Invasion of Central Asia
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Were a series of expansionistic military campaigns by the Mongols in Central Asia.
Chronology
Interactive Chronologies with maps are available in the section Changes Navigation
Was the Mongol conquest of the Qara Khitai.
January 1217: In 1216, after requesting Muhammad II of Khwarazm not to aid Kuchlug, Genghis Khan dispatched general Jebe with two tumens. The two armies traveled alongside each other through the Altai and Tarbagatai Mountains until arriving at Almaliq.
January 1217: In 1216, the Mongol general Jebe, also known as "The Arrow," conquered the city of Balasagun, which was the capital of the Qara Khitai. Jebe defeated a large army of 30,000 troops, forcing the Qara Khitai ruler Kuchlug to flee. This victory further expanded the territory of the Mongol Empire.
January 1219: Mongol general Jebe pursued Kuchlug, the ruler of Qara Khitai, across the Pamir Mountains into Badakhshan in modern Afghanistan. A group of hunters caught Kuchlug and handed him over to the Mongols, who promptly beheaded him. Qara Khitai was annexed to the Mongol Empire.
January 1211: The Uyghur state of Kara-Khoja was a vassal of the Qara Khitai, but in 1210, the Uyghur ruler of Kara-Khoja, Idiqut Barchuq appeared before the Khan to declare his allegiance to the Mongolians.
Was the Mongol conquest of the Khwarazmian Empire.
December 1219: Though the Mongols suffered losses and were exhausted from the crossing, their presence in the Ferghana Valley stunned the Khwarezm leadership and permanently stole the initiative away.
March 1220: Samarkand conquered by Mongol Empire.
June 1220: In 1220, during the Mongol Empire's conquest of Khorasan, the cities of Termez and Balkh were among the first to fall. Termez was an important trading city on the Amu Darya River, while Balkh was a historic city known for its cultural significance and strategic location on the Silk Road.
January 1221: In February 1220 the Mongolian army crossed the Syr Darya. The Mongols stormed Bukhara, Gurganj and the Khwarezmid capital Samarkand.
May 1221: After finishing off Merv, Tolui headed westwards, attacking the cities of Nishapur and Herat.
June 1221: By spring 1221, the province of Khurasan was under complete Mongol rule.
December 1221: The Battle of the Indus was fought at the Indus river, in the year 1221 between Jalal ad-Din Mingburnu, the sultan of the Khwarezmian dynasty and his only remaining forces of thirty thousand against the two hundred thousand strong Mongolian army of Genghis Khan: Khwarezmia was annexed to the Mongol Empire.
May 1221: Urgench conquered by Mongol Empire.
February 1220: Bukhara conquered by Mongol Empire.
January 1231: The Mongols conquered Azerbaijan.
Was a Mongol campaign against the Nizari Ismaili State.
November 1256: The Nizari Imam at Maymun-Dizh was Rukn al-Din Khurshah, the leader of the Ismaili sect. Hulagu Khan was the grandson of Genghis Khan and the founder of the Ilkhanate, a division of the Mongol Empire. The surrender of the castle marked the end of the Nizari Ismaili stronghold in the region.
January 1257: Nizari leader Muqaddam al-Din finally surrendered to the Mongols in December 1256.
January 1257: Hulegu Khan, third son of Tolui, grandson of Genghis Khan, and brother of both Möngke Khan and Kublai Khan, was the first khan of the Ilkhanate. He destroyed the Nizari Ismaili state in 1256.
Selected Sources
Atwood, C. P. (2004): Encyclopedia of Mongolia and the Mongol Empire, New York (USA), p. 225
