The Mongol invasions and conquests were a series of campaigns that began after Genghis Khan united the Mongol tribes and was proclaimed ruler in 1206. His armies and those of his successors conquered Central Asia, northern China, Persia, Russia and much of the Middle East, using skilled cavalry, mobility, and often terror to compel the surrender of cities. They took Baghdad in 1258, ending the Abbasid caliphate, and established the largest contiguous land empire in history, which later divided into the Yuan dynasty, the Golden Horde, the Ilkhanate and the Chagatai Khanate. The conquests caused immense destruction and loss of life, but also opened trade across Eurasia and encouraged contact between cultures.
Before and after
- from 1204 to 1461Empire of Trebizond
- from 1204 to 1261Empire of Nicaea
- 1205Construction of Ayr
- from 1206 to 1368Mongol Empire
- from 1206 to 1337Mongol invasions and conquests
- from 1206 to 1526Delhi Sultanate
- from 1206 to 1290Mamluk Sultanate
- 1206Temujin is proclaimed Genghis Khan
- 30 September 1207Birth of Rumi
More in Wars, politics & history
- from 711 CE to 1492Al-Andalus
- from 1095 to 1291Crusades
- 27 November 1095Pope Urban II calls the First Crusade
- 15 June 1215Magna Carta
- from 24 May 1337 to 9 October 1453Hundred Years' War
- 2 January 1492The fall of Granada ends Muslim rule in Spain
The era
This moment belongs to the Medieval world (500 CE to 1500 CE), kingdoms, faiths and trade routes. You can also browse everything in the 13th century.