Farther into Europe

Geographers usually mark the dividing line between Asia and Europe as the Ural Mountains, so with their Russian invasion, the Mongols had

The Great Hunt

Chinggis Khan continued the nomad tradition of training his troops based on hunting techniques. During these "great hunts," thousands of soldiers rode through an area searching for game, driving the animals out of their hiding places. Some of the troops would ride ahead until they reached a line that had been marked out in advance. They would then ride back toward the main army and the animals, creating a circle that eventually tightened around the game. The hunted animals included wolves, wild boars, and tigers. Once the soldiers had completely surrounded the animals, they killed them, providing food for an army on the march.

Extended their empire into a new continent. But the push westward was not over, and by the end of 1240 the Mongols were ready to cross the Carpathian Mountains and enter Hungary. Batu and Subedei led this advance, while Baidar (dates unknown) and Kadan (dates unknown), two grandsons of Chinggis Khan, moved into Poland with a smaller force.

Early in 1241, the northern Mongol army crossed the frozen Vistula River and began attacking Polish cities. This army was trying to draw European forces out of Hungary, to pave the way for Subedei’s attack. Baidar swept through Krakow, which was then the Polish capital. The residents had already fled, and the Mongols burned the city. The Mongols continued through Poland, crossing the Oder River and reaching as far as Liegnitz. At the battle outside that city, the Mongols cut off the ears of their defeated enemy, taking enough to fill nine bags. Baidar and Kadan then turned south to join the main Mongol army in Hungary.

In April 1241, the Mongols launched their attack from four directions, surrounding the Hungarian forces. They soon reached the towns of Buda and Pest (which are today united in one city along the Danube River, Budapest, and serve as Hungary’s capital). The Mongols then sent scouts ahead into Austria, and one tumen prepared to go to Zagreb, the capital of modern Croatia. Rulers even farther west in Europe feared they might be the Mongols’ next victims. By the end of 1241, Europeans had heard the reports of the Mongols’ extreme violence. The reports included false-hoods-that the Mongol soldiers ate the flesh of their dead enemies, for ex-ample-but the truth was bad enough.

However, the further conquest of Europe never came. Early in 1242, Batu learned that Ogedei had died. He gathered his troops in Hungary and began the long ride back to Mongolia, to attend the quriltai that would choose the next Great Khan. The Mongol threat to Eastern and Central Europe was largely over, and they never again launched another major invasion there.