Troops of Rus’ in the Mongol Army

Abstract

Creating a world empire, Chinggis Khan and his heirs developed mechanisms of mobilization that made it possible to satisfy the growing needs for material and human resources necessary for this grandiose enterprise. The recruitment of foreign specialists and, in particular, experienced military leaders became a constant practice of the Mongols. Its numerous traces are recorded both in the east and in the west of Eurasia, including Eastern Europe and Rus’. The Mongols mobilized combat-capable men among all conquered or subjugated peoples, both nomadic and sedentary, for the formation of shock units of their army used in the most dangerous areas of hostilities. Rus’ chronicles do not contain information about the mobilization of inhabitants of Rus’ lands and cities into the Mongol army. Rus’ sources also contain no information about the participation of the auxiliary troops of Rus’ on the side of the Mongols during the Great Western Campaign. However, such information is provided by Western Latin-language sources, including those synchronous with the Mongol invasion of Poland and Hungary and originating from the territory of these countries. The reports of Rogerius of Apulia and Thomas of Split, as well as the later account of Jan Długosz, corroborate each other. They are also confirmed by the testimony of other sources from the mid-13th century. Along with the Cumans, the Russians undoubtedly formed a significant part of the auxiliary contingents, which in their total strength were comparable to or even exceeded the size of the main Mongol armies.