Second Battle of Homs

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Coordinates: 34°43′23″N 36°42′52″E / 34.723185°N 36.714462°E / 34.723185; 36.714462

2nd Battle of Homs
1281BattleOfHoms.JPG
Defeat of the Mongols (left) at the 1281 Battle of Homs.
Date29 October 1281
Location
Homs
Result Mamluk Victory
Belligerents

Ilkhanate of the Mongol Empire

Knights Hospitaller[1]		 Mamluk Sultanate
Commanders and leaders
Möngke Temür (WIA)
Leo II
Demetrius II		 Qalawun
Units involved
  • Mongol cavalry
  • Armenian, Georgian, and Seljuk auxiliaries
  • Frankish mercenaries
  • Heavy Cavalry
  • Light Cavalry
  • Cannons
  • Infantry
    • Strength
    40,000–50,000[2]

    30,000[3]

    • 800 Royal Mamluks[4]
    • 4,000+ Halqa[5]
    • 4,000+ Bedouins[6]
    Casualties and losses
    Unknown (Heavy) Unknown (Heavy)

    The Second Battle of Homs was fought in western Syria on 29 October 1281, between the armies of the Mamluk dynasty of Egypt and the Ilkhanate, a division of the Mongol Empire centered on Iran. The battle was part of Abaqa Khan's attempt at taking Syria from the Mamluks.

    Prelude[]

    After the Mamluk victories over Mongols at Ain Jalut in 1260 and Albistan in 1277, the Il-khan Abaqa sent his brother Möngke Temur at the head of a large army which numbered about 40–50,000 men, chiefly Armenians under Leo II and Georgians under Demetrius II.

    On 20 October 1280, the Mongols took Aleppo, pillaging the markets and burning the mosques.[7] The Muslim inhabitants fled for Damascus, where the Mamluk leader Qalawun assembled his forces.

    Battle[]

    On 29 October 1281, the two armies met south of Homs, a city in western Syria. In a pitched battle, the Armenians, Georgians and Oirats under King Leo II and Mongol generals routed and scattered the Mamluk left flank, but the Mamluks personally led by Sultan Qalawun destroyed the Mongol centre. Möngke Temur was wounded and fled, followed by his disorganized army. However, Qalawun chose to not pursue the defeated enemy, and the Armenian-Georgian auxiliaries of the Mongols managed to withdraw safely.

    Aftermath[]

    The following year, Abaqa died and his successor, Tekuder, reversed his policy towards the Mamluks. He converted to Islam and forged an alliance with the Mamluk sultan.[8][9]

    See also[]

    Notes[]

    1. ^ Riley-Smith 2012, pp. 86–87.
    2. ^ Amitai-Preiss 1995, p. 194.
    3. ^ Waterson 2007, p. 178.
    4. ^ Waterson 2007, p. 179.
    5. ^ Amitai-Preiss 1995, p. 192.
    6. ^ Amitai-Preiss 1995, p. 188.
    7. ^ Burns 2016, p. 179.
    8. ^ Richard 1999, p. 453.
    9. ^ Amitai-Preiss 1995, pp. 179–225.

    Bibliography[]

    • Amitai-Preiss, Reuven (1995). Mongols and Mamluks: The Mamluk-Ilkhanid War, 1260–1281. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-46226-6.
    • Burns, Ross (2016). Aleppo, A History. Routledge. ISBN 9780415737210.
    • Richard, Jean (1999). The Crusades, C. 1071-c. 1291. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-62566-1.
    • Riley-Smith, Jonathan (2012). The Knights Hospitaller in the Levant, c.1070-1309. Springer. ISBN 9781137264756.
    • Waterson, James (2007). The Knights of Islam: The Wars of the Mamluks. London: Greenhill Books. ISBN 978-1-85367-734-2.
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