Conflicts & Resolutions · Campaign

First Mongol invasion of Poland

1240–1241 · 13th century · Part of the Mongol invasion of Europe

The first Mongol invasion of Poland was a raid by a Mongol army under Baidar and Orda in 1240–1241, covering the flank of the main invasion of Hungary. The Mongols sacked Sandomierz and Kraków and on 9 April 1241 defeated the Silesian duke Henry II the Pious at Legnica, where he was killed. They then withdrew south to join Batu in Hungary.

First Mongol invasion of Poland
Image: unknown / (of the reproduction) Wroclaw University Library / T. Zoltowska-Huszcza (sorry for ignoring diacritics) · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Battles and settlements

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APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). First Mongol invasion of Poland. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/first-mongol-invasion-of-poland
MLA
“First Mongol invasion of Poland.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/first-mongol-invasion-of-poland. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “First Mongol invasion of Poland.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/first-mongol-invasion-of-poland.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘First Mongol invasion of Poland’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/first-mongol-invasion-of-poland (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻