page_title: Mongol invasion of Europe
section_title: Invasion of Poland
hierarchical_section_title: Mongol invasion of Europe / Invasion of Central Europe / Invasion of Poland
caption_attribution_description: The Mongols at Liegnitz. They display the head of Henry II of Silesia. Freytag's Hedwig manuscript, 1451. Wroclaw University Library, Inv. no. IV F 192, fol. 6 v. See also Image:HedwigManuscriptLiegnitz_a.jpg and Image:HedwigAltar.jpg.
context_page_description: The Mongol invasion of Europe in the 13th century occurred from the 1220s into the 1240s. In Eastern Europe, the Mongols destroyed Volga Bulgaria, Cumania, Alania, and the Kievan Rus' federation. In Central Europe, the Mongol armies launched a two-pronged invasion of fragmented Poland, culminating in the Battle of Legnica, and the Kingdom of Hungary, culminating in the Battle of Mohi. Invasions also were launched into the Caucasus against the Kingdom of Georgia and the Chechens and Ingush, as well as into the Balkans against Croatia, the Second Bulgarian Empire, and the Latin Empire. The operations were planned by General Subutai and commanded by Batu Khan and Kadan. Both men were grandsons of Genghis Khan. Their conquests integrated much of Eastern European territory into the empire of the Golden Horde. Warring European princes realized they had to cooperate in the face of a Mongol invasion, so local wars and conflicts were suspended in parts of central Europe, only to be resumed after the Mongols had withdrawn. After the initial invasions, subsequent raids and punitive expeditions continued into the late 13th century.
context_section_description: The Mongols invaded Central Europe with three armies. One army defeated an alliance which included forces from fragmented Poland and their allies, led by Henry II the Pious, Duke of Silesia in the Battle of Legnica. A second army crossed the Carpathian mountains and a third followed the Danube. The armies re-grouped and crushed Hungary in 1241, defeating the Hungarian army at the Battle of Mohi on April 11, 1241. The devastating Mongol invasion killed half of Hungary's population. The armies swept the plains of Hungary over the summer, and in early 1242 regained impetus and extended their control into Dalmatia and Moravia. The Great Khan had, however, died in December 1241, and on hearing the news, all the "Princes of the Blood," against Subotai's recommendation, went back to Mongolia to elect the new Khan.
  After sacking Kiev, Batu Khan sent a smaller group of troops to Poland, destroying Lublin and defeating an inferior Polish army. Other elements—not part of the main Mongol force—saw difficulty near the Polish-Galich border.
  The Mongols then reached Polaniec on the Czarna Hańcza, where they set up camp. There, the Voivode attacked them with the remaining Cracovian knights, which were few in number, but determined to vanquish the invader or die. Surprise gave the Poles an initial advantage and they managed to kill many Mongol soldiers. When the invaders realized the actual numerical weakness of the Poles, they regrouped, broke through the Polish ranks and defeated them. During the fighting, many Polish prisoners of war found ways to escape and hide in the nearby woods. The Polish defeat was partly influenced by the initially successful Polish knights having been distracted by looting.
caption: The Mongols at Legnica display the head of King Henry II of the Duchy of Silesia.
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