# Third Mongol invasion (1287)

URL: https://poland-history.com/timeline/1287-third-mongol-invasion
Location: Lesser Poland
Categories: battle

Mongol armies under Talabuga and Nogai raided Lesser Poland in 1287–1288 but failed to take Kraków. 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 (1287), the governing authority was Leszek II the Black (High Duke of Poland). Duke of Sieradz and Kraków who repelled the Yotvingians and faced the third Mongol invasion. Third 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
Third Mongol invasion mattered because it changed the military or territorial balance and influenced the political choices that followed.

Ruler at the time: [Leszek II the Black](https://poland-history.com/rulers/leszek-ii-the-black)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Third Mongol invasion of Poland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Mongol_invasion_of_Poland)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Third Mongol invasion](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Third+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))