3 September in military history: Battle of Ain Jalut, 1260

Quick answer

On a Friday morning in September 1260, a Mamluk army from Egypt met a Mongol force at Ain Jalut, a spring in the Jezreel Valley. Hulagu, the Mongol conqueror of Baghdad and Syria, had pulled most of his army back east and left his lieutenant Kitbuqa to hold Syria. Sultan Qutuz, with the emir Baibars leading his vanguard, marched north to meet him. The Mongols attacked at sunrise and broke one Mamluk wing, but Qutuz rallied his men and the Mongols were routed. Kitbuqa died, killed in the fighting or beheaded after his capture, depending on the chronicle. Syria passed to the Mamluks, and before the army was home Baibars had murdered Qutuz.

Battle of Ain Jalut 1260: Who Won and How the Mongols Lost

3 September 1260 · 766 years ago

The Egyptian Mamluks won the Battle of Ain Jalut in 1260, beating a Mongol army in the hills of Galilee. It was the first time the seemingly unstoppable Mongols suffered a major, lasting defeat in open battle, and it marked the limit of their advance to the west.

Read the full story of Battle of Ain Jalut 1260: Who Won and How the Mongols Lost ›

Battle of Worcester, 1651: the last battle of the Civil Wars

3 September 1651 · 375 years ago

At Worcester, Oliver Cromwell's Parliamentarian army of 28,000 attacked 16,000 mostly Scottish Royalists under Charles II in the final great battle of the civil wars. Royalist resistance in the city collapsed, though Charles himself escaped capture.

Read the full story of Battle of Worcester, 1651: the last battle of the Civil Wars ›

Also on this day

1939: Britain's ultimatum demanding assurances that Germany had suspended all aggressive action against Poland and was prepared to withdraw its forces ran until 11 a.m., British Summer Time. The British Prime Minister told the House of Commons that morning that no such undertaking had been received by the time stipulated, "and, consequently, this country is at war with Germany". The French foreign minister, Georges Bonnet, notified the diplomatic missions in Paris that a state of war existed between France and Germany from 5 p.m. that day. The German invasion that came before is on our 1 September page.¹

Frequently asked questions

When and where was the Battle of Ain Jalut?

It was fought on Friday, 25 Ramadan 658 of the Islamic calendar, 3 September 1260 in the Julian calendar, at Ain Jalut, the Spring of Goliath, in the Jezreel Valley.

Who fought at Ain Jalut?

The Mamluk army of Egypt under Sultan Qutuz, with the emir Baibars leading the vanguard, against the Mongol force that Hulagu had left in Syria under his lieutenant Kitbuqa. Estimates of the Mongol force run from several thousand cavalry to no more than 20,000 men.

How did the Mamluks win?

The Mongols attacked at sunrise and broke one Mamluk wing, but Qutuz threw down his helmet, cried "Oh, Islam!" and led a charge. Rashid al-Din describes a feigned retreat into an ambush; Gary Rashba doubts that version.

What happened to Kitbuqa?

Al-Maqrizi and Abu'l-Fida say he was killed in the fighting. Rashid al-Din says he refused to flee, was captured and was beheaded on Qutuz's orders.

Why does Ain Jalut matter?

Syria passed to the Mamluks, and Gilmar Visoni calls the battle the end of Mongol expansion in the Middle East. Reuven Amitai argues that despite the small numbers it set the stage for the region's history for many decades.