Battle of Köse Dağ

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Battle of Köse Dağ

Part of the Mongol invasion of Anatolia

Date	June 26 1243
Location	Köse Dağ in present day Turkey
Result	Mongol victory

Combatants

Mongols

Image:GreatSeljuqEmpireFlag.svg Sultanate of Rüm,
Image:Flag of Georgia.svg Georgian and Trapezuntine auxiliaries

Commanders

Bayju

Kaykhusraw II

v • d • e The Mongol Invasions
Central Asia – Georgia and Armenia – Volga Bulgaria (Samara Bend – Bilär) – Rus' – Köse Dag – Europe (Legnica – Mohi) – Persia – Baghdad – Ain Jalut – Korea – India – Japan (Bun'ei – Kōan) – Vietnam – Xiangyang – Ngasaunggyan – Yamen – Pagan – Bạch Đằng – Syria – Palestine

The Battle of Köse Dağ was fought between the Seljuk Turks of Rum and the Mongols on June 26 1243 at the defile of Köse Dağ, a location between Erzincan and Gümüşhane in northeast Turkey,^[1]^[2] and ended in a decisive Mongol victory.

Under the leadership of the commander Bayju, the Mongols attacked the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum in the winter of 1242-43 and seized the city of Erzurum. Sultan Kaykhusraw II immediately called on his neighbours to contribute troops to resist the invasion. The Empire of Trebizond sent a detachment, and a few Georgian nobles such as Shamadavle of Akhaltsikhe also joined him, although the majority of the Georgians fought alongside their Mongol allies.

The decisive battle was fought at Köse Dağ on June 26, 1243. The Mongols routed the Seljuks and their allies and took control of the cities of Sivas and Kayseri. The sultan fled to Antalya but was subsequently forced to make peace with Bayju and pay a substantial tribute to the Mongol Empire. The defeat resulted in a period of turmoil in Anatolia and led directly to the decline and disintegration of the Seljuk state.

[edit] References

^ Anthony Bryer and Richard Winfield, The Byzantine Monuments and Topography of the Pontos, vol. 1, (Washington D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks, 1985) 172, 353.
^ Köy Köy Türkiye Yol Atlası (Istanbul: Mapmedya, 2006), map 61.