Mang‘it was the site of battles during the Russian army's Khivan campaign of 1873. The first battle was slightly north of Mang‘it in the morning of 20 May 1873 when Russian troops advancing south under General Nikolai Aleksandrovich Veryovkin were attacked Yomut Turkmen forces. After several fierce skirmishes, the Russians drove off the Turkmen cavalry, which retreated toward Mang‘it. Russian forces entered Mang‘it at 3 p.m. that day to find that the Yomuts had left. Russian troops did kill several Uzbek inhabitants who had remained and fired upon the invading force from the windows of houses in the town.