In March 1241, after a successful winter campaign, in which Mongol forces captured and ransacked Sandomierz, Asiatic hordes entered Poland in full force. Near Sandomierz, the Mongol forces were divided into two groups. The stronger one, probably with 15,000 warriors under Baidar and Orda Khan, headed westwards, defeating Poles in the Battle of Chmielnik. The second army, with 10,000 warriors under Kadan (according to Jan Długosz) headed northwards, to the Land of Łęczyca and Kujawy. On 19 March 1241 this army clashed with Polish knights near Tarczek. Most likely, the Polish forces which participated in the battle, were knights from Lesser Poland, survivors of the Battle of Chmielnik. They were defeated, and Tarczek itself was burned to the ground.
After the battle, the Mongols ransacked central Poland for a few more days. On 1 April 1241 they appeared in Kraków, and on 8 April they reached Wrocław, where they joined the army of Baidar.
Sources
Piastowie. Leksykon biograficzny, wyd. 1999, str. 397
Wielka Historia Polski cz. do 1320, wyd. Pinexx 1999, s. 187-188
Stanislaw Krakowski, Polska w walce z najazdami tatarskimi w XIII wieku, wyd. MON 1956, str.136-137
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The Battle of Legnica, also known as the Battle of Liegnitz or Battle of Wahlstatt, was a battle between the Mongol Empire and combined European forces that took place at the village of Legnickie Pole (Wahlstatt), approximately 10 kilometres (6 mi) southeast of the city of Legnica in the Duchy of Silesia on 9 April 1241.
Bolesław V the Chaste was Duke of Sandomierz in Lesser Poland from 1232 and High Duke of Poland from 1243 until his death, as the last male representative of the Lesser Polish branch of Piasts.
From the 1220s into the 1240s, the Mongols conquered the Turkic states of Volga Bulgaria, Cumania and Iranian state of Alania, and various principalities in Eastern Europe. Following this, they began their invasion into Central Europe by launching a two-pronged invasion of then-fragmented Poland, culminating in the Battle of Legnica, and the Kingdom of Hungary, culminating in the Battle of Mohi. Invasions were also launched into the Caucasus against the Kingdom of Georgia, the Chechens, the Ingush, and Circassia though they failed to fully subjugate the latter. More invasions were launched in Southeast Europe against Bulgaria, Croatia, and the Latin Empire. The operations were planned by General Subutai (1175–1248) and commanded by Batu Khan and Kadan, two 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.
Zawichost is a small town in Sandomierz County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, Poland. It is located by the Vistula River in Lesser Poland, near Sandomierz. It is first mentioned in historical documents from around 1148. In 1205 the Battle of Zawichost was fought nearby. In 1241, 1259 and 1287 the town was ravaged by Mongol raids. Granted town rights before 1255, in the late Middle Ages it was one of the most important urban centers of Lesser Poland.
Kadan was the son of the second Great Khan of the Mongols Ögedei and a concubine. He was the grandson of Genghis Khan and the brother of Güyük Khan. During the Mongol invasion of Europe, Kadan, along with Baidar and Orda Khan, led the Mongol diversionary force that attacked Poland, while the main Mongol force struck the Kingdom of Hungary.
Orda Ichen was a Mongol Khan and military strategist who ruled the eastern part of the Golden Horde during the 13th century.
Chmielnik is a town in Kielce County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, Poland. As of December 2021, it has a population of 3,557, and lies in historic Lesser Poland. The name of the town is derived from hop.
Baidar Khan, also known as Peta, was the sixth son of Chagatai Khan. He participated in the European campaign with his nephew Büri from 1235-1241. He commanded the Mongol army assigned to Poland with Kadan and, probably, Orda Khan.
The Mongol Invasion of Poland from late 1240 to 1241 culminated in the Battle of Legnica, where the Mongols defeated an alliance which included forces from fragmented Poland and their allies, led by Henry II the Pious, the Duke of Silesia. The first invasion's intention was to secure the flank of the main Mongolian army attacking the Kingdom of Hungary. The Mongols neutralized any potential help to King Béla IV being provided by the Poles or any military orders.
The Battle of Chmielnik occurred on 18 March 1241 during the Mongol invasion of Poland. It ended in the defeat of the Polish armies of Sandomierz and Kraków provinces. The Mongols were able to move unimpeded, and plunder the abandoned city of Kraków.
The Battle of Tursko took place on 13 February 1241, during the First Mongol invasion of Poland. It ended in the defeat of the Polish forces of the ziemia of Kraków.
The Battle of Raciborz took place in the Polish town of Raciborz, on 20 March 1241, during the Mongol invasion of Poland. It ended in the victory of a Polish army from Silesia, commanded by Duke of Opole and Raciborz, Mieszko II the Fat.
The Battle of Opole took place in the Polish town of Opole, in early April 1241, during the Mongol invasion of Poland. It ended in the victory of the Mongol forces, who defeated knights from Opole Silesia and Lesser Poland, headed by Duke Wladyslaw Opolski.
The sack of Sandomierz during the first Mongol invasion of Poland took place on 13 February 1241. It ended in the victory of the Mongol forces, who captured the city and burned it, massacring the residents.
The sack of Kraków during the first Mongol invasion of Poland took place on either 22 or 28 March 1241. It ended in the victory of the Mongol forces, who captured the city and burned it, massacring most of its residents.
The second Mongol invasion of Poland was carried out by General Boroldai (Burundai) of the Golden Horde in 1259–1260. During this invasion the cities of Sandomierz, Kraków, Lublin, Zawichost, and Bytom were sacked by the Mongols for the second time.
The third Mongol invasion of Poland was carried out by Talabuga Khan and Nogai Khan in 1287–1288. As in the second invasion, its purpose was to loot Lesser Poland, and to prevent Duke Leszek II the Black from interfering in Hungarian and Ruthenian affairs. The invasion was also part of the hostilities between Poland and Ruthenia; in 1281, the Poles had defeated a Mongol force near Goslicz which had entered Duke Leszek's territory in support of Lev I.
Włodzimierz of Cracow was a Polish knight, Gryf, and voivode of Kraków from 1237 until his death at the Battle of Chmielnik.
Pakosław of Sandomierz was a Polish noble who was the Voivode of Sandomierz until his death at the Battle of Chmielnik in March 1241. During his tenure the First Mongol invasion of Poland began in 1240 and Sandomierz was sacked in February 1241, Pakosław fled to Kraków. He and his fellow Lesser Poland Voivode Włodzimierz assembled an army and met the Mongol invasion forces on open battle in the Battle of Chmielnik; both were slain, as was the Sandomierz Castellan Jakub Raciborowicz.
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