Fall of the Khwarezmian Empire

Timeline

1. 1219Mongolian Plateau · Mongolian PlateauGenghis Khan assembled a force of several hundred thousand and declared war on Khwarezm on the pretext of the caravan massacre, dispatching generals such as Jebe and Subutai ahead while the main force advanced westward.
2. 1219–1220Amu Darya–Transoxiana region · TransoxianaThe Mongol army crossed the Amu Darya, captured border fortresses such as Otrar, and then swept the surroundings of Samarkand; the Khwarezmian central army collapsed and the shah was forced to flee west.
3. 1220–1221Samarkand–Bukhara · UzbekistanSamarkand, Bukhara, and other major Silk Road cities were successively captured and systematically destroyed by the Mongols; the Khwarezmian Empire's rule as a unified polity ended, leaving only localized resistance such as that of Jalal ad-Din.