Battle of Legnica

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The Battle of Legnica (Polish: bitwa pod Legnicą), also known as the Battle of Liegnitz (German: Schlacht von Liegnitz) or Battle of Wahlstatt (German: Schlacht bei Wahlstatt), was fought between the Mongol Empire and combined European forces 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.^{[7]: 97–99}

A combined force of

One of the Mongol leaders, Kadan, was frequently confused with Ögedei's grandson Kaidu by medieval chroniclers, and thus Kaidu has often been mistakenly listed as leading the Mongol forces at Legnica.^[7]

The Mongols considered the Cumans to have submitted to their authority, but the Cumans fled westward and sought asylum within the Kingdom of Hungary. After King Béla IV of Hungary rejected Batu Khan's ultimatum to surrender the Cumans, Subutai began planning the Mongol invasion of Europe. Batu and Subutai were to lead two armies to attack Hungary itself, while a third under Baidar, Orda Khan and Kadan would attack Poland as a diversion to occupy northern European forces which might come to Hungary's aid.

Orda's forces devastated northern Poland and the southwestern border of

The Mongol diversionary force, a detachment (no less than one and no more than two tumens) from the army of Subutai, demonstrated the advantages of the tactical mobility and speed of mounted archery. The Mongol tactics were essentially a long series of feigned attacks and faked withdrawals from widely dispersed groups, which were designed to inflict a constant slow drain by ranged fire, disrupt the enemy formation and draw larger numbers away from the main body into ambush and flank attacks. These were standard Mongol tactics used in virtually all of their major battles; they were made possible by continual training and superb battlefield communication, which used a system of flags. The Mongol commander found the highest ground at the battle site, seized it and used it to communicate to his noyans and lesser commanders their orders for troop movement. The Mongol system was a stark contrast to the European systems, in which knights advanced with basically no communication with supporting forces.

The numbers involved are difficult to judge. European accounts vary as to Mongol numbers—some suggest more than 100,000 at Legnica alone. These are gross overestimates, given that this number is far larger than the entire Mongol force in all of Europe at the time, as well as not taking into account the weaknesses of 13th-century Mongol logistical support in Western Eurasia. Current estimates suggest the Mongol force numbered, at most, 25,000 cavalry. The

Polish states and allies

According to

Margrave of Moravia Děpolt III; conscripts from Greater Poland; and volunteer Bavarian miners from not long before established town of Goldberg (Złotoryja). Henry's better trained troops were his own gathered in his Silesian realm, mercenaries, and very small contingents of French Knights Templar and other foreign volunteers.^[7]

^: 97–99

[Gerard Labuda]] estimates 7,000–8,000 soldiers in the Christian army.^[citation needed]

A contingent of

Teutonic Knights of indeterminate number is traditionally believed to have joined the allied army. However, recent analysis of the 15th-century Annals of Jan Długosz by Labuda suggests that the German crusaders may have been added to the text after chronicler Długosz had completed the work. A legend that the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, Poppo von Osterna, was killed during the battle is false, as he died at Legnica years later while visiting his wife's nunnery.^[10] The Hospitallers have also been said to have participated in this battle, but this too seems to be a fabrication added in later accounts; neither Jan Długosz's accounts nor the letter sent to the King of France from the Templar Master of France, Ponce d'Aubon, mention them.^[11] Peter Jackson further points out that the only military order that fought at Legnica was the Templars.^[12] The Templar contribution was very small, estimated around 68–88 well-trained, well-armed soldiers;^[6]

their letter to the king of France gives their losses as three brother knights, two sergeants and 500 'men'—according to their use of the term, probably peasants working their estates and thus neither better armed or trained than the rest of the army's infantry.

The battle

Henry divided his forces into four sections: the Bavarian miners led by Boleslav of Moravia; the conscripts from Greater Poland along with some Cracovians led by Sulisław, the brother of the killed palatine of Kraków; the army of Opole under Mieszko; and, under Henry's personal command, the Silesians, Moravians, and Templars.^[7]

According to Chambers' description of the battle, the Silesian

mangudai) of the Mongol army. After the Silesians were repelled, the cavalry of Greater Poland, led by Sulisław, and the cavalry of Opole then attacked the Mongols. The Mongol vanguard retreated, inducing the allied cavalry to pursue, thereby separating them from the Polish infantry. Although the mangudai fled, Mongol light cavalry flanked the Polish forces. A smokescreen was used to hide the Mongol movements and confuse the Europeans. While the Mongol light cavalry attacked from the flanks and the heavy cavalry attacked from the front, Mongol archers peppered the Polish forces with arrows.^[7]

Erik Hildinger indicates that the levies of Boleslav led the attack, instead of the Silesians. He adds that after the Polish cavalry began their pursuit during the Mongols' feigned retreat, a rider shouted "Run! Run!" (in Polish) to the Polish forces, confusing Mieszko, who ordered his Opole contingent to retreat from the battle. This withdrawal led Henry to order his own reserves and cavalry into the fight.[8]

The Mongols had much success in the battle by feigning their retreat. After the Polish knights detached from the main body of allied forces in pursuit of the fleeing Mongols, the invaders were able to separate the knights from the infantry and defeat them one by one.

The Annals of Jan Długosz also describes the battle, although it was written in the 15th century, not when it actually occurred. The army of Henry II was almost destroyed—Henry and Boleslav of Moravia were killed and estimates of casualties range from 2,000 to 40,000, essentially the entire army. Ponce d'Aubon reported to King Louis IX of France that the military order lost 500 people, both in Legnica and subsequent raids on three Templar villages and two "towers"^[13] among them nine brothers, three knights, and two sergeants.^[7] This number likely included civilians of the villages.^[6] Mongol casualties are unknown; a perfect execution of their standard tactics would have minimized losses, but the Mongols endured sufficient casualties to dissuade them from attacking the Bohemian army.^{[citation needed]}

The Mongols cut the right ear off each fallen European in order to count the dead; supposedly they filled nine sackfuls, though this has as much validity as European accounts of the numbers of Mongols.^[14] Henry was struck down and beheaded while attempting to flee the battlefield with three bodyguards, and the Mongols paraded his head on a spear before the town of Legnica.

Conclusion

Hungarians at the Battle of Mohi

.

Larger invasions of Poland, devoted primarily to looting, would be launched later. Led by

Tulabuga and Nogai Khan, accompanied by vassal troops from Ruthenia, but were unsuccessful in 1287. Although the Mongols repeatedly expressed a desire to conquer central Europe in ultimatums up to the 1270s, Poland and Hungary stayed outside of the Golden Horde

's sphere of influence. The Russian lands to their east remained under the rule of the Golden Horde for the next two centuries. The Battle of Legnica is commemorated on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Warsaw, with the inscription "LEGNICA 9 IV 1241".

See also

• Battle of the Kalka River
• Battle of Mohi
• Golden Horde
• Mongol Empire
• Mongols
• Ögedei Khan
• Subutai

References

1. ^
   ISBN 9781843835967
2. ^ ^{a b} Tartar Relation, Giovanni da Pian del Carpine, ~1248. Page 80.
3. ISBN 978-83-932793-2-6
4. ^ Maroń's total includes 250 knights from Silesia, 36 Templar knights, 10 knights from Lesser and Greater Poland, 10 'guest' knights, and a handful heavy cavalry mercenaries
5. ISBN 83-00-00646-X
6. ^ ^{a b c d} Burzyński, p. 24
7. ^
   OCLC 4504684
   .
8. ^ ^{a b} Erik Hildinger. "Mongol Invasions: Battle of Liegnitz". TheHistoryNet.com, originally published Military History magazine, June 1997. Accessed 2 September 2008.
9. ^ Chambers, p. 97
10. ISBN 1-85367-535-0
    .
11. ^ Burzyński, p. 22
12. ^ Jackson, p. 205
13. ^ John Man – Genghis Khan, p. 298
14. ISBN 0-06-097468-0

Further reading

• Amitai-Preiss, Reuven (1995). Mongols and Mamluks: The Mamluk-Ilkhanid War, 1260–1281. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  ISBN 0-521-46226-6
  .
• Busk, William (1856). Medieval Popes, Emperors, Kings, and Crusaders. London: Hookham and Sons, Old Bond Street.
  ISBN 978-1-330-89877-2. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help
  )
• Grant, Reg (2011). 1001 Battles That Changed the Course of World History. New York: Rizzoli International Publications, Inc.
  ISBN 978-0-7893-2233-3
  .
• Hildinger, Erik (1997). Warriors of the Steppe: A Military History of Central Asia, 500 BC to 1700 AD. New York: Sarpedon.
  ISBN 1-885119-43-7
  .
• Jackson, Peter (2005). The Mongols and the West, 1221–1410. Longman.
  ISBN 0-582-36896-0
  .
• Korta, Wacław (1983). Najazd Mongołów na Polskę i jego legnicki epilog. Katowice: Śląski Instytut Naukowy.
  ISBN 83-00-00646-X
  .
• Maroń, Jerzy (2001). Koczownicy i rycerze. Najazd Mongołów na Polskę w 1241 roku na tle sztuki wojennej Europy XII i XIII wieku. Wrocław: Oficyna Wydawnicza Arboretum.
  ISBN 978-83-932793-2-6
  .
• Morgan, David (1986). The Mongols. Oxford: Blackwell.
  ISBN 0-631-17563-6
  .
• Nicolle, David (1990). The Mongol Warlords: Genghis Khan, Kublai Khan, Hulagu, Tamerlane. Poole: Firebird.
  ISBN 1-85314-104-6
  .
• Reagan, Geoffry (1992). The Guinness Book of Decisive Battles. New York: Canopy Books.
• Saunders, John J. (2001) [1971]. The History of the Mongol Conquests. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
  ISBN 0-8122-1766-7
  .
• Soucek, Svatopluk (2000). A History of Inner Asia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  ISBN 0-521-65169-7
  .

External links

• The Annals of Jan Dlugosz – Sample Text Written by Jan Dlugosz between 1455 and 1480.
• Mongol Invasion of Europe in 1241
• TEMPLARIUSZE W WALCE Z NAJAZDEM MONGOLSKIM NA POLSKĘ W 1241 ROKU- Edmund Burzyński's article on the Templar participation (see pages 22–24 for an English summary)
• Battle of Liegnitz 9 april 1241 Marco E Luca website
• Video: Mongol invasion of Europe
• TEMPLARIUSZE W WALCE Z NAJAZDEM MONGOLSKIM NA POLSKĘ W 1241 ROKU Archived 2 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine- Edmund Burzyński's article on the Templar participation (see pages 22–24 for an English summary)