Battle of Mohi

Battle of Mohi
Part of the First Mongol invasion of Hungary
Date11 April 1241[1]
Location
Sajó River, near Muhi, Hungary
47°58′40″N 20°54′47″E / 47.97778°N 20.91306°E / 47.97778; 20.91306
Result Mongol victory
Belligerents
Mongol Empire

Kingdom of Hungary
Kingdom of Croatia
Knights Templar

Minor belligerent:
Duchy of Austria
Commanders and leaders
Batu Khan
Subutai
Shiban
Berke
Boroldai
Bakatu  †		 Béla IV of Hungary
Coloman of Slavonia  (DOW)
Ugrin Csák  †
Matthias Rátót  †
Frederick II of Austria
Denis Tomaj  †
Rembald de Voczon
Units involved
Horse archers
Horse lancers[2]
Stone throwers
Possibly Chinese firearm units and other gunpowder units		 Infantry
Knights Templar
Crossbowmen
Light cavalry
Strength

~15,000–30,000 cavalry (contemporary sources)[3]
Other estimations:
70,000[4]
50,000[5]
20,000[6]

At least seven stone throwers		 80,000[7]
50,000[5]
25,000[8][9][10]
Casualties and losses
Few hundreds[11]
Very heavy[1][12][13][14]		 ~10,000 (contemporary sources)[15]
Most of the army[16]
Battle of Mohi is located in Hungary
Battle of Mohi
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Location within Hungary

The Battle of Muhi (11 April 1241) was a pivotal conflict between the Mongol Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary during the Mongol invasion of Europe. The battle took place at Muhi (then Mohi), a town located in present-day Hungary, southwest of the Sajó River. The Mongol Empire, led by Batu Khan, sought to expand its territories into Europe, while the Kingdom of Hungary, led by King Béla IV, aimed to protect its borders. The battle resulted in a victory for the Mongols, who destroyed the Hungarian Royal army at a heavy cost which contributed to the decision to halt the campaign. This defeat marked a significant turning point in Hungarian history, marking a shift in the balance of power in Eastern Europe. The Mongols' victory led to a period of rebuilding and reorganization in Hungary, while also influencing the development of European politics and culture. The battle is considered one of the most important events in Hungarian history, with far-reaching consequences for the region.[17][18]

  1. ^ a b The Mongols in the West, Denis Sinor, Journal of Asian History, Vol. 33, No. 1 (1999), page 15; "... on April 11, Batu's forces executed a night attack on the Hungarian camp, inflicting terrible losses on its trapped defenders ... While the outcome of the encounter is beyond dispute—some call it a massacre rather than a battle—historians disagree on their assessments of Béla's apparent ineptitude. Of course the Hungarians could have done better; but it is beyond doubt that no "ad hoc", feudal type force could have matched the well disciplined, highly trained, professional soldiers of the Mongol army. A seldom considered measure of the efficacy of the Hungarian resistance is the size of the losses sustained by the attackers. These were very heavy."
  2. ^ Sverdrup, Carl (2010). "Numbers in Mongol Warfare". Journal of Medieval Military History. 8. Boydell Press: 109–17 [p. 115]. doi:10.1515/9781846159022-004. ISBN 978-1-84383-596-7. The Mongols probably had a nominal force of at least 30,000 men, with the personal units of Batu and Sube'etei forming the core of the army.
  3. ^ Sverdrup, pp. 114–115, citing Rashid al-Din's chronicles, 1:198, 2:152. Rashid Al-Din's figures give Batu and Subutai about 40,000 horsemen total when they invaded Central Europe in 1241 (including Turkic auxiliaries recruited since the conquest of Rus), divided into five columns (three in Hungary, one in Transylvania, and one in Poland). He proceeds to say that while the nominal total of the Mongol force in Hungary was 30,000, the effective total on the field at Muhi would have been between that number and 15,000, close to the latter.
  4. ^ Carey states on p. 128 that Batu had 40,000 in the main body and ordered Subotai to take 30,000 troops in an encircling maneuver. Batu commanded the central prong of the Mongols' three-pronged assault on eastern Europe. This number seems correct when compared with the numbers reported at the Battles of Leignitz to the North and Hermannstadt (Sibiu) to the South. All three victories occurred in the same week.
  5. ^ a b Sverdrup, p. 115, citing Kosztolnyik.
  6. ^ McLynn, p. 469
  7. ^ Carey, Brian Todd, p. 124
  8. ^ Markó, László (2000), Great Honours of the Hungarian State, Budapest: Magyar Könyvklub, ISBN 963-547-085-1
  9. ^ Liptai, Ervin (1985), Military History of Hungary, Budapest: Zrínyi Katonai Kiadó, ISBN 963-326-337-9
  10. ^ Frank McLynn, Genghis Khan: His Conquests, His Empire, His Legacy, (Da Capo Press, 2015), p. 469: "The older authorities used to give statistics of 70,000 Hungarians and 40,000 Mongols but it seems likely that these numbers are too high; modern historians tend to opt for about 20,000 Mongols versus 25,000 Hungarians, but certainty is impossible."
  11. ^ McLynn, p. 473
  12. ^ John France, Perilous Glory: The Rise of Western Military Power, (Yale University Press, 2011), 144.
  13. ^ A Global Chronology of Conflict: From the Ancient World to the Modern Middle East, Vol. I, ed. Spencer C. Tucker, (ABC-CLIO, 2010), 279; "Although Mongol losses in the battle are heavy ...".
  14. ^ The Mongol Empire: A Historical Encyclopedia, Vol. II, ed. Timothy May, (ABC-CLIO, 2017), 103.
  15. ^ Sverdrup, p. 115
  16. ^ Thomas of Spalato, Historia, 163;
  17. ^ The Mongols and the Islamic World, ed. Peter Jackson, (Yale University Press, 2017), 132.
  18. ^ The Penguin Atlas of Medieval History, ed. Colin McEvedy, (Penguin Books, 2014), 64.