In the tribes ruled by Bati every man was a soldier, while in Russia the nobles and citizens alone bore arms, while the peasants who formed the bulk of the population allowed themselves to be stabbed or bound without resistance. It was not a weak nation by which Russia was conquered.
The Tartar-Mongols under Genghis-Khan had filled the East with the glory of their name, and subdued nearly all Asia. They arrived, proud o their exploits, animated by the recollection of a hundred victories and reinforced by numerous peoples whom they had vanquished and hurried with them to the west.
The Princes of Galitch, Volhymia and Kief fled, fugitives to Poland and Hungary, and all Europe was terror-stricken with the news they brought. The Pope of Rome, whose support had been claimed by the Prince of Galitch, summoned all Christendom to arms.
Louis IX prepared for a crusade. Frederick II, as Emperor, wrote to the sovereigns as follows: "This is the moment to open the eyes of body and soul, now that the brave princes on whom we reckoned are dead or in slavery."
The Tartars invaded Hungary and gave battle to the Poles at Liegnitz in Silesia. Their onward march was arrested for a considerable time by the defense of Olmutz in Moravia and finally stopped, they learning that a large army under the King of Bohemia and the Dukes of Austria and Corinthia was advancing to meet them.
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From General Nelson A. Miles
Thrilling Stories of The Russian-Japanese War, 1904
