Ayn+Jalut

= Ayn Jalut 1260 =



and Cilician Armenia commander and leader || Kitbuqa || Cilician knights and retinues || In 1260 the Mongol armies were sweeping through Europe and the Holy Land. Since having been united by the great Genghis Khan a century earlier, no-one had been able to defeat the Mongol hordes in a pitched, open battle. All that changed at Ayn Jalut.
 * Date || 3rd September 1260 ||
 * Location || Ayn Jalut, Galilee ||
 * Result || Decisive Mamluk victory ||
 * Mamluk commanders and leaders || Saif ad-Din Qutuz, Baibars ||
 * Mongol Empire, Kingdom of Georgia
 * Mamluk strength || 20,000 men ||
 * Mongol strength || 20,000 men including 500
 * Mamluk casualties || Heavy ||
 * Mongol casualties || Almost entire army destroyed ||
 * INTRODUCTION**

The Mongols were the supreme fighting force of the Middle Ages. During their 300-year reign, China Iran and Russia shook to the tread of Mongol hooves. Originally a collection of hostile tribes, the Mongols were united by the great leader Genghis Khan. Genghis himself conquered China, and then his grandson Kublai took Iran and Russia, and marched all the way to Poland and Hungary. The Mamluks in Egypt were originally the slave-soldiers of the Egyptian Fatimid dynasty, but they took power for themselves and created one of the most sophisticated empires in the entire medieval world. Their armies defeated rival Islamic armies and shattered the Crusader states, leaving the Mamluks the undisputed masters of Egypt and Syria.
 * WHO?**

Ayn Jalut was an unusual battle, as it was not part of a larger war. Like the battle of Tours (732), Ayn Jalut was essentially reconnaissance in force- 20,000 Mongols, veterans of wars in China Iran and Europe, and 20,000 Mamluks, blooded warriors of the region who had proved their mettle in expelling the fanatical Crusaders from the Holy Land. Following their conquest of Persia and Syria in 1258-60, Mongol envoys were sent to the court of the Mameluk Sultan Qutuz, demanding the capitulation of Egypt. Qutuz, however refused to bend his knee and had the envoys executed, and their heads were displayed on one of Cairo's gates. Enraged, as the Mongol diplomats were under the protection of early diplomatic immunity,the Mongol commander in the area, Kitbuqa, moved to attack Mamluk Egypt. However, as the Great Khan had just died, half of the 40,000 strong Mongol army had to return to Mongolia to vote for a new leader. The two armies met near the town of Ayn Jalut ‘//Goliath’s Spring//’ in Galilee. The battle opened with a skirmish between both sides light cavalry. After a fierce fight, the Mamluk cavalry began to give way and retreat. The Mongols follow with their whole army, straight into the trap Qutuz had set for them. The Mamluk infantry, light cavalry and archers were hiding in the hills nearby attacked the pursuing Mongol cavalry on three sides. The Mongols fought back savagely, desperately trying to fight their way out of the envelopment. The battle was slowly favouring the Mamluks, but the Mongols on one flank were fighting hard and threatening to turn the Mamluk flank, and break free of the trap. Realising the severity of the situation,Qutuz led a personal heavy cavalry charge against the Mongol flank, shouting "O Islam! O God grant your servant Qutuz a victory against the Mongols" This encouraged the Mamluks, who fought with renewed vigour against the Mongols, soon breaking their lines and forcing a retreat.
 * WHY?**
 * THE BATTLE**

Ayn Jalut was fairly typical of battles at the time. Feigned retreats, personal charges and envelopment were common strategies at the time, even in tactically backward Europe. Islamic gunpowder weapons were employed at Ayn Jalut to startle Mongol ponies, although the Mongol warriors, used to Chinese gunpowder weapons, were not startled at all. What Ayn Jalut is an excellent example of is the psychology of warfare. The Mongols, though veterans of many campaigns, had no common goal, no shared spirit, they were bound by a love of slaughter. The Mamluks had a legendary //esprit de corps,// and were united not behind their leader, but by their religion, providing ashared bond between warriors. The Mongols also had quite a cynical, if you will, attitude towards warfare. They were ruthless induvidual killers united by good strategic direction, wheras the Mamluks viewed warfare through soldierly eyes- they viewed combat as honourable and had strict articles of war taken from the Qur'an

For Sultan Qutuz the victory was short-lived. On his way back to Cairo he was assassinated by a group of Emirs led by Baybars, one of the generals at Ayn Jalut. The Mongol Empire was still the most powerful faction on the planet, but their enemies now knew that they could be defeated in an open battle. The Mongol Empire survived for a couple of centuries more, but their Empire eventually collapsed into many small, independent states that fought amongst themselves for power. The Mamluk Sultanate continued to grow, but was ultimately destroyed by the other powerful Muslim state, the Ottomans.
 * AFTERMATH**

WHO: 20,000 Mamluks vs. 20,000 Mongols WHERE: Ayn Jalut, Galilee WHY: No reason, wandering Mongol horde intercepted by local force. VICTORS: Decisive Mamluk victory RESULTS: Stopped Mongol conquest of Africa, Cemented Mamluk dominance of the Holy Land
 * SUMMARY**