5 Countries That Actually Beat the Mongol Empire at Its Peak

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1. Egypt (Mamluk Sultanate) The Mamluks are most famous for being the first to crush the Mongol army in a large-scale field battle, stopping their expansion. The Battle of Ain Jalut in 1260 (modern-day Israel) was the first time the Mongol advance was permanently halted. The Mamluk army, led by Qutuz and Baibars, turned the Mongols' own 'feigned retreat' tactic against them, luring them into an ambush and wiping them out. Later, the Battle of Marj al-Saffar in 1303 was the decisive victory that completely ended Mongol invasions of Syria.

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2. Japan (Kamakura Shogunate) They successfully blocked two massive invasions led by Kublai Khan, though they're most famous for the Mongols getting wrecked by storms. In the 1274 and 1281 invasions, samurai fought fiercely on the coast, but ultimately, massive typhoons destroyed the Mongol fleets both times. The Japanese called these storms 'Kamikaze' (Divine Wind). After the first failed invasion, Japan built a massive stone wall at Hakata Bay. Because of this wall, the Mongol army couldn't find a landing spot during the second invasion and got stuck at sea until the typhoon hit.

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3. Vietnam (Dai Viet) The Tran Dynasty of Dai Viet (Northern Vietnam) defeated the Yuan (Mongol) forces three separate times (1258, 1285, 1287–88). The Vietnamese avoided head-on clashes with the superior Mongol cavalry, used scorched-earth tactics, and lured the Mongols into jungles where they suffered from heat and disease. In the 1288 Battle of Bach Dang, General Tran Hung Dao planted iron-tipped wooden stakes in the riverbed. When the tide receded, the Mongol ships got snagged on the stakes and were wiped out by fire attacks.

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4. India (Delhi Sultanate) The Indian subcontinent was one of the few regions the Mongols could never conquer, despite six attempts between 1221 and 1327. Sultan Alauddin Khalji reformed the military and economy to maintain a massive standing army. Unlike other countries that used guerrilla warfare, the Delhi Sultanate faced them head-on in field battles using massive elephant units and fortified forward bases, winning against the Chagatai Khanate in battles like Kili (1299) and Amroha (1306).

5. Indonesia (Singhasari/Majapahit Kingdom) In 1293, Kublai Khan sent a fleet to punish King Kertanegara of Java. A local prince named Raden Wijaya initially allied with the Mongols to defeat his enemies. But as soon as the enemies were gone, he launched a surprise attack on the Mongols. The confused Mongol forces fled back to their ships and left Indonesia for good. Raden Wijaya then went on to found the Majapahit Empire.