Battle of Yellow River
The Battle of Yellow River, fought in late 1226, was a pivotal conflict during the Mongol conquests led by Genghis Khan. At this time, Genghis Khan had already established his dominance over the north Asian steppes and had reduced the Western Xia kingdom to vassal status. The battle arose when the Tangut ruler of Western Xia, having allied with the Chin dynasty, refused to assist the Mongols in their campaign against Persia. Genghis Khan responded by launching an invasion with a significant force of approximately 180,000 troops. The Tanguts, numbering around 300,000, positioned themselves near the frozen Yellow River, but their cavalry was effectively disrupted by the Mongol archers. The Mongol forces executed a strategic maneuver, bypassing the main conflict and decimating the Tangut army across the river. Following this decisive victory, Western Xia was obliterated as a political entity, leading to the execution of its emperor. This battle not only marked a turning point for the Mongols but also set the stage for further conquests in China, significantly impacting the power dynamics in the region.
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Battle of Yellow River
Type of action: Ground battle in Western Xia Rebellion
Date: 1226
Location: Near Ningsia, on the Huang He (Yellow River) in northwest China
Combatants: Mongols vs. Tanguts (Western Xia)
Commanders: Mongols, Genghis Khan (1155/1162–1227)
Result: The Western Xia kingdom was destroyed, leaving the Song dynasty of China vulnerable to conquest
In 1206, Temüjin was proclaimed Genghis Khan, known as the “emperor within the seas,” consolidating sixteen years of conquests on the north Asian steppes. After several campaigns, in 1205, 1207, and 1209, Genghis reduced Western Xia, a kingdom south of the Gobi desert, to vassal status, gaining control of the lucrative trade routes between China and the West. When the Tangut ruler refused to supply troops for Mongol war with Persia and allied themselves with the Chin of northern China, Genghis retaliated.
Late in 1226, Genghis invaded Western Xia with 180,000 troops. The Tanguts waited by the banks of the frozen Yellow River with an army of some 300,000 men. Enticed to attack across the river, Tangut cavalry formations were broken up by dismounted Mongol archers. Mongol infantry units bypassed the main battle, destroying the Tangut army on the far bank of the river. The Mongol estimate of 300,000 Tangut deaths was probably exaggerated, but Western Xia was destroyed as a kingdom, and the emperor executed.
Significance
Their victory at Yellow River gave the Mongols a strategic advantage in the conflict with the Jin and Southern Song dynasties in China. Ogatai, successor to Genghis in east Asia, conquered the Jin Empire by 1234 and commenced hostilities with the Southern Song Dynasty of China.
Bibliography
Dunnell, Ruth. “The Fall of Xia: Sino-Steppe Relations in the Late Twelfth and Early Thirteenth Centuries.” In Rulers from the Steppe: State Formation on the Eurasian Periphery, edited by Gary Seaman and Daniel Marks. Los Angeles: University of Southern California, Ethnographics Press, 1991.
Martin, H. Desmond. The Rise of Chingis Khan and His Conquest of North China. New York: Octagon Books, 1971.
Morgan, David O. The Mongols. Oxford, England: Basil Blackwell, 1986.
Ratchnevsky, Paul. Genghis Khan: His Life and Legacy. Oxford, England: Basil Blackwell, 1992.