The sack of Sandomierz during the

first Mongol invasion of Poland The Mongol invasion of Poland from late 1240 to 1241 culminated in the Battle of Legnica, where the Mongols defeated an alliance which included forces from Testament of Bolesław III Wrymouth, fragmented Poland and their allies, led by Henry ...

took place on 13 February 1241. It ended in the victory of the Mongol forces, who captured the city and burned it, massacring the residents. During the Mongol invasion of Poland, southeastern Polish city of

Sandomierz Sandomierz (pronounced: ; , ) is a historic town in south-eastern Poland with 23,863 inhabitants (), situated on the Vistula River near its confluence with the San, in the Sandomierz Basin. It has been part of Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship (Holy ...

was regarded by the invaders as a strategically important location, which had to be captured. Sandomierz lies near the confluence of the

Vistula The Vistula (; ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest in Europe, at in length. Its drainage basin, extending into three other countries apart from Poland, covers , of which is in Poland. The Vistula rises at Barania Góra i ...

and the San rivers, near the 13th-century border between the

Kingdom of Poland The Kingdom of Poland (; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a monarchy in Central Europe during the Middle Ages, medieval period from 1025 until 1385. Background The West Slavs, West Slavic tribe of Polans (western), Polans who lived in what i ...

and Mongol-controlled

Red Ruthenia Red Ruthenia, also called Red Rus or Red Russia, is a term used since the Middle Ages for the south-western principalities of Kievan Rus', namely the Principality of Peremyshl and the Duchy of Belz, Principality of Belz. It is closely related to ...

. The invaders captured Sandomierz on 13 February 1241, after crossing the frozen Vistula. According to

Jan Długosz Jan Długosz (; 1 December 1415 – 19 May 1480), also known in Latin as Johannes Longinus, was a Polish priest, chronicler, diplomat, soldier, and secretary to Bishop Zbigniew Oleśnicki of Kraków. He is considered Poland's first histo ...

, forces of the khan besieged both the city, and the castle. After breaking defences, they murdered the

Abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the head of an independent monastery for men in various Western Christian traditions. The name is derived from ''abba'', the Aramaic form of the Hebrew ''ab'', and means "father". The female equivale ...

of Koprzywnica, and all monks from Koprzywnica's Abbey, who had fled to the city. A great number of residents of the area was massacred, and the invaders saved only young men, whom they enslaved. During the siege, the Mongols used specially designed

engines An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power gen ...

, especially stone throwing machines, which threw rocks weighing over 100 kilograms. The city was captured after four days, and after the sack, Mongol forces headed westwards, to

Wiślica Wiślica () () is a town in Busko County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, in south-central Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Wiślica. It lies on the Nida River, approximately south of Busko-Zdrój and sout ...

and

Skalbmierz Skalbmierz is a town in southern Poland, in Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, in Kazimierza County. It has 1,326 inhabitants (2004). Skalbmierz has a long and rich history, the town belongs to the historic region of Lesser Poland. History Skalbm ...

. On the day of the capture of Sandomierz, the Battle of Tursko took place. In 1259–1260, the Mongols sieged and captured Sandomierz again, razing the city and massacring its residents.

Sources

Tomislaw Giergiel, Tatarzy w Sandomierzu
* Piastowie. Leksykon biograficzny, wyd. 1999, str. 397 * Wielka Historia Polski cz. do 1320, wyd. Pinexx 1999, s. 187-188 * Stanislaw Krakowski, Polska w walce z najazdami tatarskimi w XIII wieku, wyd. MON 1956, str. 136-137

Conflicts in 1241 1241 in Europe 1240s in the Mongol Empire 1241 in Asia {{Mongol-battle-stub Sandomierz 1241 Razed cities History of Sandomierz Battles during the first Mongol invasion of Poland

See also

Sources