The fall of Baghdad
The capture of Baghdad destroys the Abbasid centre and gives the Mongols political and logistical access towards Syria.
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War
Mongol Invasion of the Levant
1258 — 1260
Mongol speed meets a Mamluk army that refuses to panic
Military history
The strategic problem
The Mongol invasion of the Levant follows the fall of Baghdad and the expansion of the Ilkhanate. The crisis of 1260 creates an opening in which the Mamluks must defend Egypt before Mongol garrisons can rebuild their strength. Ayn Jalut does not destroy the Mongol Empire; it halts one line of advance and gives the Mamluks time to retake Syria.
The advance towards Damascus
Mongol forces capture Syrian strongholds or bring them over to their side. Möngke’s death and the withdrawal of part of the army nevertheless reduce the strength available in the Levant.
Ayn Jalut and the recovery
Baybars draws Kitbuqa’s vanguard into a valley, then Qutuz commits the Mamluk reserve. Victory makes it possible to retake southern Syria before the Mongols can concentrate again.
Explore
1 published battles, in chronological order
Military history
Sources
Indirect medieval sourcesIbn al-Athir et al-Maqrizi, chroniques des campagnes
Arabic accounts of the invasion, Mamluk leaders, and its consequences.
Specialist monographReuven Amitai, Mongols and Mamluks
Mongol context, cautious strength estimates, and a reconstruction of the 1260 campaign.
Academic overviewDavid Morgan, The Mongols
Institutions of the Ilkhanate, limits of expansion, and the place of the Levant.