# Second Mongol invasion (1259)

URL: https://poland-history.com/timeline/1259-second-mongol-invasion
Location: Lesser Poland
Categories: battle

Mongol forces under Burundai ravaged Lesser Poland in 1259–1260, burning Sandomierz and Kraków. Tradition links the martyrdom of the Dominicans of Sandomierz to this invasion. Within the broader Fragmentation period: After 1138 Poland split into duchies ruled by rival Piast princes. Mongol invasions, German settlement, the growth of towns and the arrival of the Teutonic Knights reshaped the land before it was reunited. At this point in the timeline (1259), the governing authority was Bolesław V the Chaste (High Duke of Poland). His long reign saw Mongol raids, the canonisation of St Stanislaus and the chartering of Kraków under Magdeburg law. Second Mongol invasion mattered because it changed the military or territorial balance and influenced the political choices that followed. The event is placed here so readers can follow it alongside changes in government, warfare, society, religion and culture across Polish history.

## Why it matters
Second Mongol invasion mattered because it changed the military or territorial balance and influenced the political choices that followed.

Ruler at the time: [Bolesław V the Chaste](https://poland-history.com/rulers/boleslaw-v-the-chaste)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Second Mongol invasion of Poland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Mongol_invasion_of_Poland)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Second Mongol invasion](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Second+Mongol+invasion)
- [Wikipedia — History of Poland during the Piast dynasty (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Poland_during_the_Piast_dynasty#Fragmentation_of_the_realm_(1138%E2%80%931320))