In Pursuit Of The Shah, The Mongols Discover The West
In 1219, Genghis Khan led his armies into the mighty Khwarazmain Empire (present-day Central Asia, Afghanistan, and Iran) and smashed it. The provocation of this attack was due to the mistreatment of ambassadors and merchants. The Mongols had sent envoys to Shah Ala ad-Din Muhammad II to establish a trade deal and relations, but the Shah and his advisors suspected them of being spies and sent them back. This could very well have been true, given the Mongol nature to scout out areas they had an interest in. Genghis sent one more envoy to the Shah, but when this attempt also failed, he declared war. After the Mongol invasion and conquest of the Khwarazmain Empire, Genghis’ generals Subotai and Jebe initiated a hunt for the fleeing Shah, which would eventually lead to the great raid of Europe starting in 1220.
Khwarezmid Empire's Area (Arab League/ CC BY-SA 3.0)
In Pursuit Of The Shah
What led the Mongols to push further west after the Khwarazmain Empire had been partially subdued? There are multiple answers and all provided by Subotai. The first answer is pursuit. After the Mongols devastated the major cities of Bukhara, Samarkand, and Urgench in northern Khwarazmain, Genghis Khan made it clear that he wanted the feeling Shah Ala ad-Din Muhammad II captured. In 1220, Genghis decided that a force of 30,000 men should pursue the Shah and he summoned Subotai, his son-in-law, Toguchar, and his son, Jebe. Each of these three generals was assigned a tumen (a division roughly consisting of 10,000 men) with Subotai in charge of the operation. Genghis Khan, according to a Muslim chronicler, stated: “Do not come back until you have taken the prisoner. If he flees before you, follow him through his domains, whithersoever he may turn. Spare every town which surrender to you, but destroy ruthlessly anyone who gets in your way and offers resistance”.
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