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DOI: 10.46698/VNC.2022.84.45.011

ALANIAN CAMPAIGN IN MONGOL INVASION OF THE WEST (1238–1240)

Kaziev, Eduard V.
Izvestia SOIGSI. 2022. IIS 45 (84).
Abstract:
Mongol invasion of the west became a turning point in the history of many medieval states,
including the history of medieval Alania, reflected in the information of many medieval sources.
Correlation of the existing differences in the information about the Alanian campaign of the Mongols,
contained in a number of these sources, determined the novelty of the presented study. Its purpose
was to review the information from the main written sources about the course of this campaign, its
missions, and the number of troops, the tactics used and the results. The relevant information from
the Persian chronicles of Ala al-Din Juvayni, Wassaf al-Ḥadrat and Rashid al-Din, the Mongolian
chronicle “The Secret History”, the Chinese “History of the Yuan [dynasty]”, as well as some Russian
chronicles were considered. Since one of the main sources on the Alanian campaign of the Mongols
is the mentioned Chinese chronicle, the information of which often has variations in translation,
the elimination of these variations through the use of the original text of the source determined the
relevance of the study. The study was carried out through the following methods of scientific and
historical analysis: historical-typological, historical-systemic, comparative-historical and systemicchronological.
A number of general and special methods for scientific translation of Chinese medieval
texts were used as well. As a result, it was found that the capture of Alania was one of the main
strategic goals of Mongol invasion of the west and was carried out by the forces of three corps, led by
Genghisides Gьyьk, Mцngke and Buri. The troops participating in the Alanian campaign numbered
no more than 60 thousand people and, along with the Mongols, were stuffed with Kipchaks, Tanguts
and representatives of other conquered peoples. During the conquest of Alania, the Mongols used
their usual tactic of a battue-like movement of troops along the main communication routes with
occupation of main strongholds of the defenders. At the same time, the study notes the need for
further consideration of the chronology of the Mongol campaigns in the Caucasian theater and
the subsequent participation of the Alan warriors in the Mongol campaigns to conquer the South
Russian principalities.
Keywords: Alania, Mongols, conquest, sources, goals, events
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