Third Mongol invasion of Poland
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The third Mongol invasion of Poland was carried out by
Talabuga Talabuga Khan, Tulabuga, Talubuga or Telubuga was the Khan of the Golden Horde, independent division of the Mongol Empire from 1287 until 1291. He was the son of Tartu, great-grandson of Batu Khan, and great-great-great-grandson of Genghis Khan. ...
Khan and
Nogai Khan Nogai, or Noğay (; also spelled Nogay, Nogaj, Nohai, Nokhai, Noqai, Ngoche, Noche, Kara Nokhai, and Isa Nogai; died 1299/1300) was a general and kingmaker of the Golden Horde and a great-great-grandson of Genghis Khan. His grandfather was Bo'al/ ...
in 1287–1288. As in the second invasion, its purpose was to loot
Lesser Poland Lesser Poland, often known by its Polish name Małopolska ( la, Polonia Minor), is a historical region situated in southern and south-eastern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Kraków. Throughout centuries, Lesser Poland developed a s ...
, and to prevent Duke
Leszek II the Black Leszek II the Black (c. 1241 – 30 September 1288), was a Polish prince of the House of Piast, Duke of Sieradz since 1261, Duke of Łęczyca since 1267, Duke of Inowrocław in the years 1273-1278, Duke of Sandomierz and High Duke of Poland from 1 ...
from interfering in Hungarian and
Ruthenia Ruthenia or , uk, Рутенія, translit=Rutenia or uk, Русь, translit=Rus, label=none, pl, Ruś, be, Рутэнія, Русь, russian: Рутения, Русь is an exonym, originally used in Medieval Latin as one of several terms ...
n 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.


Planning

In November 1287, Nogai Khan demanded that the princes of Ruthenia show up personally leading their armies to join him on an expedition to Poland, while he and Talabuga gathered their own cavalry. He assembled what the Galician-Volhynian Chronicle referred to as "a great host" alongside his vassals on the Polish-Galician border. After leaving some men behind in Ruthenia to defend his rear, he went about planning the invasion. The expedition was undertaken by a force of 30,000 men, a mix of Mongol/Turkic troops and Ruthenian vassal troops. The plan, devised by Nogai Khan, was similar to the one from 1259. The Mongol army was divided into two columns. 20,000 cavalry (including Ruthenians) under Talabuga attacked towards
Sandomierz Sandomierz (pronounced: ; la, Sandomiria) is a historic town in south-eastern Poland with 23,863 inhabitants (as of 2017), situated on the Vistula River in the Sandomierz Basin. It has been part of Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship (Holy Cross Provi ...
and northern Lesser Poland, while another 10,000 cavalry (all Mongol/Turkic; no sources reference Ruthenians) under Nogai headed towards the area of Kraków - Sacz. Like earlier invasions, the campaign was to be conducted with great speed and surprise to prevent the enemy from properly marshaling their forces. After looting their respective provinces and capturing Sandomierz, they were to unite north of
Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...
. After joining the two groups, the combined host was planned to march through Kielce, Chęciny, Jędrzejów, and Miechów, before sacking Kraków. After Poland was razed, the Mongol troops were to return to Rus. The Polish defenders did not have any elaborate plan, as the raid was clearly a surprise. An ad hoc strategy was devised whereby most forces concentrated on castles and fortified cities rather than riding out to meet the Mongols in field battles. Duke Leszek, with his main force, stood in the path of the first column.


Invasion


Northern column

The northern column of the Mongol forces was supported by a large contingent of the Mongol vassals, Ruthenians, under Duke Mstislav of
Lutsk Lutsk ( uk, Луцьк, translit=Lutsk}, ; pl, Łuck ; yi, לוצק, Lutzk) is a city on the Styr River in northwestern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Volyn Oblast (province) and the administrative center of the surrounding Luts ...
, Duke
Volodymyr Volodymyr ( uk, Володи́мир, Volodýmyr, , orv, Володимѣръ) is a Ukrainian given name of Old East Slavic origin. The related Ancient Slavic, such as Czech, Russian, Serbian, Croatian, etc. form of the name is Володимѣръ ...
of
Volhynia Volhynia (also spelled Volynia) ( ; uk, Воли́нь, Volyn' pl, Wołyń, russian: Волы́нь, Volýnʹ, ), is a historic region in Central and Eastern Europe, between south-eastern Poland, south-western Belarus, and western Ukraine. Th ...
, and Duke Lev of
Halych Halych ( uk, Га́лич ; ro, Halici; pl, Halicz; russian: Га́лич, Galich; german: Halytsch, ''Halitsch'' or ''Galitsch''; yi, העליטש) is a historic city on the Dniester River in western Ukraine. The city gave its name to the P ...
.
Leszek II the Black Leszek II the Black (c. 1241 – 30 September 1288), was a Polish prince of the House of Piast, Duke of Sieradz since 1261, Duke of Łęczyca since 1267, Duke of Inowrocław in the years 1273-1278, Duke of Sandomierz and High Duke of Poland from 1 ...
stood opposed to the Mongols with probably 15,000 strong. Furthermore, in comparison to the second invasion, several towns and cities had been fortified. Kraków in particular was described as having a castle made entirely out of stone, and was "protected by catapults and large and small crossbows.” This was in sharp contrast to the first two invasions, when Kraków's citadel was made of wood. On December 7, 1287, the northern group of Mongol forces under Talabuga left a camp near
Volodymyr Volodymyr ( uk, Володи́мир, Volodýmyr, , orv, Володимѣръ) is a Ukrainian given name of Old East Slavic origin. The related Ancient Slavic, such as Czech, Russian, Serbian, Croatian, etc. form of the name is Володимѣръ ...
, and, after by-passing
Lublin Lublin is the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the center of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin is the largest Polish city east of t ...
, the army tried to cross the Vistula near
Zawichost Zawichost is a small town (ca. 1,800 inhabitants ) 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. I ...
. Since the river was not frozen, they had to find a ford, heading southwards. The invaders besieged and assaulted Sandomierz, but abandoned their siege after their storming attempt was beaten back. They left Ruthenian units in the area of the city and changed their course. Mongol and Ruthenian forces failed to capture many fortified locations after the column dispersed into multiple detachments and raiding parties. Most likely, a major detachment attempted to approach the
Łysa Góra Łysa Góra (''Bald Mountain''; also known as Łysiec or Święty Krzyż) is a well-known hill in Świętokrzyskie Mountains, Poland. With a height of 595 metres (1,952 ft), it is the second highest point in that range (after Łysica at 61 ...
Abbey with another approaching the town of Tursko, while skirmishing with local Polish forces. A few days after the unsuccessful siege of Sandomierz, forces of Talabuga's main column were attacked by a Polish force of unknown but significant size under Duke Leszek
near NEAR or Near may refer to: People * Thomas J. Near, US evolutionary ichthyologist * Near, a developer who created the higan emulator Science, mathematics, technology, biology, and medicine * National Emergency Alarm Repeater (NEAR), a form ...
the
Świętokrzyskie Mountains The Świętokrzyskie Mountains ( pl, Góry Świętokrzyskie, ), often anglicized to Holy Cross Mountains, are a mountain range in central Poland, near the city of Kielce. The Świętokrzyskie Mountains are some of the oldest mountains in Europ ...
, and were defeated in the Battle of Łagów, which Polish annals place on December 20. The defeat was quite severe, and after reaching the area of
Kielce Kielce (, yi, קעלץ, Keltz) is a city in southern Poland, and the capital of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship. In 2021, it had 192,468 inhabitants. The city is in the middle of the Świętokrzyskie Mountains (Holy Cross Mountains), on the bank ...
, the Mongol forces began a retreat, taking what loot they had already gathered with them. In January 1288, they reached their winter camp in
Lviv Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukraine ...
. Leszek and his army meanwhile headed towards Kraków, to prepare the defense of the Polish capital.


Southern column

The southern group of Mongol forces under Nogai Khan (divided into at least three detachments) crossed into Poland on December 24, 1287 and besieged
Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...
. The Mongols launched an unsuccessful assault on the fortified city, suffering heavy casualties and losing several of their leaders in the process. Nogai Khan decided to change plans, divide his detachment into smaller units, and plunder the areas both north and south of Kraków; his units plundered the villages around Kraków and the
Duchy of Sieradz The Duchy of Sieradz ( la, ducatus Siradiae, pl, Księstwo Sieradzkie), also known as the Duchy of Siradia, was one of the territories created during the period of the fragmentation of Poland. It was originally part of the central Seniorate Provi ...
while engaging in small battles with local Polish forces sallying from towns and castles. Parallel to this, two other columns of his army besieged the towns of
Podolínec Podolínec ( pl, Podoliniec, german: Pudlein, hu, Podolin) is a town in the Stará Ľubovňa District of the Prešov Region in northern Slovakia. Etymology The etymology is straightforward, the name means in Slovak "place between the hills". ...
and
Stary Sącz Stary Sącz is a small historic town in Lesser Poland Voivodeship of southern Poland. It is the seat of the Gmina Stary Sącz (commune), and one of the oldest towns in the country, having been founded in the 13th century. Geography Stary Są ...
. Soon after the battle of Kraków, Leszek, his wife, and a small group of retainers slipped into the
Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen ...
and requested aid from King Ladislaus IV, who had defeated another Mongol invasion less than two years earlier. At Podolínec, the Mongols devastated the settlement and the area around it after some skirmishes with the local militia. At Stary Sącz, the siege lasted roughly a month without bringing any tangible results. The town was well stocked, with strong walls and a good garrison. Meanwhile, the Hungarian king had approved action against the Mongols, and tasked the noble George of Sóvár with leading the Hungarian expedition. His expeditionary force came up from
Podolínec Podolínec ( pl, Podoliniec, german: Pudlein, hu, Podolin) is a town in the Stará Ľubovňa District of the Prešov Region in northern Slovakia. Etymology The etymology is straightforward, the name means in Slovak "place between the hills". ...
and
Kežmarok Kežmarok (german: Kesmark or ; hu, Késmárk, yi, קעזמאַרק, Kezmark, pl, Kieżmark) is a town in the Spiš region of eastern Slovakia (population 16,000), on the Poprad River. Prior to World War I, it was in Szepes county in the Kin ...
, adding local Polish troops to their number on the way. The Hungarian-Polish force completely surprised a small Mongol army of 1,000 men and annihilated it at the Battle of Stary Sącz, killing the army's commander. This was the last major engagement of the invasion. Leszek mobilized the main Polish army in the meantime and sought to join it with George's Hungarians; recognizing that his remaining forces would be dispersed and outnumbered if they remained, Nogai regrouped his men and retreated from Poland with most of his army intact. He arrived back in
Ruthenia Ruthenia or , uk, Рутенія, translit=Rutenia or uk, Русь, translit=Rus, label=none, pl, Ruś, be, Рутэнія, Русь, russian: Рутения, Русь is an exonym, originally used in Medieval Latin as one of several terms ...
in late January, 1288, where his soldiers plundered the villages of his vassals in Galicia.


Aftermath

Compared to the first two invasions, the raid of 1287–88 was short and much less devastating. The Mongols did not capture any significant cities or castles and lost a significant number of men. They also took fewer prisoners and loot than in the previous invasions. Polish historian Stefan Krakowski credits the relative failure of the Mongol invasion to two main causes. First, while 30,000 men was larger than the previous incursions into Poland, the rivalry between Talabuga and Nogai meant that the two columns didn't cooperate well, with the former withdrawing by the time the latter entered Poland. Second, the Poles' upgraded fortifications made their settlements much harder to take, which enabled Leszek and his nobles to put into action a simple three-stage defensive plan. The first stage was passive defense by garrisons (e.g. Sandomierz, Łysa Góra, Kraków, Tursko), the second was the fight against small Mongol detachments by local sallying forces, and the third stage was a counterblow of a large Hungarian-Polish army against the dispersed and reduced Mongols. This contrasted quite sharply with the first invasion. There the Mongols also dispersed their army into smaller units, but were able to easily take the poorly fortified settlements.


Legacy

The 1287–1288 campaign is commonly held to be the origin of
Lajkonik The Lajkonik is one of the unofficial symbols of the city of Kraków, Poland. It is represented as a bearded man resembling a Tatar in a characteristic pointed hat, dressed in Mongol attire, with a wooden horse around his waist (hobby horse). It ...
, a folk figure and unofficial symbol of the city of Kraków. The (possibly apocryphal) story goes that a group of Poles discovered a Mongol camp outside the city walls of Kraków in December 1287 while the Mongols were besieging it, and launched a surprise raid in which several Mongol generals were killed, including the commander of the siege. The leader of the raid then wore the Mongol commander's richly decorated outfit back into the city.Lonely Planet Poland Travel Guide.
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Notes


References

* Stanisław Krakowski, ''Polska w walce z najazdami tatarskimi w XIII wieku'', MON, 1956. * James Chambers. ''The Devil's Horsemen: The Mongol Invasion of Europe''. Atheneum. New York. 1979. * Lindsay Stephen Pow. Thesis: ''Deep Ditches and Well-built Walls: A Reappraisal of the Mongol Withdrawal from Europe in 1242.''University of Calgary. Alberta, Canada. 2012. * Witold Sarnecki, David Nicolle: Medieval Polish Armies 966–1500, Osprey Publishing 2009, * Peter Jackson. ''The Mongols and the West: 1221–1410''. 2005. {{Polish wars and conflicts Wars involving Poland Conflicts in 1287 Conflicts in 1288
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
Invasions of Poland 1287 in the Mongol Empire 1288 in the Mongol Empire 1287 in Europe 1288 in Europe 13th century in Poland