Battle of Grobnik field
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Grobnik field is a battle
that, occurred in 1242 between the Croats
and the Tatars
. The battle was a focus of an early romantic poem Grobnik field (near Rijeka
) written in 1842 by Dimitrija Demeter
for the 600th anniversary of the battle. Legend has it that, in a last ditch struggle, Croats from all over the region gathered there and killed thousands of Mongols who withdrew, never to return.
began attacking Europe in the 1220s. They conquered most of Russia
and then headed west in the late 1230s. In almost every battle the Christian
armies were destroyed and much of Hungary
, Poland
, Austria
and the Balkans
were laid waste by Batu Khan
, grandson of Genghis Khan
. It is known that the Mongols overran Zagreb
and swept through Lika
and Dalmatia
but were unable to take Vinodol
. The extent of death and destruction dealt out by the Mongols
was compared to an epidemic of the black plague.
army that tried to stop their advantage and invasion. In the battle that followed, Tatars
were destroyed, losing an entire army of 30,000 people led by the notorious army leader Batu Khan
. They were beaten by units from all the corners of Croatia
, and so natives ensured peace. It was one of the last battles of the Mongols in Europe
, after which they retreated to their homeland in far Asia
. There seems to be no certain evidence of the battle uncovered on the battlefield.
It is believed that Grobnik (English
: field of graves) got its name from the many graves
that were used after the battle due to great casualties.
), scaring the enemy.
Battle
Generally, a battle is a conceptual component in the hierarchy of combat in warfare between two or more armed forces, or combatants. In a battle, each combatant will seek to defeat the others, with defeat determined by the conditions of a military campaign...
that, occurred in 1242 between the Croats
Croats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
and the Tatars
Tatars
Tatars are a Turkic speaking ethnic group , numbering roughly 7 million.The majority of Tatars live in the Russian Federation, with a population of around 5.5 million, about 2 million of which in the republic of Tatarstan.Significant minority populations are found in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan,...
. The battle was a focus of an early romantic poem Grobnik field (near Rijeka
Rijeka
Rijeka is the principal seaport and the third largest city in Croatia . It is located on Kvarner Bay, an inlet of the Adriatic Sea and has a population of 128,735 inhabitants...
) written in 1842 by Dimitrija Demeter
Dimitrija Demeter
Dimitrija Demeter was a Croatian writer and dramatist....
for the 600th anniversary of the battle. Legend has it that, in a last ditch struggle, Croats from all over the region gathered there and killed thousands of Mongols who withdrew, never to return.
Historical background
The MongolsMongols
Mongols ) are a Central-East Asian ethnic group that lives mainly in the countries of Mongolia, China, and Russia. In China, ethnic Mongols can be found mainly in the central north region of China such as Inner Mongolia...
began attacking Europe in the 1220s. They conquered most of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and then headed west in the late 1230s. In almost every battle the Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
armies were destroyed and much of Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
were laid waste by Batu Khan
Batu Khan
Batu Khan was a Mongol ruler and founder of the Ulus of Jochi , the sub-khanate of the Mongol Empire. Batu was a son of Jochi and grandson of Genghis Khan. His ulus was the chief state of the Golden Horde , which ruled Rus and the Caucasus for around 250 years, after also destroying the armies...
, grandson of Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan , born Temujin and occasionally known by his temple name Taizu , was the founder and Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, which became the largest contiguous empire in history after his death....
. It is known that the Mongols overran Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
and swept through Lika
Lika
Lika is a mountainous region in central Croatia, roughly bound by the Velebit mountain from the southwest and the Plješevica mountain from the northeast. On the north-west end Lika is bounded by Ogulin-Plaški basin, and on the south-east by the Malovan pass...
and Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
but were unable to take Vinodol
Vinodol
Vinodol is a village and municipality in the Nitra District in western central Slovakia, in the Nitra Region.-Geography:The village lies at an altitude of 124 metres and covers an area of 14.982 km²...
. The extent of death and destruction dealt out by the Mongols
Mongols
Mongols ) are a Central-East Asian ethnic group that lives mainly in the countries of Mongolia, China, and Russia. In China, ethnic Mongols can be found mainly in the central north region of China such as Inner Mongolia...
was compared to an epidemic of the black plague.
Battle
Arriving at the Grobnik field, Tatars encountered a native CroatianCroats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
army that tried to stop their advantage and invasion. In the battle that followed, Tatars
Tatars
Tatars are a Turkic speaking ethnic group , numbering roughly 7 million.The majority of Tatars live in the Russian Federation, with a population of around 5.5 million, about 2 million of which in the republic of Tatarstan.Significant minority populations are found in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan,...
were destroyed, losing an entire army of 30,000 people led by the notorious army leader Batu Khan
Batu Khan
Batu Khan was a Mongol ruler and founder of the Ulus of Jochi , the sub-khanate of the Mongol Empire. Batu was a son of Jochi and grandson of Genghis Khan. His ulus was the chief state of the Golden Horde , which ruled Rus and the Caucasus for around 250 years, after also destroying the armies...
. They were beaten by units from all the corners of Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, and so natives ensured peace. It was one of the last battles of the Mongols in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, after which they retreated to their homeland in far Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. There seems to be no certain evidence of the battle uncovered on the battlefield.
It is believed that Grobnik (English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
: field of graves) got its name from the many graves
Graves
Graves is an important subregion of the Bordeaux wine region. Graves is situated on the left bank of the Garonne river, in the upstream part of the region, southeast of the city Bordeaux and stretch over...
that were used after the battle due to great casualties.
Controversy and history
Some scholars and historians have long doubted and still are arguing if the battle ever took place. Most of them acknowledge that battle didn't occur. There has been no physical evidence of a battle uncovered on the supposed battlefield, nor is the battle mentioned in any document from that time. The first accounts about this battle are mentioned in the documents from the 14th century, but some claim that they were either a hoax or not verifiable. Legend also has it that the Croats also fought off a Turkish invasion at Grobnik field several centuries later by wearing the heads of cows and other animals (see zvončariZvoncari
Zvončari is the characteristic folk custom maintained in the region around Rijeka, Croatia. Itt was added to UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009....
), scaring the enemy.