Mohi Heath April 11, 1241 Strategic Context The Mongol hordes are invading Eastern Europe. Kaidu crushes the Germans outside of Liegnitz so now only the Hungarians stand between Subedei and Western Europe’s lush land and culture. King Bela IV of Hungary chases the Mongols across snowy swamps to the Sajo River until he loses contact and sets up camp. Stakes + A Mongol victory would exterminate the last organized resistance in Eastern Europe, thus opening up Western Europe to invasion. + A Hungarian victory would delay further Mongol conquest, hopefully until more armies could be raised to resist them By Jonathan Webb, 2009 ©

Mohi Heath, 1241 Strength  Mongols  Well  Hungarians  Well  Subedei  12,000 heavy cavalry  58,000 infantry  50,000 mixed cavalry  King Bela IV By Jonathan Webb, 2009 ©

The Mongols camp undetected by the Hungarians. Subedei leaves a token force to hold the bridge in an attempt to entice Bela to rush across into an ambush lain by the main Mongol force. However, Bela is cautious and fortifies his camp by chaining wagons together; he concludes that the only way Subedei can attack him is over the single stone bridge. Bela sends a small infantry detachment to clear the bridge and watch the far bank. This plays right into Subedei’s hands, except the Hungarians venture no further. The bait fails so Subedei quickly changes his plans: he sends Sejban north with a force and personally leads another south, both to ford the river and envelop the Hungarians while Batu holds their attention. Batu’s assault on the bridge is initially repulsed until he brings up catapults. The catapults launch cast flash pots which explode frightening the Hungarians who are unaccustomed to their sound and sight. They flee, allowing the Mongols to sweep across the bridge. Bela correctly believes this to be only a minor raid but his subordinates disagree and convince him to send his entire force against the bridge. He belatedly does so but this indecision gives Sejban and Subedei valuable time to ford the river. Hungarians (Bela) Hungarians (King Bela IV) 58,000 infantry 12,000 heavy cavalry Mongols (Subedei) Sejban Subedei Batu Mongols (Subedei) 50,000 mixed cavalry

Batu’s assault on the bridge is initially repulsed until he brings up catapults. The catapults launch cast flash pots which explode frightening the Hungarians who are unaccustomed to their sound and sight. They flee, allowing the Mongols to sweep across the bridge. Bela correctly believes this to be only a minor raid but his subordinates disagree and convince him to send his entire force against the bridge. He belatedly does so but this indecision gives Sejban and Subedei valuable time to ford the river. Batu makes some progress against the entire Hungarian force by focusing on its left flank but a cavalry charge staggers the Mongol horse-archers as they have little room to maneuver. The two Mongol flanking parties finish their crossings and suddenly appear in the Hungarian rear and flanks; Bela orders a withdrawal to his fortified camp which is quickly and completely surrounded. Subedei knows that it is impractical to storm a fortified camp held by such a heavy force so the Mongols assail the camp by other means. They terrorize the Hungarians by catapulting boulders, tar, cast flash and smoke pots while archers shower the camp with a rain of arrows. Fire and smoke spread throughout the camp, making it difficult to remain within. The Mongols purposely leave a conspicuous gap in their encirclement, what they call a “golden bridge.” A few desperate Hungarians cautiously shuffle out of this gap and discard their weapons. The rest of the army, seeing this, try to do the same. The Hungarians flee in disarray; the Mongols readily maneuver to cut down any who attempt to escape and chase down those who already have. They use bows, lances and sabers in a slaughter that lasts for days. Bela somehow escapes while a few dedicated cavalry units remain in camp which the Mongols attack and butcher. Hungarians (Bela) Hungarians (King Bela IV) 58,000 infantry 12,000 heavy cavalry Mongols (Subedei) Sejban Subedei Batu Mongols (Subedei) 50,000 mixed cavalry

Mohi Heath, 1241 Casualties & Aftermath Mongols:Hungarians: ≈4,000 or 8% 65,000 or 93% By Jonathan Webb, 2009 © The Mongol victory assured control over the majority of Eastern Europe. The following year, Subedei planned his invasions of Italy, Austria and Germany but they were not to be; the death of Mongol ruler Ogedei required all hordes return to Mongolia to name a new successor. Bela, who was finally chased and cornered on a Mediterranean island after the battle, and Hungary, which lost 25% of its population to Mongol destruction breathed sighs of relief.

The Art of Battle: Animated Battle Maps By Jonathan Webb, 2009 ©