The city of Ryazan is sacked by the Mongol army of Batu Khan.
The Mongols (Mongolian: , , Mooluud, [m..tot]; Chinese: ; Russian: ) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal member of the large family of Mongolic peoples. The Oirats in Western Mongolia as well as the Buryats and Kalmyks of Russia are classified either as distinct ethno-linguistic groups or subgroups of Mongols.
The Mongols are bound together by a common heritage and ethnic identity. Their indigenous dialects are collectively known as the Mongolian language. The ancestors of the modern-day Mongols are referred to as Proto-Mongols.
Ryazan (Russian: Рязань, IPA: [rʲɪˈzanʲ] (listen)) is the largest city and administrative center of Ryazan Oblast, Russia. The city is located on the banks of the Oka River in Central Russia, 196 kilometers (122 mi) southeast of Moscow. Ryazan is among the oldest cities of Russia.
As of the 2010 Census, Ryazan had a population of 524,927, an increase from 521,560 in 2002, making it the 33rd most populated city in Russia, and the 4th most populated in Central Russia after Moscow, Voronezh, and Yaroslavl.
An older city, now named Old Ryazan (Russian: Старая Рязань, lit. 'Old Ryazan'), was located 50 kilometer east of modern-day Ryazan during the late Middle Ages, and served as capital of the Principality of Ryazan up until the Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus' in 1237. During the Siege of Ryazan it became one of the first cities in Russia to be besieged and completely razed to the ground. The capital was subsequently moved to Peryslavl-Ryazansky (Russian: Переяславль-Рязанский), and later renamed to Ryazan by order of Catherine the Great in 1778. The Old Ryazan, however, was never rebuilt.
The city is known for the Ryazan Kremlin, a historic museum; the Pozhalostin Museum, one of the oldest art museums in Russia; the Memorial Museum-Estate of Academician I.P. Pavlov; and the Ryazan Museum of Long-Range Aviation.