However, the princes ruling Novgorod acted as tax collectors for the Mongol Empire in the coming decades.Īfterward, the Mongols turned their attention to the steppe, crushing various tribes and sacking Crimea to the west. Some cities, such as Novgorod in the north, were not attacked due to the dense march and forest land surrounding it. Other major Russian cities-such as Torzhok, and Kozelsk-were captured between 12. Ryazan refused to surrender, and the Mongols sacked it and then stormed through other Russian cities, including Vladimir Suzdal in the north, and Pereyaslav and Chernihiv in the south.

Territories and cities were ruled over by princely dynasties, which often meant these regions were fragmented politically.) The main force arrived at Ryazan in December 1237. (The territory was then called Rus’ and encompassed modern-day Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Belarus, and the Baltic states. Ögedei Khan ordered his nephew (and grandson of Genghis Khan) Batu Khan to conquer Russia in 1235. They were also masters at cavalry invasions and siege warfare, which threatened many of the principalities the Mongols hoped to capture. The Mongols have been credited for introducing gunpowder and associated weapons into Europe. The Mongols had acquired Chinese gunpowder, which they deployed in battle during the invasion of Europe to great success, in the form of bombs hurled via catapults. The operations were masterminded by General Subutai and commanded by Batu Khan and Kadan, both grandsons of Genghis Khan. This conquered region is sometimes referred to as the Golden Horde.

As a result of the successful invasions, many of the conquered territories would become part of the Mongol Empire. Over the course of four years (1237–1241), the Mongols quickly overtook most of the major eastern European cities, only sparing Novgorod and Pskov. These conquests involved invasions of Russia, Hungary, Volga Bulgaria, Poland, Dalmatia, and Wallachia. One of his most important contributions to the empire was his conquest of Eastern Europe.

Ögedei, Genghis Khan’s third son, took over from his father and ruled the Mongol Empire from 1227 CE-1241 CE. Expansion of the Mongol Empire Under Ögedei

“Coronation of Ögedei”: “Coronation Of Ögedei,” 1229, by Rashid al-Din.

How did the mongolian empire fall