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Batu Khan (c. 1205 - 1255) was a Mongol ruler, founder of the Kipchak Khanate. He was a son of Jochi and grandson of Genghis Khan.
In 1235 Batu, who earlier had directed the conquest of the Crimean Tartars, was assigned an army of possibly 130,000 commanded by Subutai to oversee an invasion of Europe. The army crossed the Volga and invaded Volga Bulgaria in 1236. Then it invaded Russia from 1237Events Thomas II of Savoy becomes count of Flanders. Elblag, Poland is founded. The Mongols invade Russia. Gualdo Tadino, Italy, is destroyed by fire. The County of Artois is founded in France. Baldwin II becomes Latin Emperor of Constantinople. Conrad IV. The army quickly subdued the proto-state of Kievan Rus, destroying the towns of Riazan and VladimirVladimir ( in Russian, in Serbian), also Volodimir or Volodimer (in Old Russian), Volodymyr ( in Ukrainian), is an ancient Slavic name, most commonly associated with Ukraine and Russia. The name originates from two words: "voloditi" to rule and "mir" worl in 1237-38 and sacking the capital KievKiev officially Kyiv in Ukrainian, in Russian, Kijow in Polish) is the capital and largest city of Ukraine, and has officially around 2. 6 million inhabitants, although the large number of unregistered domestic immigrants would probably raise this figure in 1240Events Batu Khan and the Golden Horde sack the Ruthenian city of Kyiv Births Pope Benedict XI Deaths April 11 Llywelyn ap Iorwerth, also known as Llywelyn "The Great" Prince of Gwynedd Monarchs/Presidents Aragon James I King of Aragon and count of Barcelo. The Russia states were subdued but left as vassals rather than combined into the central Asian kingdom. A part of the army then invaded central Europe. One group conquered PolandThe Republic of Poland a country in Central Europe, lies between Germany to the west, the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south, Ukraine and Belarus to the east, and the Baltic Sea, Lithuania and Russia (in the form of the Kaliningrad Oblast exclave) t, defeating a combined force under Henry the Pious, Duke of Silesia and the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order at Legnica. A second crossed the Carpathians and a third followed the Danube. The armies re-grouped and crushed Hungary in 1241, defeating the Hungarian army at the Battle of Muhi on April 11. The armies swept the plains of Hungary over the summer and in the spring of 1242 regained impetus and extended their control into Austria and Dalmatia as well as invading Bohemia.
Fortunately for Europe in the late spring of 1242 Batu withdrew from Europe following the news of the death of Ögedei Khan (died in December, 1241). Batu was a potential Grand Khan and when he failed to win this he turned to consolidate his conquests in Asia and the Urals. He established the capital of his khanate at Sarai (also transcribed as Saraj or Saray) on the lower Volga in 1242. He was planning new campaigns but he died in 1255 and the khanate passed to Sartak.
The Kipchak Khanate was known in Russia and Europe as the Golden Horde (Zolotaya Orda) because of the Golden colour of the Khan's tent. "Horde" refers to this, not to the Mongol hordes. "Golden" is thought to have had a similar meaning to "royal."