Hulegu Khan: Difference between revisions

When news arrived that the Mongols had crossed the [[Jordan River]] in 1260, [[Qutuz|Sultan Qutuz]] and his forces proceeded southeast toward the 'Spring of Goliath' (Known in Arabic as 'Ain Jalut') in the [[Jezreel Valley]]. They met the Mongol army of about 12,000 in the [[Battle of Ain Jalut]] and fought relentlessly for many hours. The Mamluk leader Baybars mostly implemented hit-and-run tactics in an attempt to lure the Mongol forces into chasing him. Baybars and [[Qutuz]] had hidden the bulk of their forces in the hills to wait in ambush for the Mongols to come into range. The Mongol leader [[Kitbuqa]], already provoked by the constant fleeing of Baybars and his troops, decided to march forwards with all his troops on the trail of the fleeing Egyptians. When the Mongols reached the highlands, Egyptians appeared from hiding, and the Mongols found themselves surrounded by enemy forces as the hidden troops hit them from the sides and [[Qutuz]] attacked the Mongol rear. Estimates of the size of the Egyptian army range from 24,000 to 120,000. The Mongols broke free of the trap and even mounted a temporarily successful counterattack, but their numbers had been depleted to the point that the outcome was inevitable. Refusing to surrender, the whole Mongol army that had remained in the region, including [[Kitbuqa]], were cut down and killed that day. The battle of Ain Jalut established a high-water mark for the Mongol conquest.