Fun Fact #337 The Magyar Incursions

 Fun Fact # 337

The Magyar Incursions

In 896 the invasion came, 25,000 Magyar per wave along with Kende (High King) Arpad rode across the European plains, crossed the Carpathian mountains and quickly seized the Carpathian Basin as their new homeland along the The Danube River. From this new home, the Magyars would raid most of Europe from Spain to Turkey to the lower boot of Italy gathering riches and stealing horses wherever they went. Doing so they managed to antagonize the Norsemen into going Viking again, the Arabs into kicking everyone out of the Holy lands laying the groundwork for the Crusades, and crucially upset all of Europe while the Khazars had now come from the East. Yet, In those days The Magyars had two great strengths:

 First, the earlier plagues wiped out most of the native horses to Europe and the Middle East making it hard to keep pace with the Magyar Cavalry Armies, and secondly, The Magyars were the first to bring the stirrup to Europe freeing their hands to use bows on horseback. These traits combined made for a fast, deadly force that few could outrun or hope to fight. The Magyars would continue to run these yearly incursions until 962 when a man named Otto I came along to change the world forever and invent a new combat unit known today as “Knights”.