Battle of the Leitha River

Battle of the Leitha River
	; Frederick II's death at the battle of the Leitha River. From Hans Part's Babenberg Pedigree in Klosterneuburg Monastery, c. 1489–1492
Date	15 June 1246
Location	banks of the Leitha river
Result	Austrian victory
Belligerents
Duchy of Austria	Kingdom of Hungary
Commanders and leaders
Frederick II of Babenberg †	Béla IV Árpád; Roland I Rátót
Strength
Fewer than the Hungarians	Greater than the Austrians
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Unknown

The Battle of the Leitha River was fought on 15 June 1246 near the banks of the

counties of Hungary.^[1]^[2] Its exact location is unknown; according to the description delivered by contemporary minnesinger Ulrich von Liechtenstein the battlefield may have been between the towns of Ebenfurth and Neufeld

.

After their defeat at the 955

House of Babenberg

.

Since 1241 the Hungarian kingdom suffered heavy losses in the course of the Mongol invasion of Europe, culminating in the disastrous Battle of Mohi. The Babenberg duke Frederick II, haughty and overambitious, made use of this weakness, attacked Hungary and claimed the western comitati of Moson, Sopron and Vas. The Hungarian King Bela IV Árpád however was able to make a stand against the Austrian invasion: Supported by the liensmen of his son-in-law Prince Rostislav Mikhailovich he gathered his troops and marched against Frederick's forces, which were challenged at the Leitha and the Duke himself was killed on the battlefield.

The battle marked the end of the ruling

Transleithania

) until 1918.