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Kublai Khan turns from empire-wide civil war to a single target that can break the Southern Song. We trace the five-year siege of Xiangyang and Fancheng on the Han River, the rise of a Mongol river fleet, Jia Sidao’s failed reliefs, and the game-changing counterweight trebuchets from Ilkhanid engineers. With Lu Wenhuan’s surrender in 1273, the road to the Yangzi opens and the fall of the Song begins.

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The Mongol Empire splits as Berke Khan of the Golden Horde fights Hulagu of the Ilkhanate. We cover 1262 to 1266, the Terek River disaster, Nogai’s rise, Abaqa’s counter, and Baybars’ Mamluk alliance that locks in a lasting Golden Horde-Ilkhanate rivalry.

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Mongke Khan dies in 1259 and the empire cracks. We follow Kublai and Ariq Boke’s rival quriltais, the fight for Karakorum’s supplies, the battles at Baski and Shimuultu, Alghu’s swing in the Chagatai realm, Ariq’s surrender in 1264, and how this crisis birthed the Yuan, Ilkhanate, Chagatai, and Golden Horde as separate powers.

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The Mongol invasion of the Song Dynasty (1251-1258), led by Möngke, aimed to exploit the divided defenses of the wealthy and culturally advanced Song in northern China. Prior engagements had resulted in strong resistance due to effective Song military strategies. After being displaced by the Jurchen and Jin Dynasties, the Southern Song sought to reclaim territory but faced financial and political struggles. Möngke's assault initially saw gains but was ultimately thwarted by the harsh climate and resilient defenders. His unexpected death led to disarray within the Mongol forces and a temporary reprieve for the Song, marking a turning point in the conflict amidst civil strife in the Mongol Empire.

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In this episode of The History of the Mongols - After Hülegü’s sack of Baghdad in 1258, the Mongols swept into Syria, taking Aleppo and Damascus. With Egypt next, Qutuz and Baybars marched out to meet Kitbuqa in Galilee at Ayn Jalut in 1260. We track the fall of Aleppo and Damascus, Frankish neutrality at Acre, the Mamluk coalition, and the battle that stopped the Mongol advance toward Cairo.

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In this episode of The History of the Mongols, we cover one of the most infamous events in Islamic history , the 1258 sack of Baghdad by Hülegü Khan. What began as a siege quickly became an annihilation. The great city of learning, once the jewel of the Abbasid Caliphate, was reduced to rubble. The last Caliph was executed. The Tigris ran thick with blood and legend. But this wasn’t just destruction...it was the collapse of an entire world order.

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In this episode of The History of the Mongols, we follow Hülegü Khan’s devastating 1256 campaign to destroy the Nizari Ismaili state, known in the West as the “Order of Assassins.” From the fortress of Alamut to the bloody siege of Maymundiz, this was one of the most calculated and logistically complex operations in Mongol history. We explore the real story behind the Assassins: who they were, how they fought, and why their mountain strongholds terrified rulers across Asia and Europe. With the full weight of Möngke Khan’s empire behind him, Hülegü led an army of over 150,000 across Iran, supported by Chinese engineers, Christian commanders, and rival Mongol factions. This is the untold story of how the Mongols dismantled an entire secretive sect, and why it mattered far beyond the battlefield.

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In the final part of our three-episode series on the Mongol invasions of Japan, we go beyond the legendary typhoon of 1281 to uncover the long-term consequences for both Japan and the Yuan Empire. While Kublai Khan’s dream of conquering Japan faded, the aftermath reshaped Japanese politics, shattered the Kamakura shogunate, and fed the rise of the Ashikaga shogunate and the Warring States period. On the Yuan side, the costly failures fuelled economic crisis, corruption, and imperial decline. We’ll explore how the invasions influenced everything from swords to samurai rebellion and why the myth of the “kamikaze” divine wind became so powerful centuries later.

This episode wraps up our Mongol-Japan series before we return to the wider Mongol Empire story next time!

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In part 2 of our three-part series on the Mongol invasions of Japan, we follow the remarkable story of Takezaki Suenaga, a minor samurai from Kyushu whose firsthand account of both the 1274 and 1281 invasions offers a rare window into the samurai experience. Through illustrated scrolls he commissioned himself, Suenaga’s tale reveals a world of bravery, ambition, battlefield chaos, and political maneuvering. This episode explores his daring exploits, including his role at Tsushima, Hakata Bay, and the epic second invasion that ended in the legendary kamikaze storm. Stay tuned for part 3, where we explore the long-term consequences of the invasions for both Japan and the Mongol Empire.

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In the first of our three-part series on the Mongol invasions of Japan, we explore how Kublai Khan’s empire launched its opening assault on Japan in 1274. The campaign began with the brutal conquest of Tsushima Island, a key stepping stone between Korea and Japan. From there, the Mongol-Korean fleet advanced to Iki Island and finally Hakata Bay on Kyushu, sparking one of East Asia’s most famous military confrontations. In this episode, we dive into the origins of the invasion, the fall of Tsushima, the battle at Hakata Bay, and the legendary samurai resistance. Next time, we’ll follow the remarkable samurai Takezaki Suenaga through both Mongol invasions, before concluding with the lasting legacy of these events for both Japan and the Mongol Empire.

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