Mongols Defeat Magyars and Jews Win Out

King Bela pursued by Mongols, from a Hungarian chronicle

April 11 1241 – 22 Nisan 5001

The Mongolian army commanded by Batu Khan defeated King Béla IV of Hungary, leaving the Hungarian kingdom in economic ruin. In the course of his efforts to restore prosperity, King Béla went back on many of his earlier promises to the Church, including an obligation to strip Jews of any rights and privileges. In 1251, the king granted Jews in Hungary a charter of rights, and actively encouraged them to settle in his kingdom. His bill of Jewish rights remained in place until the Hungarians lost their independence to the conquering Ottoman army in 1526.