On December 6, 1240, Kiev – one of the richest, largest and most influential cities of medieval Europe – fell under the blows of the Mongol armies led by Batu Khan. After an eight-day fierce siege, the city was not just taken, but almost completely destroyed. Of the approximately 50,000 inhabitants, according to chroniclers, only about 2,000 survived.
Until that fateful December day, Kiev was the capital of Kievan Rus – a vast principality stretching from the Baltic to the Black Sea. The city was a center of Orthodoxy, trade and crafts, with golden-domed churches and fortified quarters.
But despite its glory, Kiev proved unprepared for the clash with a new power – the Mongol Empire, which had already conquered much of Asia.
The Siege: Eight Days of Fire, Hunger, and Despair
In late November, the army of Batu Khan, grandson of Genghis Khan, reached the city walls. The Mongols brought with them war machines, siege towers, and equipment unfamiliar to the local troops. The defense of Kiev was led by Prince Dimitri, but the forces were few and the walls old and vulnerable.
On December 6, after days of continuous attacks, the wall at the Lyad Gate collapsed. The Mongols poured in like a torrent. A chaotic battle began in the streets, which soon turned into a massacre.
The chronicler Giovanni da Plano Carpini, one of the few Western eyewitnesses, described Kiev as “completely devastated.” Churches were looted and burned. Homes collapsed under the weight of the fire. Men were massacred, women were captured, and children were scattered or killed. Hostages were taken to be used as laborers or sold as slaves.
Out of tens of thousands of inhabitants, according to legend, only about 2,000 people survived – a handful of witnesses to one of the greatest tragedies in the history of the region.
The aftermath: the beginning of a new era
The fall of Kiev marked a turning point. Kievan Rus finally broke up into separate principalities, and over the East Slavic lands began the period known as the “Tatar-Mongol yoke”, which would last more than two centuries.
Trade routes changed, the population decreased dramatically, and the political center gradually shifted to the northeast – to Moscow and Vladimir. Kiev, once a brilliant capital, turned into ruins, from which it would only begin to revive centuries later.
Illustrative Photo by MBVisign: https://www.pexels.com/photo/genghis-khan-statue-in-close-up-photography-6466768/
