Third Mongol invasion of Poland
The third Mongol invasion of Poland was carried out by Talabuga Khan and Nogai Khan in 1287–1288. As in the second invasion, its purpose was to loot Lesser Poland, and to prevent Duke Leszek II the Black from interfering in Hungarian and Ruthenian affairs. The invasion was also part of the hostilities between Poland and Ruthenia; in 1281, the Poles had defeated a Mongol force near Goslicz which had entered Duke Leszek's territory in support of Lev I. Planning In November 1287, Nogai Khan demanded that the princes of Ruthenia show up personally leading their armies to join him on an expedition to Poland, while he and Talabuga gathered their own cavalry. He assembled what the Galician-Volhynian Chronicle referred to as "a great host" alongside his vassals on the Polish-Galician border. After leaving some men behind in Ruthenia to defend his rear, he went about planning the invasion. The expedition was undertaken by a force of 30,000 men, a mix of Mongol/Turkic troops and Ruthenian vassal troops. The plan, devised by Nogai Khan, was similar to the one from 1259. The Mongol army was divided into two columns. 20,000 cavalry (including Ruthenians) under Talabuga attacked towards Sandomierz and northern Lesser Poland, while another 10,000 cavalry (all Mongol/Turkic; no sources reference Ruthenians) under Nogai headed towards the area of Kraków - Sacz. Like earlier invasions, the campaign was to be conducted with great speed and surprise to prevent the enemy from properly marshaling their forces. After looting their respective provinces and capturing Sandomierz, they were to unite north of Kraków. After joining the two groups, the combined host was planned to march through Kielce, Chęciny, Jędrzejów, and Miechów, before sacking Kraków. After Poland was razed, the Mongol troops were to return to Rus. The Polish defenders did not have any elaborate plan, as the raid was clearly a surprise. An ad hoc strategy was devised whereby most forces concentrated on castles and fortified cities rather than riding out to meet the Mongols in field battles. Duke Leszek, with his main force, stood in the path of the first column. Invasion Northern column The northern column of the Mongol forces was supported by a large contingent of the Mongol vassals, Ruthenians, under Duke Mstislav of Lutsk, Duke Volodymyr of Volhynia, and Duke Lev of Halych. Leszek II the Black stood opposed to the Mongols with probably 15,000 strong. Furthermore, in comparison to the second invasion, several towns and cities had been fortified. Kraków in particular was described as having a castle made entirely out of stone, and was "protected by catapults and large and small crossbows.” This was in sharp contrast to the first two invasions, when Kraków's citadel was made of wood. On December 7, 1287, the northern group of Mongol forces under Talabuga left a camp near Volodymyr, and, after by-passing Lublin, the army tried to cross the Vistula near Zawichost. Since the river was not frozen, they had to find a ford, heading southwards. The invaders besieged and assaulted