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Batu Khan (Russian language|Russian: Batyi,
Батый) (c. 1205 - 1255) was a Mongol ruler,
founder of the Golden Horde|Kipchak Khanate.  The
term "Kipchak" came from the Kipchak Turks in the
Mongol forces.  Batu was a son of Jochi and
grandson of Genghis Khan. 

Although Genghis Khan recognized Jochi as his son,
his parentage was always a question, as his mother
Borte, Genghis Khan's wife, had been captured and
historians assume, raped, so that Jochi was born
exactly 9 months after her recovery by Genghis
Khan.

==Invasion of Russian states==

In 1235 Batu, who earlier had directed the
conquest of the Crimea, was assigned an army of
possibly 130,000 (actually commanded by Subutai)
to oversee an invasion of Europe.  The army
crossed the Volga
Mongol_invasion_of_Volga_Bulgaria|and invaded
Volga Bulgaria in 1236. It took them a year to
extinguish resistance to the Volga Bulgarians,
Kypchaks, and Alani. 

In November 1237 Batu Khan sent his envoys to the
court of Yuri II of Vladimir and demanded his
allegiance. A month later, the hordes besieged
Ryazan. After six days of the bloodiest battle,
this capital was totally annihillated, never to be
restored. Alarmed by the news, Yury II sent his
sons to detain the horde, but these were soundly
defeated. Having burnt down Kolomna and Moscow,
the horde laid siege to Vladimir on February 4,
1238. Three days later the capital of
Vladimir-Suzdal was taken and burnt to the ground.
The royal family perished in the fire, while the
grand prince hastily retreated northward. Crossing
the Volga, he mustered a new army, which was
totally exterminated by the Mongols on the Sit'
River on March 4. 

Thereupon Batu Khan divided his army into smaller
units, which ransacked 14 Russian cities: Rostov,
Uglich, Yaroslavl, Kostroma, Kashin, Ksnyatin,
Gorodets, Galich, Pereslavl-Zalessky,
Yuriev-Polsky, Dmitrov, Volokolamsk, Tver, and
Torzhok. The most difficult to take was the small
town of Kozelsk, whose boy-prince Titus and
inhabitants resisted the Mongols for 7 weeks. As
the story goes, at the news of Mongol approach, a
city of Kitezh was submerged into a lake with all
its inhabitants, where it may be seen to this day.
The only major cities to escape destruction were
Novgorod and Pskov.

In the summer of 1238, Batu Khan devastated the
Crimea and pacified Mordovia. In the winter of
1239, he sacked Chernigov and Pereyaslav. After
many years of siege, the horde stormed Kiev in
December 1239. Despite fierce resistance of Danylo
of Halych, Batu Khan managed to take two principal
capitals of his land, Halych and
Volodymyr-Volyns'kyi. The Russian states were left
as vassals rather than integrated into the central
Asian empire.

==Invasion of Central Europe==

Batu Khan then decided to "reach the ultimate
sea", where they could proceed no further. Some
modern historians speculate that Batu Khan
intended primarily to assure his flanks were safe
for the future from possible interference from the
Europeans, and partially as a precursor to further
conquest.

The Mongols invaded central Europe in three
groups. One group conquered Poland, defeating a
combined force under Henry the Pious, Duke of
Silesia and the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order
at Legnica. A second crossed the Carpathians and a
third followed the Danube. The armies re-grouped
and crushed Hungary in 1241, defeating the army
led by Béla IV of Hungary at the Battle of Muhi
on April 11. The armies swept the plains of
Hungary over the summer and in the spring of 1242
regained impetus and extended their control into
Austria and Dalmatia as well as invading Bohemia.
Had the Great Khan not died, necessitating the
return of all the "Princes of the Blood" (of
Genghis Khan), all of Europe might have fallen as
easily as Poland and Hungary, and the Russian
principalities before them.

This attack on Europe was planned and carried out
by Subutai, under the nominal command of Batu, who
was intelligent enough to get out of the way and
let one of history's great generals do his best. 
Subutai achieved perhaps his most lasting fame
with his victories there. Having devastated the
various Russian Principalities, he sent spies into
Poland, Hungary, and as far as Austria, in
preparation for an attack into the heartland of
Europe. Having gotten a clear picture of the
European Kingdoms, he brilliantly prepared an
attack nominally commanded by Batu Khan and 2
other princes of the blood. Batu Khan, son of
Jochi, was the overall leader, but Subutai was the
actual commander in the field, and as such was
present in both the northern and southern
campaigns against Russia and Ukraine. He commanded
the central column that moved against Hungary.
While Kaidu's northern force won the battle of
Leignitz and Kadan's army triumphed in
Transylvania, Subutai was waiting for them on the
Hungarian plain. The newly reunited army then
withdrew to the Sajo river where they inflicted
the tremendous defeat on King Béla IV at the
Battle of Mohi. Subutai masterminded the
operation, and it was to prove one of his greatest
victories.

The King of Hungary had summoned a council of war
at Gran, a large and important settlement upriver
from Buda and Pest. As Batu was advancing on
Hungary from the north-east it was decided by the
King to concentrate his strength at Pest and then
head to the north to confront the Mongol army.
When news of the Hungarian battle strategy reached
the Mongol commanders they slowly withdrew,
drawing their enemies on. This was classic Mongol
strategy, perfected by Subutai. He prepared a
battlefield and waited. It was a strong position,
because woods prevented their ranks from being
clearly scouted or seen, while across the river on
the plain of Mohi, the Hungarian army was
extremely exposed.

Subutai launched the Battle of Mohi during the
night of 10 Apri1 1241, only one day after the
smaller army in Poland had won the battle of
Legnica. At the Mohi, a single division crossed
the river in secret to advance on the Hungarian
camp from the southern flank. The main body began
to cross the Sajo by the bridge at Mohi. This was
met with fierce resistance, so catapults were used
to clear the opposite bank. When the crossing was
completed the other contingent attacked at the
same time. The result was panic, and to ensure
that the Hungarians did not fight desperately to
the last man the Mongols left an obvious gap in
their encirclement. This, along with the feigned
retreat, was one of the Mongol's most prized
strategies.

As Subutai had planned, the fleeing Hungarians
poured through this apparent hole in the lines,
which led to a swampy area. When the Hungarian
knights split up, the light Mongol archers picked
them off at will and it was later noted that
corpses littered the countryside for the space of
a two day journey. Two archbishops and three
bishops were killed at the Sajo, plus 40,000
fighting men, the pride of Hungary! By late 1241,
Subutai was discussing plans to invade Austria,
Italy and Germany, when the news came of the death
of Ogodei Khan, and the Mongols withdrew, as the
Princes of the blood, and Subutai, were recalled
to Mongolia. As noted previously, only the death
of the Great Khan prevented the utter destruction
of the remainder of Europe.

Fortunately for Europe in the late spring of 1242
Batu withdrew from Europe following the news of
the death of Ögedei Khan (died in December,
1241). Batu was a potential Great Khan and when he
failed to win this he turned to consolidate his
conquests in Asia and the Urals. He established
the capital of his khanate at Sarai (city)|Sarai
(also transcribed as Saraj or Saray) on the lower
Volga in 1242. He was planning new campaigns but
he died in 1255 and the khanate passed to Sartak. 
The Kipchak Khanate ruled Russia directly, or in
the case of Novograd by vassal status, for the
next 130 years.

The Kipchak Khanate was known in Russia and Europe
as the Golden Horde (Zolotaya Orda) because of the
Golden colour of the Khan's tent. "Horde" refers
to this, not to the Mongol hordes. "Golden" is
thought to have had a similar meaning to "royal." 
Of all the Khanates, the Golden Horde ruled
longest.  Long after the Yuan Khanate had been
driven out of China, and Il Khanate of the Middle
East had fallen, the descendants of Batu Khan
continued to rule the Russian Steppes.  Russia was
not to be free of them until the "Great Standing."