Battle of Kalka River (31st May, 1223 N.S.) was the first military engagement between the Mongol armies of Genghis Khan and the East Slavic warriors. It was fought on the bank of the Kalka River, somewhere between present-day Donetsk and Mariupol. Events August 6 - Louis VIII is crowned King of France. ... Honorary guard of Mongolia. ... For the German pop band, see Dschinghis Khan Genghis Khan (Mongolian: Чингис Хаан, Jenghis Khan, Chingis Khan), born as Temüjin (Тэмүүжин), was a Mongol political and military leader and founder of the Mongol Empire. ... The Kalchik, or Kalmius River is a river in Ukraine. ... Categories: Stub | Cities in Ukraine ... Mariupol is a city in the Ukraine. ...

Early in 1223, the Mongol armies under Subedei Bahadur and Jebei Noyon 'the Arrow' approached the steppe occupied by the Kipchak nomads. Khan Kotian of the Kipchaks escaped to the court of his son-in-law, Mstislav of Halych, and asked him for help, saying: "Today they will slaughter us, tomorrow they will come for you". Several other princes, including Mstislav the Bold, joined their forces with Kipchak allies in Kiev and sailed down the Dnieper. There was no unity in the Slavic camp, as the princes were political rivals and each hoped to obtain a supreme command over the army. Subutai was the primary strategist and good friend of Genghis Khan and Ogedei Khan. ... The steppe of Western Kazakhstan in early spring In physical geography, steppe (from Slavic step) is a plain without trees (apart from those near rivers and lakes); it is similar to a prairie, although a prairie is generally reckoned as being dominated by tall grasses, while short grasses are said... Kipchaks (also Kypchaks, Qipchaqs) are an ancient Turkic people, first mentioned in the historical chronicles of Central Asia in the 1st millennium BC. Their language was also known as Kipchak. ... Halych (Галич in Ukrainian or Russian [pronounced Halych and Galich]; Halicz in Polish; העליטש [Helitsh or Heylitsh] in Yiddish) is a town in Ukraine. ... Kiev (Київ, Kyiv, in Ukrainian; Киев, Kiev, in Russian) is the capital and largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper river. ... This article is about the river. ...

The Mongols sent several embassies to the Slavic princes offering peace. They asked Mstislav and his army to let them have their way with the Kipchaks and promised not to raid into Slavic lands. Mstislav however was persuaded in his own victory and had the ambassadors killed. The princes then espied an avantgarde of the Mongols and pursued it for 8 days until they reached the fateful Kalka River.

Mstislav of Kiev's forces, who had chosen to cross the river, were attacked and besieged in their camp by the main body of the Mongol horde. The Kipchak allies retreated in disarray, but Mstislav the Bold stood firm. The camp was assaulted for three days, and finally taken by cheating. There was no mercy to anyone. Six princes were taken prisoner, and only a tenth of the original army escaped (led by Mstislav the Bold) to return to Kiev. The imprisoned princes were stretched out under the wooden boards and slowly suffocated while Mongols feasted upon the boards during their victory banquet.

The Battle of the Kalka River is commonly viewed as a catastrophe in a disintegrating Kievan Rus. The Mongol commanders, however, were not inclined to conquer Rus at that time. Genghis Khan viewed their mission as a mere reconnaissance in force to prepare a better attack in the future. The Mongols returned under the leadership of Batu Khan more than a decade later, in 1239. For the rest see the Mongol invasion of Russia. The Kalchik, or Kalmius River is a river in Ukraine. ... Kievan Rus′ (Ки́евская Ру́сь, Kievskaya Rus in Russian; Київська Русь, Kyivs’ka Rus’ in Ukrainian) was the early, mostly East Slavic¹ state dominated by the city of Kiev (ru: Ки́ев, Kiev; uk: Ки́їв, Kyiv), from about 880 to the middle of the 12th century. ... Reconnaissance is the military term for the active gathering information about an enemy, or other conditions, by physical observation. ... Batu Khan (c. ... Events Births June 17 Edward I of England known as Edward Longshanks or Hammer of the Scots Deaths Emperor Go-Toba of Japan Monarchs/Presidents Aragon - James I King of Aragon and count of Barcelona (reigned from 1213 to 1276) Castile - Ferdinand III, the Saint King of Castile and Leon... The Mongol Invasion of Russia was an invasion of the medieval state of Kievan Rus by a large army of nomadic Mongols, starting in 1223. ...