High Middle Ages · Central Asia · War

1219

Mongols invade the Khwarazmian Empire

1219

Genghis Khan turned his full war machine against the wealthy Persianate empire of Sultan Muhammad II. Bukhara, Samarkand, and Merv fell in succession. Their libraries burned and their canals clogged with bodies. Central Asia's demographic and cultural arc bent sharply downward. Modern estimates suggest the Khwarazmian Empire lost between a quarter and a half of its population in under three years of Mongol campaigning.

More from 1219 High Middle Ages

In context

Also in 1219 (3 other events on record)

Mongols capture Bukhara · Central Asia · War
Genghis Khan's Yasa code promulgated across the empire · Central Asia · Politics
Francis meets Sultan al-Kamil at Damietta · Middle East · Religion

Before and after in Central Asia

Before: 1218: Grand Mosque of Qazvin expanded
After: 1220: Mongols sack Samarkand

Before and after in War

Before: 1217: Anglo-French fleet clashes at Sandwich
After: 1220: Mongols sack Samarkand

Era

High Middle Ages (1000–1300), one of 1,306 events from that era on Saeculum.

Sources

Wikipedia: Mongol invasion of the Khwarazmian Empire