Mongol attacks History of Hungary

kingdom of hungary around 1250.

in 1241–1242, kingdom of hungary suffered major blow in wake of mongol invasion of europe. after hungary invaded mongols in 1241, hungarian army defeated disastrously @ battle of mohi. king béla iv first fled battlefield, , country after mongols pursued him borders. before mongols retreated, large part of population died; indeed, historians estimate losses between 20 , 50 percent. in plains, between 50 , 80% of settlements destroyed. castles, fortified cities , abbeys withstand assault, mongols had no time long sieges – goal move west possible. siege engines , chinese , persian engineers operated them mongols had been left in russia. devastation caused mongol invasions later led invitation of settlers other parts of europe, germany.

during mongols russian campaign, 40,000 cumans, members of nomadic tribe of pagan kipchaks, driven west of carpathian mountains. there, cumans appealed king béla iv of hungary protection. iranian jassic people came hungary cumans after defeated mongols. cumans constituted perhaps 7–8% of population of hungary in second half of 13th century. on centuries assimilated hungarian population, , language disappeared, preserved identity , regional autonomy until 1876.

as consequence of mongol invasions, king béla ordered construction of hundreds of stone castles , fortifications defend against possible second mongol invasion. mongols did indeed return hungary in 1286, newly built stone-castle systems , new military tactics involving higher proportion of heavily armed knights stopped them. invading mongol force defeated near pest royal army of king ladislaus iv. later invasions repelled handily.

the castles built béla iv proved useful @ later time in long struggle against ottoman empire. however, cost of building them indebted hungarian king major feudal landlords, royal power reclaimed béla iv after father andrew ii weakened once again dispersed among lesser nobility.