Mongol invasions of Lithuania

The Mongol invasions of Lithuania was an event where the Mongol armies invaded the territories of the Kingdom of Lithuania and later, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, on several occasions in late 13th and early 14th century. The event was not very well documented, but historians knew also that despite occasional setbacks. In due course, however, the Lithuanians were able to take control of a number of former Mongol territories, expand their influence in Eastern Europe, and contribute to the liberation of neighbouring peoples.[1]

Lithuanian–Mongol conflict

The Lithuanians first made contact with the Mongols around 1237–1240, though for the next decade or two the Mongols did not consider Lithuanian-held territories a priority.[2]

In 1258–59, a joint Tatar-Rus'ian army led by Burundai launched a campaign against the Kingdom of Lithuania ruled by Mindaugas, devastating the country.[3][4] It was likely a reaction to Lithuanian incursions into Mongol-held territories. Although the young Christian state has managed to withstand this incursion, it likely played a crucial role in determining its further religious orientation as Mindaugas was starting to lose his allies and pro-pagan sentiments reemerged. The threat posed by the Mongols and lack of any meaningful support from the Roman Curia, led to Treniota and his accomplices forcing Mindaugas to renounce his union with the Livonian Order for an alliance with Alexandr Nevsky, who was a docile subject of the Tatars. The temporary shifting of the allegiance of its successor, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, toward the Mongols, or at least, away from the Christian Europe, was also a short-term victory for the Mongols.[2]

After raiding Lithuania and the Yotvingians,[4] the next year, two tumens (20,000 men), under the leadership of Berke, attacked Poland (in what is known as the second Mongol invasion of Poland).[5]

In the immediate aftermath of this invasion, Lithuania might have become a tributary and ally to the Horde for several years or decades.[2][6][7] A similar fate was likely met by the Lithuanian neighbours, the Yotvingians. Some Lithuanian or Yotvingian warriors likely participated in the Mongol invasion of Poland in 1259, though there are no historical documents to clarify whether they did so with their leaders' permission, or as free mercenaries, or as forced troops. According to Krakowski, the term 'Prussian' mentioned in the historical accounts could also cover some Yotvingian and Lithuanian units. Gregorz Błaszczyk believes that such a position belongs to the sphere of hypotheses.[2]

Nonetheless, the invasion did not have major or lasting consequences for Lithuania,[3] particularly as it was not directly incorporated into the Mongol Empire, nor subject to Mongol darughachi administration.[2]

Legacy

Mongols raided Lithuania again in 1275,[8] 1279,[9] and 1325.[10]

Overall, the Mongols did not make any major effort to conquer Lithuania.[3] In time, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania became a rival to the Golden Horde, temporarily taking over some of the former Kievan Rus' territories controlled by the Mongols as the Horde became weakened in the 13th and 14th centuries, though it lacked manpower to threaten Mongol territories outside of northeastern Europe.[10][11]

See also

References
  1. Matulevičius, A., Spečiūnas V. "Mongolų-totorių antpuoliai į LDK žemes [Mongol-Tatar Invasions into the Lands of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania]". (in Lithuanian). Universal Lithuanian Encyclopedia.
  2. Darius, Baronas (2006). "The Encounter Between Forest Lithuanians and Steppe Tatars in The Time of Mindaugas." (PDF). Lithuanian Historical Studies (11): 1–16.
  3. Jaroslaw Pelenski (1998). The Contest for the Legacy of Kievan Rus'. East European Monographs. p. 133. ISBN 978-0-88033-274-3.
  4. Mikolaj Gladysz (2012). The Forgotten Crusaders: Poland and the Crusader Movement in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries. BRILL. pp. 325–. ISBN 978-90-04-18551-7.
  5. Stanisław Krakowski, Polska w walce z najazdami tatarskimi w XIII wieku, MON, 1956, pp. 181-201
  6. Peter Jackson (2018). The Mongols and the West: 1221-1410. Taylor & Francis. p. 188. ISBN 978-1-351-18282-9.
  7. Peter Jackson (2012). "Mongols". In Xiaobing Li (ed.). China at War: An Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. pp. 284–. ISBN 978-1-59884-416-0.
  8. John L. Fennell (2014). A History of the Russian Church to 1488. Routledge. pp. 125–. ISBN 978-1-317-89720-0.
  9. Tadas Adomonis (1986). Lithuania: An Encyclopedic Survey. Encyclopedia Publishers. p. 92.
  10. Timothy May (2016). The Mongol Empire: A Historical Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. p. 190. ISBN 978-1-61069-340-0.
  11. Timothy May (2016). The Mongol Empire: A Historical Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. p. 164. ISBN 978-1-61069-340-0.
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