Baidar

Who is Baidar?

Baidar was the second son of Chagatai Khan. He participated in the European campaign with his nephew Büri from 1235-1241. He commanded the Mongol army assigned to Poland with Kadan and, probably, Orda Khan.

Baidar defeated many Poles, Russians, Germans and Moravians. On 13 February 1241 the Mongols crossed the frozen Vistula. The town of Sandomierz was taken and plundered. Further to the west, on 18 March Orda and Baidar met the Polish army under the command of Duke Boleslaw V at the battle of Chmielnik. The Poles were heavily defeated and Boleslaw with a part of his troops fled to Moravia. On 22 March the Mongols stood before Kraków, many of whose inhabitants had already made their escape. On Palm Sunday the Mongols set the town on fire and took prisoner large numbers of the people who had remained. Moving further west, Orda and Baidar reached a place east of Opole, where they forced Duke Miecislaw's army to retreat. Near Racibórz they crossed the Oder. Racibórz was burnt by its inhabitants when they left the town. Wrocław fell into the hands of the Mongols, although the citadel itself did not surrender. Their first assault against the fortress having failed, the Mongols wasted no time on a siege. They bypassed the citadel and pushed forward to the west.