The Decisive Battles of World History

Lecture 12: 1260 Ain Jalut—Can the Mongols Be Stopped?

x Sensing a crisis point, Qutuz personally led another counterattack

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now closed in a deadly embrace. This must have been an especially

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who were similarly armed, used the same tactics, and were equally

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x Sometime during this clash, Kitbuqa was slain or captured,

executed, and the Mongols’ line broke. The Mongol army split

into several groups that met various fates. Some made a stand

on a hill and were killed by

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they were burned out; and a

sizable contingent escaped to

the north.

x Qutuz was not to enjoy his

success for long. He entered

Damascus in triumph and

headed south to return to

Egypt. Somewhere along the

road, he was assassinated

by a group of his own

commanders. Baybars was

appointed the new sultan.

His heirs would complete

the process of expelling

the Crusaders.

Outcomes

x Ain Jalut is a decisive battle for three reasons. First, it stopped the

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given that most of the Western powers had proven vulnerable to the

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armies rolling across Europe and the Mediterranean.

The Mongols were likely somewhat

surprised by the stubborn

resistance of the Mamluk warriors,

who were just as tough and well-

trained as their opponents.

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