Battle of Legnica

Battle of Legnica Legend of Saint Jadwiga, 1353.

Date	9 April 1241
Location	Legnickie Pole (present day Legnica, Poland)
Result	Decisive Mongol victory

Belligerents

Mongol Empire

Kingdom of Poland

Margraviate of Moravia

Knights Templar

Commanders and leaders

Baidar

Kadan

Orda Khan

Henry II the Pious †

Mieszko II the Fat

Sulislaw

Boleslav

Units involved

Cavalry, mostly horse archers and lancers.

Infantry, Polish conscripts, mercenaries, Bavarian miners, mounted knights

Strength

Between 2,000 and 8,000

Estimates include 2,000, 3,800–4,300, 7,000, 8,000, 65-88 Knights Templars.

Casualties and losses

Unknown

Almost entire army destroyed. 3 Knights Templars killed.

The Battle of Legnica (Polish: bitwa pod Legnicą), also known as the Battle of Liegnitz (German: Schlacht von Liegnitz) or Battle of Wahlstatt (German: Schlacht bei Wahlstatt), was a battle between the Mongol Empire and the combined defending forces of European fighters that took place at Legnickie Pole (Wahlstatt) near the city of Legnica in the Silesia province of the Kingdom of Poland on 9 April 1241.

A combined force of Poles, Moravians, and Germans under the command of the Polish duke Henry II the Pious of Silesia, supported by feudal nobility and a few knights from military orders sent by the Pope, attempted to halt the Mongol invasion of Europe. The battle came two days before the Mongol victory over the Hungarians at the much larger Battle of Mohi.

As with many historical battles, the exact details of force composition, tactics, and the actual course of the battle are lacking and sometimes contradictory.

The general historical view is that it was a crushing defeat for the European forces where they suffered heavy casualties. It is known that the Mongols had no intentions at the time of extending the campaign westward, because they went to the Kingdom of Hungary to help the main Mongol army in the conquest of the country.

One of the Mongol leaders, Kadan, was frequently confused with Ögedei's grandson Kaidu by medieval chroniclers, and thus Kaidu has often been mistakenly listed as leading the Mongol forces at Legnica.

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