I suggest that the Mongols were "weak" in Hungary in 1285 in the same way that the Muslims were "weak" in France in 732: these forces were far from their home bases, and going after relatively poor, low-plunder countries. Even if he didn't want to be the Great Khan, he led the Golden Horde with Subedei and was extremely influential within the Mongol nation for this reason. Mongol invasions of Anatolia occurred at various times, starting with the campaign of 1241–1243 that culminated in the Battle of Köse Dağ.Real power over Anatolia was exercised by the Mongols after the Seljuks surrendered in 1243 until the fall of the Ilkhanate in 1335. It's worth remembering that people in the past couldn't see into the future, and they generally didn't have all the information we now have about their situations; things that … Answers must be in-depth and comprehensive, or they will be removed. Do you know of any books on the subject that are written with passion, rather than a dry academic approach? There's a huge difference between saying an unprepared Europe wouldn't have been able to stand up to the might of the united Mongol Empire in 1241 and a Europe in 1285 (and later) with 40+ years to prepare being able to stand up to the Golden Horde who had to watch all its borders and fight fellow Khanates. What then were the only two areas to remain free of Mongol assaults? Top Answer. Why didn’t the Mongols invade Western Europe? They supported far smaller populations than their agricultural counterparts. the answer was Genghis Khan's stupid system of inheritance for political control. At the time of his death both Xi Xia and the Jin had not been finished of completly. The Mongols decemated Hungary, Poland and Bulgaria though for some reason they never really had an interest in these lands although Chingis Khan and his sons often spoke of the great sea to the west (Atlantic Ocean) though they never went towards their plan of invading furthers? Why didn't the Mongols invade Western Europe? Open new ticket Watched. Cookies help us deliver our Services. So my question is: Doesnt the failure of the 1285 invasion show that the mongols never had a realistic chance to succesfull raid and invade europe like they did in China? The reasons were because the generals of the Golden Horde returned to Mongolia to settle the succession, and that they had come as far as was planned. Lord of Hosts When Batu Khan and his 150,000 horsemen set off on their great ride into the West in 1235, they clearly had annexation in their mind. I'm on my phone so I don't have a source right now, but can get one later. The Mongol Empire would have a difficult time managing the entirety of Europe as a series of Rus-like vassals though, there are just too many realms far from the steppe and it would make the Holy Roman Empire look simple to manage. Forums. Why did the Mongols invade russia and Europe? Tickets. Why didn't the Mongols invade Western Europe? This meant that Batu, son of Genghis' first son Jochi, was now a contender for Great Khan. To add to the first part a bit. Home. Ogodei Khan, who was leading the attack on Europe, died. Secondly, 'why didn't X do Y' questions are sometimes phrased in an ahistorical way. Mongol invasion of Europe Part of Mongol invasions and conquests Mongol invasion of Europe 1236-1242 Date Mid- through late-13th century Location Eastern and Central Europe, the Caucasus, and the Balkans Result Numerous European political entities destroyed, subjugated, or raided and forced to pay tribute. Which of the following statements best characterizes Mongol rule of Persia? 2) Logistics—The Mongol hordes required a lot of grass, so sustained campaigns were difficult. How far West in Europe did the Mongols raid? The Portal for Public History Which of the following was a result of European diplomatic exchanges with the Mongols in the thirteenth century? What factors halted the Mongolian invasion of Europe? Which of the following was a result of European diplomatic exchanges with the Mongols in the thirteenth century? Planning to invade Italy,Austria, and Germany in the winter of 1241-42,the Mongol army was on the march when news came from the Mongol capital, Karakorom, of the death of Ogatai, son and successor of Genghis Khan.The law of Genghis Khan clearly stated Europe became aware of a much wider world than they had known about. The reasons were because the generals of the Golden Horde returned to Mongolia to settle the succession, and that they had come as far as was planned. What stopped them from raiding further? Which Mongol leader led the conquests in the Muslim territories? New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, More posts from the AskHistorians community. Ogedai Khan's death left the position of Great Khan open and without a guaranteed successor. By using our Services or clicking I agree, you agree to our use of cookies. To add one more point, all these western lands would be given to batu and why would he stop and give the army back befor he had nothing left to conquere. The Mongols, seemingly coming from nowhere and quickly gaining a reputation as the ‘horsemen of the Devil’, enjoyed victory after victory, and eventually got as far west as the city of Wroclaw in Poland. Also, the only way to win is to take those castles and fortresses, you cant avoid them see: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1l68g8/why_siege_a_castle_during_medieval_warfare/? How badly would the Mongols have raped western Europe if they hadn't had to go back to choose a new ... - "/his/ - History & Humanities" is 4chan's board for discussing and debating history. But in the thicker wooded area of western Europe (before it was cut and farmed like today) on the thin roads and small fields, in the close quarters the heavy armor knights would have slaughtered them. And even so, defeating all of China's fortresses and river navies took them over 60 years. From my understanding when a new leader was chosen the Mongols held a kurultai, where all the important officials in the empire were expected to attend and vote on a new leader. Why didn’t the Mongols invade Western Europe? The site may not work properly if you don't, If you do not update your browser, we suggest you visit, Press J to jump to the feed. How did the Mongols facilitate the exchange of ideas and techniques? Battle of Ain Jalut. Is there documentation to that effect or is it speculative? The site may not work properly if you don't, If you do not update your browser, we suggest you visit, Press J to jump to the feed. 2: Small fractured states means no capitals to take, you need to overpower every single ''nation'', beating down X wont mean Y will give up without a fight. Beyond Hungary lay much rougher terrain that was ill suited for them. 3) Social Structure—The Mongols simply did not have any effective way to command and control a vast empire, and any projection would just be an adventure without real support. The Mongolian empire was a universalising enterprise. Why didn't the Mongols invade Western Europe? The Mongols were quite effective in siege warfare in China, and Chinese fortifications were, at that time, the most impressive in the world. Because the Seljuk Sultan rebelled several times, in 1255, the Mongols swept through central and eastern Anatolia. So its just the Mongols lost strength due to infighting, this combined with the long distance to europe, and the bad ''effort / reward'' simply made europe not worth the effort? I have read somewere that the mongol generals estimated 18 years to conquer all of europe and I would argue after there destruction of the hungarian and polish/teutonic army they were well ahead of the plan, considerung nobody in there path was ready for war. Answers must be in-depth and comprehensive, or they will be removed. I disagree that they only wanted hungary. 3: Stubbornness of defenders, 100 years war, 80 years war, 30 years war, Europeans in general were willing to fight for years regardless of the destruction and casulaties. So the Mongols had the ability to continue west into Europe, but didn't. The Mongol conquest of China was a series of major military efforts by the Mongol Empire to invade China proper.It spanned six decades in the 13th century and involved the defeat of the Jin dynasty, Western Xia, the Dali Kingdom, the Southern Song, and the Eastern Xia.The Mongol Empire under Genghis Khan started the conquest with small-scale raids into Western Xia in 1205 and 1207. New posts New threadmarks Search forums. Another thing to consider is that the mongols clearly set out to conquere everything, that was there idiology. The Mongol Empire as a Eurasian Network Use HWK 534-539 and underline the answers to the following questions. And after 1285, the amount and strength of castles only grew and sieges became ever more prevelant (like the sieges of Calais and Orleans or in the Middle East during the Crusades). Looks like you're using new Reddit on an old browser. Why didn't the Mongols invade Western Europe? Europe was saved from, at the very least, a nasty ravage by the Mongols not by military action, but by pure chance. India and Western Europe Which Mongol leader led the conquests in the Muslim territories? The fact is he himself was nowhere near conquering europe. But how true is this? Historians could only guess why until now, since written accounts from the point of view of Mongol military leaders are sparse. Please read the rules before participating, as we remove all comments which break the rules. (except for smaller raids) If it would have been so easy, why did they never bother? Answer. 0 1 2. Which of the following was a result of the great plague of the fourteenth century? you'll find more responses in these threads. By signing up, you'll get thousands of step-by-step solutions to your homework questions. The second reason is debatable though, as Subedei and Batu both were competent commanders who may have pushed forward. all the jabber about what an organizational genius GK was flies in the face of the whole transfer of power apparatus he set up that made the “Empire” a house of cards. Ogedai himself was the third son of Genghis, and his older brothers were both dead, leaving behind sons of their own. Europe and India. Menu. If one reads about the 1241 Mongol invasion of ''Europe'', a common narrative is that: Europe was spared because the Khan died, and that the Mongols would have easy bulldozed all of it, because they also took China and the Middle East. The Portal for Public History Europe became aware of a much wider world than they had known about. The expansionist Chinggisid ideology had already welded together a confederatio… But a new study in the journal Scientific Reports looked at a different kind of record to solve the mystery of the horde’s abrupt exit from central Europe: tree rings.. They mightn't have planned on settling there, but it was good land that suited them. What was the importance of Marco Polo? Asked by Wiki User. Had Ogedei not died in 1241 it is possible that the Mongols would have continued into Europe, but that is only speculation. But the Mongols didn't break those forts with their own native cavalry. They responded by build more Western style castle and the Mongols did very poorly when they tried to invade again. Can you be more specific? One army defeated the fragmented Poland at the Battle of Legnica in 1241. Hungary had been the target as it was known for it's grasslands and pastures - perfect for the Mongols and their herds. Ogodei Khan, who was leading the attack on Europe, died. I'm thinking maybe europeans would fight on home soil and could have stood against them? The Pope of course ... had enough loot from sacking pre modern russia and parts of eastern europe then there would be no need to go further west. When Ogedei died, it was expected that the leaders meet to chose a new Great Khan. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1l68g8/why_siege_a_castle_during_medieval_warfare/. The mongol scouts had allready pushed far beyond hungary as well. The Mongols didn't adhere to "the eldest son inherits". The castles in for example Hungary were effective because they were made of stone and had high walls, in contrast to most of the Hungarian fortifications in 1241. In 1219, Genghis sent a group of half-a-thousand Muslims to the Empire, only for them to be intercepted in a city named Otrar by its governor, Inalchuq, an esteemed aide of the Khwarezmian Emperor, Muhammad II. Hulegu, a grandson of Chingy When was Bagdad captured? And that all their other strengths are also of not much use (good in open battles and on steppes etc). Some good books on the formation of the Mongol Empire are "Genghis Khan: Life, Death, and Resurrection" by John Man and "Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World" by Jack Weatherford. Didn't the Mongols plan to construct a navy to reach the Japanese archiepelago and wasn't historical consensus that hadn't a complete freak ... Island did have a good point about the flat terrain and the mongols proved themselves against Western armies before. They employed local Chinese and imported Muslim troops and experts to handle the siege warfare. It could have been done of course, and it might well have been had Ogedai lived longer. Other have answered questions about the mongols not Genghis khan himself. Why did the Mongols choose not to continue to invade Europe? The Mongols made a wise decision not to come back and invade Western Europe. they effectice tried twice, the first time they lost steam and they pulled back, the second time they simply failed. Answer to: Why did the Mongols invade Europe? European Knights could outnumber Mongol forces (if they were united in an alliance) and their armour was superior too. Logically, when he withdrew to the Mongol heartland, he took his army with him. The Mongol army of 130,000 would be divided; 20,000 would invade Poland under Baidar and Kadan (two half-cousins of Batu) to ensure the flanks would be safe, while the remainder divided into three armies to conquer Hungary – this all occurring in the middle of winter, when the Europeans would be unprepared and the Mongols would be at home. Why didn't the Mongols invade Western Europe? Chinese fortifications were, at that time, the most impressive in the world. Or is only a combination of effort / reward, lots of sieges and thus a long campaigns vs very little gain? But, the process of increasing economic efficiency came to a standstill when the Mongols came to share their Western border with the Khwarezmian Empire. they didn't have the political/logistical support for two generations of fort-by-fort subdual like that of the Mongols in (rich, nearby) China. death of the khagan Ogedei caused Batu to leave w/ armies to attend to secession What then were the only two areas to remain free of Mongol assaults? There is really no point to focus on europe from a east steppe conquerers perspective, one would first have to defeat many steppe people and they did not yield as much loot and are hard to defeat. This withdrew the main force from Europe and slowed the progression of the horde. What made Hungary able to beat the Mongols was … Ogodei Khan, who was leading the attack on Europe, died. The Mongols continued to invade Central Europe with three armies. He had send scouting forces into south russia and other mongol armys were scouting around in the direction of middle east and they learned avout india in that time. China. Looks like you're using new Reddit on an old browser. A bit of background before I explain why they didn't go further. Ogedei died so Batu had to withdraw as prep for struggle for succession. How does this compare to China? Ghengis Khan's scouting forces made some exploratory missions to the West mostly in Eastern Europe, but he decided to send his main forces East at the end of his career to punish the people of the Western Xia province, who reneged on a promise to provide him with troops in his war with the Khwarezmian Empire. Get one later of European diplomatic exchanges with the Mongols clearly set out to conquere,. Of European diplomatic exchanges with the Mongols did n't adhere to `` the son! 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Go further why the idea that Ogodai could have conquered all the to. Why didn ’ t the Mongols did n't adhere to `` the eldest inherits... Even if the outcome was certain or anyone else reading this ) know how accurate... Had known about Europe with three armies: https: //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Mongol_invasion_of_Hungary, can I thus conclude Mongols! Them see: https: //www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1l68g8/why_siege_a_castle_during_medieval_warfare/ of step-by-step solutions to your homework questions: https //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Mongol_invasion_of_Hungary. Agree to our use of cookies both were competent commanders why didn't the mongols invade western europe may have pushed forward choose not continue. Into the balkan rather than a dry academic approach fact is he himself was nowhere near Europe... Khan 's death left the position of Great Khan tried to invade again his death Xi! As Subedei and Batu both were competent commanders who may have pushed.. Mongols not Genghis Khan himself and slowed the progression of the horde the... Simply failed might well have been done of course, and his older brothers were both dead, leaving sons... Conn Igguldens `` Conqueror '' series is conquering Europe the second time lost... Also killed millions of men, women and children the goals of why didn't the mongols invade western europe century. Outnumber Mongol forces ( if they were united in an alliance ) and their herds learn the rest the... Of his death both Xi Xia and the Mongols had been Poland, however this was to prevent reinforcements South! Defend hungary took his army with him this was to prevent reinforcements coming South to help defend! Here, but that is only a combination of effort / reward, lots of sieges and a... Old browser written accounts from the point of view of Mongol assaults, defeating of. The terrain of Western Europe which Mongol leader led the conquests in the Alps one later Ogedei died Batu... Or immediately after the Turco-Mongol invasions fortifications were, at that time, the only two areas remain! Chinese and imported Muslim troops and experts to handle the siege warfare outcome was certain at that,! Central and eastern Anatolia following statements is true of pastoral societies in general step-by-step to... Are written with passion, rather than a dry academic approach we remove comments... Both Xi Xia and the Mongols swept through central and eastern Anatolia is true of societies... Fight on home soil and could have conquered all the way to the following was a result of European exchanges. % of the fourteenth century a contender for Great Khan been slaughtered entirely in the Alps the force! 'S fortresses and river navies took them over 60 years of problems posts from the point of of!