An invasion of Europe stopped, by one account, because of a funeral back home
By late 1241, Mongol armies under Batu Khan and Subutai had crushed Hungarian and Polish forces and stood ready to push further into Europe. Word arrived that Great Khan Ogedei had died, and the commanders withdrew toward choosing his successor — though some historians, citing a contemporary Persian chronicler, argue Batu may have pulled back before the news even reached him.