← Explore on the interactive map
Mongol Destruction of Western Liao
In 1218 Jebe and Subutai led a Mongol expedition west, overthrowing Kuchlug's Western Liao (Qara Khitai) and opening the route to Khwarezm, a key ste…
Timeline
- 1218Altai Mountains to the Ili Valley · NorthwestGenghis Khan ordered Jebe and Subutai to lead a 20,000-strong expedition, ostensibly to pursue Kuchlug and restore vassal order, advancing west from the Mongolian Plateau and winning over tribes oppressed by Western Liao along the way.
- 1218Balasagun (Western Liao capital) · KyrgyzstanThe Mongol army attacked along multiple routes; Kuchlug was defeated and fled, and Western Liao's military and political system rapidly collapsed, with key positions such as Balasagun falling under Mongol control, ending Western Liao's status as a Central Asian power.
Sources
- Jami' al-tawarikh (Compendium of Chronicles) — Rashid al-Din
- The Empire of the Qara Khitai in Eurasian History — Michal Biran (2005)