The Mongols meet their match

Our map of the Mongol empire shows seven major battles on its western borders

1 1228: A rare reverse at Isfahan

This is an example of an early Mongol defeat. The Mongols suffered this reverse at Isfahan (in modernday Iran) at the hands of the local ruler, Jalal al-Din. However, they returned in force in 1240 and eventually conquered the region.

2 1241: Triumph at the Sajo river

This was the Mongols’ most significant battlefield victory during their invasion of Hungary. Fought in large part across a bridge spanning the Sajo, the Mongols initially forced the Hungarian army to retreat and then encircled them in their camp.

3 1243: Subduing the Seljuks

The battle of Köse Dagh (modern-day Turkey) was one of the Mongols’ most notable military victories in the near east. It saw them defeat the Anatolian Seljuk Sultanate of Rum, which became a tributary state.

4 1260: Mongol weaknesses exposed

The battle of Ayn Jalut was the Mamluks’ first major – and arguably most famous – victory against the Mongols, achieved by their sultan Qutuz. Significantly, the Mamluks did not face the entire Mongol army – which had withdrawn to the east – but rather the Mongols’ garrison forces in Syria.

5 1277: The Mamluks advance

In 1277 the Mamluks invaded Anatolia (modern-day Turkey), then nominally ruled by the Seljuk dynasty, a Mongol tributary. Their hope was to exacerbate the problems posed to the Mongols by encouraging a widespread rebellion across the region. They encountered and defeated a large Mongol army outside the City of Elbistan.

6 1281: A stunning blow at Homs

The battle of Homs was one of the Mamluks’ most significant battlefield victories over the Mongols. Won against the odds, the battle initially went badly for the Mamluks, but they managed to force the Mongols to withdraw following a cavalry charge against the Mongol centre. The Mongols did not stage another major assault against the Mamluks until 1299.

7 1299: Victory, then retreat

The Mongol's only major battlefield victory against the Mamluks came at Wadi al-Khaznadar, achieved near the city of Damascus. The Mongols conquered Damascus itself soon afterwards but later felt that their position was too precarious to remain in Syria and so they withdrew.

A 14th-century depiction of Baybars, who led the vanguard of the Mamluk army at the battle of Ayn Jalut

Victory in the battle of -öse Dagh over the Seljuk empire saw much of Anatolia fall under the Mongols’ sway

A Mongol army advances into Hungary in 1241, as shown in a 15th-century woodcut

MAP BY PAUL HEWITT – BATTLEFIELD DESIGN

A devastating cavalry charge secured the Mamluks victory over the Mongols at Homs in 1281 iP