Battle of Legnica
In the Battle of Liegnitz defeated on April 9, 1241 a Mongolian army a Polish- German army.
To avoid confusion with the battle of Liegnitz in 1760 it is also known as Battle of choice instead, although the place name was Wahlstatt as a result of battle later.
Prehistory
After the fall of Kiev in 1240 Batu Khan, with an army of the Golden Horde, which contained only a small portion of the Mongols, embarked on a campaign of conquest in the West and invaded Poland. After the destruction of Sandomir and Krakow in winter 1240/41 Batu divided his army. An Army column under the Prince Baidar (a son Dschagateis ) and Orda moved to the northwest, Batu himself with the main army to the south.
On the way to the banks of the Oder was now beginning in 1241 only, the Duchy of Silesia between Central Europe and the northern army column of the Mongols. Duke of Silesia was then Henry II, called " the Pious ", who was also Senior Duke of Poland. He recognized the danger and hurriedly put an army together. Duke Henry was considered a pious, brave and confident, however, was made largely on their own. Emperor Frederick II was indispensable in Italy, where he wrestled with the Pope for supremacy. The King of Hungary was even before the invasion of the southern army column of the Mongols; there the Battle of Muhi took place on April 11. After all, said King Wenceslas I of Bohemia to help, and began as an army set up.
Henry collected the remnants of the Polish army who had escaped the Mongols so far and called the Silesian knights to the colors. He got support from some Teutonic Knights Templar and German knights, maybe some Knights of St. John. Furthermore, some German contingents followed his cry for help, including Duke Frederick II of Austria. Weak point was the infantry. It consisted mainly of armed civilians - City citizens of Liegnitz, farmers and miners from the mines of the nearby Goldberg. They were held together by some armored mercenaries. Overall, the army consisted of Henry the historian Jan flakes according barely 4,000 men, details of contemporary chroniclers of 40,000 were exaggerated.
The Mongol army under Baidar Khan was mainly due to riders far superior ( flakes: 10,000 men, contemporary chroniclers: 100,000 ).
Battle Record
Given their numerical inferiority Heinrich could dodge to the south, where King Wenceslas of Bohemia with a strong army was advancing ( flakes: 5,000 men, contemporary chroniclers: 50,000 men ). But then Henry would have to risk that the nimble cavalry the Mongols would have bypassed him. Henry decided to take up the fight and as if to lead a holy crusade. Almost all of his fighters mounted a cross on their clothing to document this. The army of King Wenceslas was a day's ride away on the day of the battle, after all, the mounted vanguard of Bohemia had arrived.
On the Wahlstatt (Polish: Legnickie poles, Liegnitzer field ' ), a hill between the Kaczawa ( Toth ) and the Wierzbiak (willow pool ) southeast of Legnica ( Liegnitz ), the two armies clashed on April 9, 1241. The Christian army was drawn up in two rows: front in the center stood the infantry, flanked by the Polish cavalry and the Knights left and right. Behind this was the Silesian knights, reinforced by German and Bohemian knights and mounted professional warriors.
The army of Henry was destroyed by the Mongols, and the Duke died in the battle. His head was carried on a pike as a trophy in front of the city gates of Legnica. The Mongols did not encounter despite the victory against further to the northwest.
Follow the battle
After a vain attempt to conquer Liegnitz, Baidar Khan stopped the march to the west and moved with his troops south to the main power to Hungary. Move Mongolian troops were forced off Gotthart Brandis. The Mongols retreated along the Sudetes to Moravia. Since the Western alliance fell apart again after the reversal of the Mongols, Bohemia stood alone against the Mongols. The mountain passes in Kłodzko ( Glatz ) could be locked, but after taking Racibórz ( Ratibor ) and Opava ( Opava ), the Mongols invaded through the Moravian Gate in Moravia, took Prerau, Littau, Wischau as well as other cities and devastated the Hanna level. Only two Moravian cities - Olomouc and Brno - as well as the northeastern Hungarian Neustadt resisted the tent mountain and were unsuccessfully besieged by the Mongols. Olomouc was defended by 6,000 men under Jaroslaw von Sternberg, who allegedly killed in a failure Baidar Khan in battle. The Mongols marched three days later from Olomouc and joined in Hungary again Batu Khan's main army at. Despite their victory over the Hungarians and the Mongols did not penetrate farther westward, possibly because Great Khan Ögedei Khan was dying and then died in December 1241 and the succession was unclear. Probably moved from the Mongolian leader to select a new ruler.
On the battlefield, the mother and the wife of Henry, the duchess Hedwig and Anna of Bohemia left, build a provost and they gave to the Benedictine monks of the monastery Opatowitz in Hradec Kralove. Henry's body was found. The resulting to the Provost's place was named after the general concept battlefield Wahlstatt; Since 1948 he is called Legnickie poles (, Liegnitzer field ' ). Even today, in the Provost each year on April 9, a church service in memory of the battle instead.
Cousins of Wahlstatt
" Cousins of Wahlstatt " called themselves later six Silesian noble families, of which only a male family member to have survived the battle: the families Rothkirch, Strachwitz, Nostic, Seydlitz, Prittwitz and Zedlitz. According to myth, the family Rothkirch lost all the male family members in battle. Only one after the battle -born male child existed. For this, the federal government of the surviving fighters took over the guardianship. The extant members of these six families hold regular meetings to commemorate the day of battle.
Strachwitz
Nostic
Seydlitz
Prittwitz
Zedlitz
In Wahlstatt there since 1961, the " Muzeum Bitwy Legnickiej ".