10 Hardest Mongol Wars

Every major Mongol conquest, ranked by how hard it was for the Mongols to win: how long it took, what it cost them, and whether they won at all. From Hungary, beaten in days in 1241, to the kingdom that beat the Mongols three times. This is an educational history video. It describes wars and massacres from the 13th century without graphic imagery. 0:00 Intro: how the ranking works 1:11 No. 10: Hungary and Poland, 1241 3:06 No. 9: The Khwarazmian Empire, 1219–1221 5:01 No. 8: The Rus, 1237–1240 6:24 No. 7: Western Xia, 1209–1227 7:50 No. 6: The Jin dynasty, 1211–1234 9:25 No. 5: Korea, 1231–1270 10:41 No. 4: The Song dynasty, 1235–1279 12:41 No. 3: The Middle East, 1256–1260 14:30 No. 2: Japan, 1274 and 1281 16:27 No. 1: Vietnam, 1258–1288 18:39 The verdict Sources Timothy May, The Mongol Conquests in World History (Reaktion, 2012) Carl Fredrik Sverdrup, The Mongol Conquests: The Military Operations of Genghis Khan and Sübe'etei (Helion, 2017) Morris Rossabi, Khubilai Khan: His Life and Times (University of California Press, 1988) Jack Weatherford, Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World (2004) Vietnam (Bạch Đằng 1288 and the stakes): Wikipedia, "Mongol invasions of Vietnam" and "Battle of Bạch Đằng (1288)", citing Elleman, China as a Sea Power 1127–1368 (2012); Nhân Dân and Vietnam News on the stake fields. Quotes: Subutai after Mohi (Yuan shi, via Sverdrup); Genghis Khan to Nishapur (via Weatherford); Liu Qi at Kaifeng (via Sverdrup); the Novgorod Chronicle (via Sverdrup); Trần Hưng Đạo, Hịch tướng sĩ (1284, own translation, shortened). Pictures: medieval chronicles and Persian miniatures (Hungarian chronicle, Legend of St Hedwig 1353, Jami al-tawarikh), the Japanese Mongol Invasion Scrolls (about 1293), Song and Yuan paintings, modern paintings and illustrations, and photos of the places today. Some photos are animated. The cartoon panels and the 3D battle map of Mohi are illustrations made for this video, not historical images. Footage: Mongolian steppes (HUMAN the Movie); re-enactment of Chinggis Khaan's battles (1passionatetraveler); Namnaa Academy horse archers (Altan Nergui); Bạch Đằng stake field (Quảng Ninh). Narration: AI voice (ElevenLabs). #history #mongols #genghiskhan