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Subutai

Type Figure Region Mongolian Plateau Time c. 1175–1248 Also known as Subutai、Subedei、Sübeedei

Subutai (c. 1175–1248) was one of the Mongol Empire's most outstanding early military commanders, of the Uriankhai tribe, who later joined Genghis Kh…

Timeline

  1. 1220–1221Western Persia and the Caucasus line · IranIn 1220 Subutai and Jebe were ordered by Genghis Khan to pursue Khwarazmshah Muhammad, who fled to an island in the Caspian Sea where he died of illness; the two then circled northward through Azerbaijan, Georgia, and other regions, crossing the Caucasus into the Cuman steppe.
  2. 1222–1223Cuman steppe · Cuman steppeIn 1222–1223 Subutai and Jebe crossed the Caucasus into the Cuman steppe, defeating the Alans and various Cuman tribes, then lured the coalition army of the Rus' principalities deep inland, using a tactic of feigned retreat followed by a joint attack to win a great victory at the Battle of the Kalka River on May 31, 1223, laying the foundation for the Mongols' later operations in Eastern Europe.
  3. 1224–1230Mongolian Plateau · Mongolian PlateauAfter the Battle of the Kalka River, Subutai led his troops eastward to report the results of the western campaign to Genghis Khan. He then took part in Ögedei Khan's war against the Jin (1230s) and became the chief military planner of Batu's western campaign (the campaign of the eldest sons, 1236–1242); his 1220s western campaign experience became an important model for Mongol operations in Eastern Europe.

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