← Explore on the interactive map

Westward Migration of the Cumans

Type Event Region Black Sea steppe Time 1223–1224

Around 1223, the Mongol western expeditionary army under Jebe and Subutai defeated the Kipchak-Cuman alliance, forcing the Cumans (Kipchaks) into a l…

Timeline

  1. 1223Kipchak steppe · Kipchak steppeWhile pursuing the remnants of the Khwarazmian forces, the Mongol western expeditionary army defeated the alliance of Cumans and Kipchaks on the Kipchak steppe in spring 1223. Cuman Khan Köten was defeated, his people scattered, and steppe hegemony collapsed.
  2. 1223Steppe of the northern Black Sea coast · Black Sea steppeThe defeated Cuman tribes fled west with their families and livestock, flooding into the steppe along the northern Black Sea coast, competing with local peoples for pastures, and seeking refuge along the Rus' frontier. The massive population movement caused severe disruption to the steppe's ecology and political order.
  3. 1223–1224Lower Danube and the Hungarian frontier · Danube basinThe Cuman westward migration continued to affect southeastern Europe, with some groups reaching the Hungarian and Bulgarian frontiers, alarming local rulers. The migration also prompted Kievan Rus' to send troops to aid the Cumans, indirectly triggering military conflict between the Rus' and the Mongols.

Sources