KYIV’S MEDIEVAL SIEGE
In 1240 the city stood in the path of another ruthless superpower
Everything has happened before, one way or another. Although it’s always different, too.
In the winter of 1240 Kyiv was approached by the armies of the Mongols, commanded by Batu and the future great khan, Mongke - both grandsons of Genghis Khan.
The Mongol generals had sent envoys to Kyiv demanding the city’s surrender. In a medieval ‘go f*** yourself’ moment, the envoys were killed.
Then as now, defiance invited vengeance. The Mongols had succeeded in creating a vast land empire stretching from East Asia to the fringes of Europe in part by terrorising everyone who stood up to them, and promising absolute annihilation as the punishment for resistance.
Deploying the assymetric, overwhelming force of their armies, the Mongols brought tens of thousands of troops to the outskirts of Kyiv and encircled the city. Trebuchets and other heavy artillery pounded Kyiv for a little over a week.
Eventually they penetrated the city’s defences, and numbers told. There was fierce hand-to-hand fighting in the streets. On December 6th 1240 Kyiv surrendered. Many thousands of civilians were killed and swathes of the city were destroyed.
The way lay open for the Mongols to continue their conquests to the west: Poland and Hungary now lay in their sights.
"Great" - such a loaded word. Great Khans, great despots, great men - I'm over them all right now
The history of Ukraine is well worth reading up on. It never really controlled its own destiny until independence after the breakup of the Soviet Union. It was occupied by Nazi Germany and while some supported and contributed to the extermination of Ukrainian Jews, the vast majority of Ukrainians suffered terribly. Another 45 years or so of Soviet rule followed. Once again the Ukrainian people find themselves the victims of an unjust invasion. We thought those days were behind us in Europe.