Editing Subutai (section)

===Mongol subjugation of Hungary===
{{Main|First Mongol invasion of Hungary}}
In addition to defeating the enemy, Subutai also had to spend substantial energy keeping the egos of the Mongol princes in check during the Hungarian campaign. During the battle, Subutai had to shame Batu into continuing the fight after the first failed attack on the bridge. Batu first blamed Subutai for taking too long to ford the river, but Subutai rebuffed him by saying that they knew fording the river would take time, and Batu had launched his attack preemptively. In the end Batu apologized to Subutai.<ref name="autogenerated1"/> This was not the first time that Subutai had to bail Batu out of a mistake: during the invasion of Russia, Batu had struggled for weeks to conquer the fortress of [[Torzhok]], launching several failed assaults. Subutai had to divert his movements, take command, and conquered the fortress in three days with ease.<ref name="autogenerated1"/> Either at this feast or another one shortly after, Batu got into a heated argument with the Mongol princes [[Güyük Khan|Guyuk]] and [[Büri|Buri]].<ref>Hodong Kim, ''A Reappraisal of Güyüg Khan'', 319–320.</ref> Guyuk and Buri, jealous of Batu, accused Batu of incompetence and riding Subutai's coattails. This resulted in Guyuk and Batu, and possibly some of their men being sent home to Ögedei Khan for judgment, causing further rifts in the Mongol army.<ref>Urgunge Onon, ''The Secret History of the Mongols'', 270.</ref>

Despite these obstacles, the Mongols still attempted to solidify their control over Hungary.  From Rogerius' writings it would seem that scattered resistance by the peasantry was attempted, but it never really got off the ground, perhaps in part due to the flat open plains of central Hungary allowing scant opportunity for ambush or withdrawal. After the defeat of the Hungarians at Mohi, Subutai used a stolen royal seal to issue bogus decrees across the country, leaving many unassuming inhabitants at his mercy.<ref>McLynn, 472–479; Thomas of Spalato, ''Historia''; Rogerius of Apulia, ''Carmen Miserabile super Destructione Regni Hungariae per Tartaro''.</ref>

In order to keep the pressure on Bela, Subutai split his forces into several detachments. A light cavalry force under Kadan was sent to chase King Bela along the [[Adriatic Sea|Adriatic Coast]], while the main army with its siege engines under Subutai and Batu attempted to pacify Hungary proper. Other Mongol forces raided outside the borders of Hungary, even reaching Austria before being repulsed in a skirmish near Wiener Neustadt. The Mongols successfully besieged several cities, including the fortified city at [[Oradea]], the castle of [[Saint Martin (island)|St. Martin]] of [[Pannonia]], and the capital [[Esztergom]], though the latter's stone citadel held out, and not all sieges proved successful.

By early 1242, Subutai was discussing plans to invade the [[Holy Roman Empire]], when news came of the death of [[Ögedei Khan]] and a revolt by the Cumans in Russia.<ref>John of Plano Carpini, ''The Story of the Mongols whom we call the Tartars''.</ref> Carpini alleges that, over the objections of Subutai, the Mongol princes withdrew the army to Mongolia for the election of a new Great Khan. This account of events is disputed, with Rashid al-Din specifically noting that Batu and Subutai only heard of the Khan's death after they had already begun the withdrawal.<ref>Timothy May, ''The Mongol Art of War and the Tsunami Strategy''.</ref> However, the death of Ogedei and the turmoil immediately after it prevented the Mongols from returning to Europe for decades. Still, the devastation had been immense. Subutai had devastated the agriculture of any area that was resisting. Though some of the civilians had escaped capture or death by hiding in castles, forests, or marshes, they returned to their ruined fields only to starve. Some historians have claimed that a quarter to a half of Hungary's population may have died from the invasion.<ref>McLynn, 479; ''Carmen Miserabile''.</ref><ref>Paul Lendvai, ''The Hungarians: A Thousand Years of Victory in Defeat'', 49.</ref> Even in 1250, eight years after the Mongols had left, Hungarian King Bela wrote to [[Pope Innocent IV]] that Hungary could not withstand another invasion and would have to surrender to the Mongols if they returned.<ref>King Belas IV's letter to the Pope, 310.</ref>{{full citation needed|reason=What's the source for this letter?|date=May 2019}}<ref>Laszlovszky, József & Pow, Stephen & Romhányi, Beatrix & Ferenczi, Laszlo & Pinke, Zsolt. (2018). Contextualizing the Mongol Invasion of Hungary in 1241–42: Short-and Long-Term Perspectives. 7. 419–450.</ref><ref>Sălăgean, Tudor. "1 The Mongol Invasion and Its Aftermath". In 1 The Mongol Invasion and Its Aftermath, (Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill, 2016)</ref>