some of his forces south to help in the conquest of the Caucasus
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while the forces of Möngke were recalled to Mongolia
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so the Mongols spent the spring of 1240 recruiting troops from local tribes
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In the summer of the same year the Mongols restarted their offensive
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The biggest most prosperous Rus city, Kiev was besieged in September
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The Envoy sent in were killed and the city fell after a three-month long siege
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All 50,000 locals were massacred
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With the Rus' principalities belonging to the Golden Horde, the Mongols now looked towards Central Europe.
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The Venetians delivered on their deal with Subutaï
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and provided him with valuable information on the kingdom's they were facing
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Which allowed him to plan a devastating campaign against all of Europe.
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In December of 1240 the Mongols were ready to pounce on Poland and Hungary
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Batu sent several messengers to the high duke of Poland Henry II and the king of Hungary Bella IV.
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Both of these envoys were killed.
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The Mongols invaded Central Europe in three columns
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The first group was tasked with distracting Poland. Baidar, Kadan, and Orda with two Tumens.
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the second mainly Batu and Subutaï with three to four Tumens,
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crossed the Carpathian Mountains through the Verecke pass and a third followed the Danube River
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In late 1240 the first force advanced against Poland with a remarkable speed of 50 miles per day
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Sacking Lublin and Sandomierz on the 13th of February 1241
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They then split their force
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One Tumen under Orda moved to central Poland and another and Baidar and Kadan swept south
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Defeating a small contingent at the Battle of Tuskov in late February 1240
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the capital of Poland Krakow was abandoned looted and then burned
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Then the Mongols advanced on the central city of Silesia Wroclaw
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Which was left undefended by the Polish nobility in the hope of buying more time to assemble an army
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While setting up for a siege of the city Baidar and Kadan received reports that a great host was marching towards them
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So they turned from Wroclaw to intercept the Polish army before it got a chance to unite with the big Bohemian army
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The two armies met on April 9th at the field of Legnica
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the Polish army led by Henry II had around 7 to 8 thousand troops most of them from Poland
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with contingents from Moravia, Bavaria, and the Teutonic order
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while the Mongol force under Baidar was slightly less numerous
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with around 6,000 troops
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the Polish force consisted of heavy cavalry, infantry, and peasants
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while the Mongol force was made up of the usual horse archers and heavy Lancers
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The battlefield was a plain surrounded by small rivers
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the center of the Christian army consisted of three lines of cavalry with
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Infantry on the flanks and a smaller reserve under Henry in the rear
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Baidar divided his troops into four divisions each with a mix of horse archers and lancers
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The first line of the Polish cavalry charged against the Mongol vanguard,
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but was pushed back after some initial success
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Henry then sent the rest of his cavalry forward and this time under the pressure the Mongols began to withdraw
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the allied cavalry gave chase
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separating themselves from the infantry
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a signal was given by the Mongol commander to set fire to the plants growing on the field
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This created a dense smoke and smell unbearable to the Christian army,
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and it's infantry on the flanks failed to see the battlefield clearly
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In that moment the Mongol horse archers began firing at the confused riders disorientated by the smoke
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The cavalry was annihilated and that left only the unarmored peasants on the flanks completely exposed
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With no support, the Polish wings were massacred. Henry attempted to flee from the battlefield
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But was caught killed and beheaded
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His severed head was displayed on a pike in front of the town of Legnica striking fear into the populace
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While Baidar was busy slaughtering the Polish nobility at Legnica
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600km to the south king Bella of Hungary was lining up his armies for battle
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after Six days of chasing the main Mongol force under Batu and Subutai in a campaign eerily similar to Kalka
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He ordered a fortified camp of wagons to be constructed near the Sajo River refusing to take the bait
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While the terrain was plain the river had flooded and could only be crossed vara narrow 200 metre long bridge
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The Mongols had around 15 to 20,000 troops and were outnumbered by the
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40,000 strong Hungarian army of which about 15,000 were cavalry
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The Hungarians had contingents from Croatia Austria and the order of the Templars
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After hearing that the Mongols were crossing the bridge under the veil of darkness
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the Hungarians moved marching 7km in the dark
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and descending upon the bridge at midnight
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The Mongol Vanguard was destroyed as their horse archers were exposed during the night
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and unprepared for the enemy crossbowmen
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The Hungarian army left a small force to guard the bridge
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as they returned to camp to celebrate
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thinking that the invaders had been repulsed
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on the morning of April 11th, 1241
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Subutai sent a force north to cross through a shallow spot in the river
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while he was making his way south for a makeshift bridge
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Meanwhile, Batu ordered seven heavy catapults to bombard and distract the crossbow man guarding the bridge
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After stalling for a while, the northern troops descended upon the bridge guards from the rear and routed them
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At the Hungarian camp a great argument broke out as the king was blamed for not preparing his force for another engagement
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This gave time for the Mongols to cross the river
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Still the Hungarians were once again gaining the upper hand as Batu failed to organize his troops in a proper formation
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As the Mongols were being pushed against the river with nowhere to run
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Subutai miraculously joined the engagement and attacks the Hungarians from the rear
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Subutai then rallied the troops who had seen heavy casualties
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and ordered them to surround the Hungarian camp
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to which Bella had retreated
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Their mangonels bombarded the camp with stones while archers shot flaming arrows
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The Hungarians attempted to break the encirclement on three occasions but were repelled each time
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Once again, the Mongols left a gap giving Hungarian troops hope of escape
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Most of the defenders fled for their lives only to be chased down by more archers lying in ambush
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This trick meant that the Mongols would be killing the enemy while they were running
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Instead of fighting for their lives which allowed them to avoid extra casualties
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The Hungarian army ceased to exist
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Bella made it to safety. But the entire population of Hungary was left at the mercy of Subutai's troops
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In the span of two days the strongest kingdoms of Central Europe were defeated
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With free reign over Hungary the Mongols did what they did best ravaged the countryside
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Starting with peast more than half of the settlements in the plains of Hungary were destroyed
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It is said that Hungary lost around 500,000 of its population
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the Mongols then invaded Serbia and Bulgaria
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these lands were ravaged and Bulgaria was forced to become a tributary to the Mongols for several decades
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as the situation was only getting direr the Pope called for an anti Mongol crusade
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Meanwhile, the Holy Roman Emperor began to levy his troops and organize a defense
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The Mongols were planning to reach the Atlantic Ocean and there was no army strong enough to stand in their way
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However, this was not to occur
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the Great Khan Ögedei passed away in December of 1241
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and Batu along with most of his troops had to return to Mongolia
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to participate in the elections of the next leader of the Mongol Empire
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Europe was saved
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After his defeat at the Battle of the Indus River in the spring of 1221 the Prince of the Khwarezmian Empire
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Jalal ad-Din continued retreating deeper into Punjab
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Soon the Mongol troops stopped chasing him
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Jalal ad-Din spent the next three years gathering his forces in the area and even took over most of Punjab
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He attempted to get the Mamluk Sultan of Delhi to ally against the Mongols
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But the latter wasn't eager to draw the ire of Genghis
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Instead in 1224, the sultan attacked Jalal ad-Din
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The prince was forced to leave Lahore.
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He raided Gujarat and then returned to Iran in the same year
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As his father was long dead Jalal ad-Din claimed the throne of Khwarazm
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Iran and the Caucasus had been weakened by Jebe and Subutai a few years before
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so he had an easy time consolidating the region
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He destroyed the state of the Atabeks of Azerbaijan and moved his capital to Tabriz away from Mongol reach
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In the same year, he vassalised the Shirvinshahs and attacked Georgia
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In 1226, the Georgians were defeated at the Battle of Garni
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Tbilisi was captured after that and both the Christian and Muslim population of the city were massacred
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The Mongol sent a small army to Iran in 1227, but Jalal Ad-Din crushed it near Ray
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His activity in the area provoked a response
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the Sultan of the Seljuks of Rum Kayqubad I,
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Ayyubid sultan Al Kamil
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and the king of Cilicia Armenia Hethum I
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United their forces against him in 1228
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and the Khwarezmian forces were soundly defeated near Erevan
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This war weakened him
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and all over Iran and the Caucasus rebellions against him began
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The Great Khan Ögedei used this and sent an army under Chormagan to conquer Iran once again
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The Mongols won a battle against the Shah somewhere in central Iran in 1231
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Jalal ad-Din retreated all the way to modern Turkey with the Mongols chasing
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Finally, Jalal ad-Din was assassinated in Sylvan and the Khwarezmian Empire ceased to exist
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The Seljuks Silesia and Georgia became the vassals of the Great Khan
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Little of note happened in the region in the next decade as the Mongols were busy with the campaign in Eastern Europe
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But when Ögedei passed away in 1241
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The Mongol governor of the region Baiju asks the Seljuk Sultan Kaykhusraw II to renew his vassal oath
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The latter refused and raided another Mongol vassal, Georgia
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Baiju pushed the Seljuks back and moved towards Erzurum
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The envoys sent to the city
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Were not killed but insulted
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Still, Erzurum was taken and its population was massacred
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The Mongols then retreated to amass more troops in Georgia and Armenia
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Sultan Kaykhusraw II asked his allies to help and received minor assistance from Nicaea
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Trapezun the Ayyubids and even recruited some mercenaries from among the Crusaders
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the 30,000 strong Mongol army moved into Seljuq territory in 1243
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and Kaykhusraw 60,000 met them in June at Köse Dağ near modern-day Sivas
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We know very little about the ensuing battle
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But the mongols feigned retreat yet again and forced the Seljuk vanguard which had around
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20,000 troops to chase them as
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Soon as a significant gap formed between the vanguard and the rest of the Sultan's forces the Mongols turned back
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surrounded and crushed the soldiers
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The Sultan and his advisors retreated and the seljuqs were forced to become Mongol vassals yet again
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In Mongolia
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Möngke became the Great Khan in 1251 and gave his brothers Kublai and Hulagu
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supervisory roles in China and Persia respectively
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In 1256 Hulagu entered the Middle East with more than 100,000 warriors
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He conquered the remnants of the Khwarazmian Empire
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and then moved against the legendary Ḥashashiyan order
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These renowned and feared assassins held dozens of fortresses
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But a combination of infighting and the fact that by now the Mongols were experts at siege warfare
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Inflicted heavy casualties upon them their Grandmaster surrendered and handed all the fortresses to Hulagu
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With all of Iran secured Hulagu sent words to the Abbasid caliph, Al-Musta'sim
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Demanding his obedience, but the latter refused
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on January 11th, 1258 the Mongols approached Baghdad
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the biggest and most prosperous city of its time
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Al-Musta'sim, finally decided to meet them in battle and sent out a force of 20,000 cavalry to attack the Mongols
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These troops defeated the Mongol vanguard, but rather than retreat to the safety of the city walls
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they set up camp and enjoyed a feast of celebration
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the next morning, they were surrounded by the Mongols on one side and by the river on the other
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Those who were not killed in the slaughter drowned
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The Mongols built walls around the city to provide safety for the siege engines
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as well as to prevent the defenders from breaking out
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Al-Musta'sim made attempts to negotiate peace, but that ship had already sailed
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By February 10th 1258 the city surrendered under a constant barrage of catapult fire
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The sacking continued for seven days and only the Christian population of the city was spared
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The grand library of Baghdad was burned to the ground
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This destruction put an end to the Islamic Golden Age and moved to the center of power from Baghdad to Cairo
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For the first time in Muslim history Islam had no caliph
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Hulagu didn't intend to stop as he pushed forwards toward Syria
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Aside from the coastal territory belonging to the Crusader States
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Most of the Levant was still under the control of the Ayyubids Sultanate
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which was weakened by the loss of Egypt to the Mamluks
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The Ayyubids offered to pay tribute, but Hulagu was not interested
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He was joined by the Georgians Armenians and the troops of the Crusader Prince Bohemond VII
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and On January 18th, 1260
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Aleppo was besieged and suffered the same fate as Baghdad
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This caused massive panic and resulted in the cities of Homs and Damascus
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willingly surrendering sparing themselves from destruction
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But suddenly grave news was delivered to Hulagu
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the Great Khan Möngke died of sickness during the war against the Song Dynasty in China
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This sent a ripple through the empire and halted the massive campaigns
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The Empire was on the brink of Civil War and Hulagu left the Levant for Mongolia
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One or Two Tumen stayed in the region under the command of Kitbuqa
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The Mamluks were offered peace, but they knew that Hulagu left with the majority of his troops,
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so the Mongol envoys were killed
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Kitbuqa tried to form an alliance with the Crusader States. However, that attempt failed
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Mamluk sultan Qutuz assembled his army and moved to Palestine
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When news of this reached Kitbuqa, he prepared to meet the Mamluks army,
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but a rebellion in Damascus slowed him down
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Meanwhile, the Mamluks moved north and camped outside of Acre
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Mongol spies reported back to Kitbuqa that the enemy army outnumbered his at least two to one
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Still the Mongol general left Damascus with an army of some 25,000 men
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made up of Mongols Georgians and Armenians
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in Early, September 1260. He crossed the Jordan River and entered the valley near the village of Ain Jalut
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Where according to legend David slew Goliath
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The Mongol cavalry charged the Mamluk Vanguard commanded by Baibars
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This group broke under the charge and fled up the valley,
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Kitbuqa gave chase
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but in reality
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The Mongols were falling for their own trick
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as Baibar's was luring his enemies in with his retreat
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The Mongols pursued the broken vanguard to the valley
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where Qutuz awaited with most of his forces
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Baibars his troops finally reached the mainline
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Despite having vastly superior numbers the Sultan was cautious and stayed in position
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Kitbuqa used that and decided to commit all of his troops.
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The Mongols were to engage the entire Mamluk army
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The Mongol second line was ordered to wheel right
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and run the Mamluk front ranks towards Qutuz' left-wing
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The entire left flank of the Muslim army started crumbling under the Mongol pressure
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the Sultan tried to regain his left side for hours
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his troops from the right flank were sent to the left
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and eventually, the Mongols were pushed back and the left side was restored
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Qutuz sent his reserves to the extreme wings
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It was the moment for the final attack
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and Qutuz personally led his bodyguards into battle
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The Mongol army fought well,
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but they were pinned in place by the overwhelming numbers of their foe
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When all the Mongol troops were engaged
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Qutuz sent his extreme flanks into the attack
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The Mongols were close to being surrounded
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and when their leader died in the center they started to flee
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They lost between five and ten thousand warriors
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The Mamluks won at Ain Jalut using their superior numbers
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and by mirroring the usual Mongol tactics
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Ain Jalut also made the Mamluks into the most significant Muslim power of its time
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Internal conflicts over the succession delayed the Mongol response
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and while they didn't know it yet
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This would be their Zenith
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and the beginning of the end of the greatest empire the world had ever seen
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The Great Khan Möngke died in 1259 while campaigning against the Song
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His youngest brother Ariq was in the capital Karakoram while Kublai and Hulagu were campaigning
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Instead of returning home, Kublai decided to finish his fight against the Song
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Ariq declared himself the Great Khan with the support of the noble houses
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who saw Kublai as too soft because of his Buddhist beliefs
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Upon learning this Kublai declared himself Khan and marched against his brother starting a civil war
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Meanwhile to the west, the Muslim leader of the Golden Horde Berke wasn't going to forgive the sacking of Baghdad
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He used the fact that Hulagu was on his way to China to start raiding the territories of the Ilkhanates
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the territory of the house of Chagatai
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Separated the two civil wars within the Mongol Empire
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But it would be used as a political chip in the conflict.
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The Empire was now divided into five parts
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The war between Ariq and Kublai is known as the Toluid Civil War
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We know very little about this conflict, but it started in 1260 and lasted for four years
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During this war, Kublai made the crucial decision to leave South China and focus on the north
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while the Song were retaking some of their lost territories with nearly no resistance
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Ariq attacks the Western Xia territories that was repelled
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Kublai then advanced on Karakoram which was left abandoned and razed it to the ground
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At the same time, both Ariq and Kublai attempted to place their candidates on the throne of the Chagatai Khanate
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Ariq intercepted Kublai's nominee and assassinated him Chagatai's grandson Alghu was made the Khan
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However when Ariq's situation deteriorated Alghu declined to help him in the war and even killed his envoys
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Kublai failed to use that to his advantage as he had to pull back his forces to parts of China which were in open rebellion
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This allowed Ariq to go to war against Alghu and while he did win this conflict over the Chagatai Khanate
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He did so with heavy casualties
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As a result, many of his allies deserted him including his own son.
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Who stole the seal of the Great Khan and delivered it to Kublai
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Left with no supporters or supplies
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Ariq traveled to Shangdu alone and personally surrendered himself to his brother
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Kublai became the new Great Khan
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apart from bringing discord to the Empire
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This civil war pushed Kublai towards an even stronger affiliation with the Chinese troops bureaucrats and population
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Meanwhile, Hulagu and Berke were fighting along their borders in the Caucasus and Khurasan
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Hulagu returned to the area in 1262
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In the same year his son, Abaqa moved into the Golden Horde territory via Central Asia who had suffered a defeat
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Emboldened Berke's army supported by Ariq counter-attacked but lost decisively somewhere to the east of the Caspian Sea
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Hulagu then decided to use the route taken by Subutai and moved into the Horde's territory using the pass of Durban
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Initially this campaign looked promising and the enemy retreated under the pressure
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Hulagu sent a portion of his force led by his son to pursue the foe
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They came upon a deserted but world provisioned camp and decided to rest and feast
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This however was a trap and they were surprised by the main force of the Golden Horde
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After heavy fighting the Ilkhanate's troops began to retreat over the frozen Terek River
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With the ice cracked under the weight of men and horses and many drowned in the freezing water
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Hulagu was forced to retreat to the south and Berke regained much of his lost territory
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Neither side had enough strength to continue the war
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and when Ariq surrendered to Kublai the Golden Horde also accepted his authority
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in 1265 Hulagu passed away followed by Berke in 1266
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That ended the hostilitiesk
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But still the Mongol Empire was broken and the legacy of Genghis was represented by four different states
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With the civil wars over Kublai Khan worked tirelessly to transform the Mongol Empire into the Yuan Dynasty
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The capital was moved to a city called Khanbaliq or Dadu which would later become Beijing
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in 1271 Kublai declared himself Emperor
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He and his descendants slowly became more Chinese than Mongol
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He built over 20,000 public schools was a patron of the arts
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and constantly met with people from all around the world including Marco Polo
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the Emperor issued
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Incorruptible paper bills backed by silver which were accepted across the entire Mongol Empire
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Something unheard of until then
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Kublai transformed the vast network of
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1,400 postal stations to work as trading outposts as well opening China to the world like never before
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this spread ideas
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gunpowder other inventions and unfortunately the Black Death
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he created a highly efficient centralised government and
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Transformed the army
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gone were the days of the horde his army now consisted of a small Corps of Mongol warriors
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and a massive number of Chinese troops
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Kublai decided to take on the Song again, but he knew that he had to adopt new strategies
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Song China had no hope of stopping the Mongols in open battle,
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but they had some of the best fortresses of their time
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The best of those was the one in Xiangyang which had supplies for years and had tall double walls
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Kublai knew that in order to fulfill his grandfather's vision of conquering China he had to evolve his army
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5,000 Yuan ships were built and crews of
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Experienced North Chinese and Korean sailors were recruited
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with the purpose of taking the rivers of China and blocking enemy supplies
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This new navy came with 70,000 trained marines and was a testament to how adaptable the Mongols were
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The siege of Xiangyang went on for six years as it held the most valuable
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position in China and its defenders knew that if the city fell the whole of China would follow
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Multiple attempts were made by the Song to break out from all reinforce the city, but they didn't stand a chance
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What finally broke the fortress was a new design of counterweights trebuchet that was able to fire
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300kg stones from a distance of 500 meters
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Xiangyang, which had held out for years fell in days in 1273
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Kublai's forces quickly swept through southern China and although their position was now hopeless the Song court raised
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Eight-year-old, Zhao Bing to the throne
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The Song sent emissaries to negotiate a peace, but they were rejected
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They ran from city to city seeking salvation and eventually boarded a huge fleet
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Kublai moved his navy to attack the Song vessels and the decisive battle of this campaign
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hmppened at Yamen on March 19th,1279
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The remainder of the Song fleet consisted of 1,000 ships,
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but most of them were transports with a vast number of civilians on board
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Meanwhile, Kublai's fleet had around 300 warships manned by 20,000 experienced marines
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And he also had the advantage of holding the nearby lands and supplies
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some within the Song forces suggested that the Navy should first claim the mouth of the bay
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to secure their line of retreat to the west
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Their commander Zhang Shijie turned down this suggestion
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in order to prevent his soldiers from fleeing the battle
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He ordered the burning of all palaces houses and forts on land for the same reason
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Next the entire fleet of 1,000 ships was to be chained together forming one
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Horizontal line with the Emperor's ship at the center
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This was done to prevent desertion and to show that it was the last stand
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The battle started with the Yuan forces filling small boats with combustible materials
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and sending them towards the Song formation
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The Song anticipated this move and already painted their ships with mud
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They were also equipped with large poles that used to prevent the fire ships from coming too close
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The Yuan then blockaded the bay from either side
06:12
and forced the Chinese to eat dry food and drink river water for a few days
06:16
This still was not enough to break their spirits
06:21
Seeing as their enemy wouldn't budge the Yuan divided their force into four units
06:27
and began attacking from all sides on separate smaller fronts
06:32
As the Song ships were chained together. They were sitting ducks unable to change formation and work together
06:37
The Yuan hit them from the north when the tide was low and from the south when it was high
06:44
Not allowing them a moment to rest
06:49
Still the Chinese fought bravely and inflicted heavy casualties on the Mongols with their arrows
06:52
Suddenly these attacks stopped
07:01
Festive music and laughter started coming from Kublai's ships
07:03
Thinking that the Yuan were now distracted the Song warriors decided to rest
07:08
However, this music was a signal for a general attack
07:13
The whole Yuan Navy was sent into the center under the cover of arrow fire
07:17
All the Song soldiers could do from the flanks was watch as their comrades were being slaughtered by the thousands including civilians
07:22
Seeing that all hope was lost. One of the Song emperor's close advisors grabbed him and jumped into the water committing suicide
07:31
Zhao Bing would be the last Song emperor
07:39
China was once again unified under the Yuan the first foreign dynasty to do so
07:43
Although the Mongol realm was now shattered. The story of Genghis descendants was far from over
07:49
We would like to express our gratitude to our patreon supporters and channel members who make the creation of our videos possible
07:58
Now you can also support us by buying our merchandise via the link in the description
08:06
This is the kings and Generals channel and we will catch you on the next one
08:12
歌词与翻译
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我们正在更新此部分，敬请期待！
重点词汇
开始练习
| 词汇 | 含义 |
|---|---|
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empire /ˈɛmpaɪər/ B1 |
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steppe /stɛp/ B2 |
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khan /kɑːn/ B1 |
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tribes /traɪbz/ A2 |
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confederacy /kənˈfɛdərəsi/ C1 |
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nomadic /noʊˈmædɪk/ B2 |
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rivalry /ˈraɪvəlri/ B2 |
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exiled /ˈɛksaɪld/ B1 |
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enslaved /ɛnˈsleɪvd/ B1 |
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aristocracy /ˌærɪˈstɒkrəsi/ C1 |
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popularity /ˌpɒpjʊˈlærɪti/ B1 |
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loyalty /ˈlɔɪəlti/ B1 |
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spoils /spɔɪlz/ B2 |
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hospitality /ˌhɒspɪˈtælɪti/ B2 |
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revolutionized /ˌrɛvəˈluːʃənaɪzd/ C1 |
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decimal /ˈdɛsɪməl/ B2 |
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Kurultai /ˈkʊrʊltaɪ/ C1 |
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siege /siːdʒ/ B2 |
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guerilla /ɡəˈrɪlə/ B2 |
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massacre /ˈmæsəkər/ B2 |
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重点语法结构
即将推出！
我们正在更新此部分，敬请期待！
相关歌曲