died 0441; 1255, Russia
Grandson of Genghis Khan and founder of the Golden Horde .
In 1235 Batu was elected commander in chief of the western part of the Mongol empire and given responsibility for the invasion of Europe. His troops burned and sacked Kiev in 1240, and by the end of 1241 he had conquered Russia, Poland, Bohemia, Hungary, and the Danube valley. Only the death of 00D6; gödei prevented him from invading western Europe. Batu established the state of the Golden Horde in southern Russia, which was ruled by his successors for the next 200 years.