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Artwork by Joseph Feely
On April 9, 1241, at Legnica, the Polish nobility and their allies gathered for a decisive battle. What they faced, however, was unlike any enemy they had ever fought. The Mongols unleashed a combination of psychological and military warfare, using smoke bombs, arrows, and terrifying war cries to break enemy morale. Their tactical brilliance lay in their ability to fragment the enemy ranks and swiftly cut them down.
In Hungary, just days later, at the Battle of Mohi (April 11), the Mongols used river crossings and surprise flanking maneuvers to trap King Béla IV’s forces, leading to the massacre of thousands. Both kingdoms were left devastated, their defenses shattered.