Mongol Empire · 1237-1242

The Mongols in Eastern Europe

Between 1237 and 1242 Mongol armies under Batu Khan sweep through the Rus principalities and into Poland and Hungary, then suddenly turn back. Students follow the campaign on the map, weigh why the Mongols withdrew, and see how the Golden Horde ruled the Rus for two centuries.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
50 minutes
Ages
12–15
On the map
3 steps, AD 1241 to AD 1279
Live lesson
7 rounds, 3 on the map
Worksheet
Two A4 pages, with Classroom
You need
A projector; phones for live

Live lesson · new in Classroom

Teach it live. The class answers on their phones.

Put the board on the projector. Students join with a six-digit code, no account needed, and tap the map: where was the frontier, where did the grain come from. Their pins drop in together when you reveal, and the closest student takes the round.

€19 per month: every lesson live, every worksheet, cancel anytime. Rome at its height runs live for free.

A live lesson on the projector: the class's pins on the map around Alexandria, the closest students listed beside it A student's phone: the question and a map to tap
7 rounds
3 places to find on the map, quiz questions, a class vote and a one-line answer.
About 15 minutes
Run it as the map step, or to open the discussion. You move on with the space bar.
A report
Every answer, per student and per round, to read back or print after the lesson.
1

Introduction

5 min

Read aloud

Between 1237 and 1242 Mongol armies under Batu Khan sweep through the Rus principalities and into Poland and Hungary, then suddenly turn back. Students follow the campaign on the map, weigh why the Mongols withdrew, and see how the Golden Horde ruled the Rus for two centuries.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Trace the Mongol campaign of 1237-1242 from the Volga to Poland, Hungary and the Adriatic.
  • Explain how the Mongols won battles such as Legnica and Mohi in 1241.
  • Evaluate the reasons historians give for the Mongol withdrawal in 1242 and its long-term effects on the Rus.
2

Explore the map

15 min

Project the map, or let students follow on their own devices. Each step opens the map at the right year and place.

a

AD 1241

The Mongol Storm

Open Stories and play The Mongol Storm. Pause at "Europe trembles" in 1241. How far west is this from the Mongol homeland where the story began?

Open this view on the map
b

AD 1241

Two battles in three days

Set the year to 1241 and turn on Historical Events (Battles). Find Legnica and Mohi. They were fought two days apart, about 500 km from each other. What does that tell you about Mongol planning?

Open this view on the map
c

AD 1279

The Golden Horde

Move to 1279. Find the Khanate of the Golden Horde. Which Rus lands lie inside or next to it? Why might Rus princes have had to travel to the khan for permission to rule?

Open this view on the map
3

Class discussion

15 min

Pick two or three. They run from what happened to why it mattered.

  1. The Mongols attacked the Rus in winter, using frozen rivers as roads. Why was that a surprise?
  2. European knights fought for personal glory, while Mongol units followed signals and plans. How did that shape the battles?
  3. The traditional explanation for the withdrawal is the death of the Great Khan Ogedei. What other reasons might there be?
  4. Rus princes paid tribute to the Golden Horde for about 240 years. How might that have changed the Rus lands?
  5. Most accounts of the invasion were written by its victims. How might a Mongol chronicler have described the same years?
4

Game round

10 min

Play Rule History as Genghis Khan, whose grandson Batu led the invasion of Europe. Afterwards, compare your choices with the Mongol way of war and rule: speed, planning, terror and tribute.

Open Rule History
5

Worksheet

5 min

This worksheet comes with Classroom

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