Battle of the Kalka River, 1223
One of the most famous victories of mighty Subutai Ba'atar, wherein he defeated a Rus'-Cuman-Qipchap force many times larger than his own (as much as 80,000 compared to 20,000 Mongols: though the numbers are likely exaggerated, the general idea of a greatly outnumbered Mongol force is correct). Traditionally dated to May 31st, 1223, there has been debate in the past over this date, Either May or June any year from 1222-1224. The reason is due to calendar system used by the Russian chroniclers, which provide different years. However, based off the confirmed dates from the campaign in Khwarezm and Jebe and Subutai's route through the Caucasus, a date of sometime in early 1223 seems most reliable. The battle itself, is so well known it almost doesn't need repeating, but we'll do it anyways. After and 8 or 9 days pursuit east from the Dnieper river, Subutai led the enemy enemy army to the Kalka river. Over the course of the week of pursuit, the larger Rus-Cuman-Qipchap force became spread out, so by the time Subutai turned his forces to confront, he could now face only sections of the enemy rather than the entire army. His horsemen charged the leading Galician and Cuman-Qipchaq cavalry as they crossed the Kalka, sending them fleeing directly into the oncoming Rus' forces, causing confusion, ruining their formations and allowing the Mongols to destroy them. The Galician leader, Mstislav the Bold, fled fastest to the Dnieper, taking a boat to escape and cutting the rest loose, ensuring the Mongols, and no one else, could follow him. The rest who fled were thus trapped in the open steppe against the horsemen of the Great Khan. According to the Chronicle of Novgorod, only 1 in 10 men returned from this campaign. To learn more about this famous campaign, check out my video on it: youtu.be/DuYlfHujxQo
