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1241 CEReputable sourceWell documented

The Mongol Invasion of Europe

On the timeline · around 1241 CE · The Mongol Invasion of Europe117512001225125012751300

What happened

Between 1237 and 1242 the Mongols swept out of the east, overrunning the Rus principalities and then Poland and Hungary. In 1241 they crushed European armies at Legnica and at Mohi, and sacked cities as far west as Hungary — only to withdraw when the Great Khan Ögedei died.

Why it matters

The Mongol onslaught shattered eastern European kingdoms and showed Christendom a terrifying new power from the steppe; only the death of a khan, not any European army, halted the advance.

Sources

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