Battle of Mohi and the destruction of Hungary

“Mit sietsz, nem hajt a tatár“– says one of the more commonly used idioms in Hungary. Best translated as “Why are you in a hurry, the Tatars aren’t chasing you”, the meaning of this phrase is unknown to most non-Hungarians. For those familiar with the history of the country, however, it is a symbol of one of the direst times the nation has experienced throughout its over one thousand years of existence. Let me tell you the story of the first destruction of the Hungarian state and what followed. This is the history of the Battle of Mohi and the First Mongol Invasion of Hungary.

Rising threat from the east

Our tale begins at the beginning of the 13^th century. A Mongolian warrior, Temüjin, better known nowadays as Genghis Khan, had just united all the different tribes of his region and set out to conquer Central-East Asia. In a span of just 4 decades, Genghis and his son, Ögedei brought the entire steppe area under their fold. From the Black Sea to the Chinese coastline, everything came under the control of the infamous Mongol army.

The Mongol threat was not unknown to the Hungarian Kingdom’s nobility and its ruler, King Béla IV. A few years before the fall of Kyiv, they heard stories of this great eastern army. They were told of the threat by the Cumans – a Turkic nomadic tribe driven west by the Mongol conquest, who settled in Hungary a few years prior. They also received warnings from Friar Julian, a Dominican monk. He travelled east in the 1230s and brought back news of a possible invasion.

The Battle of Mohi

In the spring of 1241, the Mongol army led by Batu Khan made its way through the Carpathian Mountains. Having defeated the forces of Palatine Dénes Tomaj, the main contingent crossed the Verecke Pass and entered the eastern part of the kingdom. The combined Hungarian armies of the king, the bishops, and the high nobility of Hungary gathered on 10 April 1241, to meet them at the river Sajó, near the settlement of Muhi. This was the beginning of the Battle of Mohi.

After taking up defensive positions and successfully protecting the bridge from a Mongol attack, the Hungarian leadership thought their position was secure. This belief was further exacerbated when the Mongol forces seemed to initiate a withdrawal from the field of battle. However, this was a deception. It was a trick that the Hungarian tribes used as well just three centuries prior, in their own conquest of the Carpathian Basin.

Batu Khan’s forces faked a retreat, in order to confuse the king’s armies and get them to open up. This was successful, so they started a full-frontal attack early in the morning on 11 April. After having crossed the river at multiple points, they encircled the Hungarian camp and set it ablaze. In the chaos, it was impossible to organise a defence against the overwhelming attackers. The king and his companions resorted to fleeing the battle.

Aftermath of the battle

While King Béla IV managed to get away intact, many others did not. Two archbishops of Hungary, the younger brother of the monarch, as well as several prominent members of the higher nobility, lost their lives in or shortly after the battle. Béla first fled westwards, to Austria, and then all the way to the Croatian coastline. He finally found refuge on the island castle of Trau (Trogir) in the Adriatic Sea. Legend has it, that the Mongol pursuers were so close, that they even witnessed the king sailing with his family in a boat, towards the safe haven.