Liegnitz

The Battle of Liegnitz (Legnica) - April 9th, 1241 **The Hungarians, Polish and the Germans** **- Known Commanders and Available Soldiers**
 * **The Hungarians, Polish and Germans - Known Commanders and Available Soldiers** || **The Mongolians** ||
 * Henry - the Pious of Silesia || Baidar ||
 * Knights/Men at Arms - 1000 || Batu ||
 * || Kadan ||
 * || Two Tourmen (equivalent of 20,000 warriors) ||
 * Henry the Pious of Silesia
 * Knights/Men at Arms - 1000
 * Light cavalry - 3000
 * Infantry - 14,000
 * 25,000 soldiers in total. (sources differ to 40,000 men)

**The Mongolians - Known Commanders and Available Soldiers**
 * Baidar
 * Batu
 * Kadan
 * Two Tourmen (equivalent of 20,000 warriors)
 * Mangadai cavalry - 1000
 * Horse archers - 11,000
 * Heavy cavalry - 8000
 * 20,000 soldiers total - dependant on source.


 * Information about the Mongolians**



The Mongolian Empire in 1300 AD was one of the greatest empires the world had ever seen, of which its territory stretched from the Yellow Sea to the borders of Eastern Europe. The amount of land the Mongolians controlled increased the chance of contact between different cultures of people. Migration between these areas encouraged and promoted resource trades. The Mongolians (eventually referred to as the Tatars) were one of the most savage conquerors in history. The Mongolians originally consisted of loose tribes in Mongolia, Manchuria, and Siberia. Every man was a soldier per default and learned how to ride and fight on horseback.

In 1237 AD, Batu, (grandson of Genghis Khan), led 150,000 - 200,000 Mongolian troops into Russia. The Mongolians destroyed one Russian town after another. In 1240, they destroyed Kiev, and Russia became part of the Mongolian Empire. It was included in a section called the Golden Horde. The capital of the Golden Horde was at Sarai, near what is now Volgograd. Batu forced the surviving Russian princes to pledge allegiance to the Golden Horde and to pay heavy taxes. From time to time, the Mongolians left their capital and wiped out the people of various areas because of their disloyalty. They also appointed the Russian grand prince and forced many Russians to serve in their armies. But they interfered little with Russian life in general. The Mongols were chiefly interested in maintaining their power and collecting taxes. During the period of Mongolian rule, which ended in the late 1400's, the new ideas and reforming spirit of the Renaissance were dramatically changing many aspects of life in Western Europe. However, under Mongol control, Russia was to a great extent cut off from these important Western influences.

**Information about the Hungarians, Polish and Germans**


 * Reasons for Conflict**

=__Summary of the battle __= During 1241AD, the Mongolian ruler Batu Khan dispatched messengers to King Béla IV of Hungary demanding that he turn over the Cumans that had sought safety in his area. Batu Khan claimed them as his subjects as his troops had defeated them. After his refusal, Batu Khan ordered his chief military commander Subutai to begin planning for an invasion of Europe.

Dividing the Mongol forces in three, Subutai directed two armies to advance on Hungary, while a third was sent further north to Poland. This force was to raid through Poland with the goal of keeping Polish and northern European forces from coming to the aid of Hungary. Moving out, his men rampaged through northern Poland while two other forces struck in the south.

Reuniting, the Mongolians learned that King Wenceslaus I of Bohemia was moving towards them with a force of nearly 50,000 men. Nearby, Duke Henry the Pious of Silesia was marching to join with the Bohemians. Seeing an opportunity to eliminate Henry's army, the Mongols rode hard to intercept him before he could join with Wenceslaus. On April 9, 1241, they encountered Henry's army near present-day Legnica in southwest Poland. Commanding a powerful force, Henry formed for battle with the mass of Mongol cavalry.

As Henry's men prepared for battle they were uneased by the fact that the Mongol troops rode into position in near silence, using flag signals to direct their movements. The battle opened with an attack by Boleslav of Moravia on the Mongolian lines. Advancing in front of the rest of Henry's army, Boleslav's men were repulsed after the Mongols nearly surrounded their formation and peppered them with arrows. As Boleslav fell back, Henry sent forward two divisions under Sulislav and Meshko of Opole.

The Mongolians used retreating tactics to split up the European force, where they separated the knights from the infantry. Surrounding the knights, they used smoke to prevent the European infantry from seeing what was happening. As the knights were cut down, the Mongolians rode in on the infantry's flanks routing and killing the majority. In the fighting, Duke Henry was killed as he and his bodyguard tried to flee the carnage. His head was removed and placed on a spear which was later paraded around Liegnitz.


 * Information Sources**

__Mongol Invasions: Battle of Liegnitz; Author: Kennedy Hickman - Published 2012__ __[]__ __Mongol Invasions: Battle of Liegnitz; The Military History Magazine - Published June 12, 2006__ __[]__ __The Mongolian Empire: 13th Century - 14th Century__ []


 * Image Sources**

Mongol Invasions: Battle of Liegnitz - Image - Unknown Author [|http://www.google.com.au/imgres?] Mongol Invasions: Battle of Liegnitz [|um=1&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1600&bih=729&tbm=isch&tbnid=31ErL7vMtlf45M:&imgrefurl=http://broeder10.wordpress.com/2012/04/04/the-mongols-in-poland/&docid=cG2SBwUeA3vlDM&imgurl=http://broeder10.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/batalla-de-liegnitz-1241-mongoles-vs-orden-teutc3b3nica.jpg&w=1174&h=862&ei=SSA4UK4vsbSJB83ugZgN&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=287&vpy=285&dur=2008&hovh=192&hovw=262&tx=146&ty=182&sig=111438314442566610931&page=1&tbnh=121&tbnw=161&start=0&ndsp=33&ved=1t:429,r:10,s:0,i:102] Ancient Mongolians [] Liegnitz []


 * Written Sources**

//Non-Fiction History Book; Who Dares Wins; Last read 07/09/2012//

//Semi-Fiction novel; The Sword and the Scimitar; David Ball; Last read 10/09/2012//