Kadan

Kadan (also Qadan) was the son of the second Great Khan of the Mongols Ögedei and a concubine. He was the grandson of Genghis Khan and the brother of Güyük Khan. During the Mongol invasion of Europe, Kadan, along with Baidar (son of Chagatai Khan) and Orda Khan (the eldest brother of Batu Khan and khan of the White Horde), led the Mongol diversionary force that attacked Poland, while the main Mongol force struck the Kingdom of Hungary.

In early 1241, Kadan's forces sacked the Polish towns of Lublin, Zawichost and Sandomierz. Kadan then attacked Masovia, while Baidar burned the evacuated Polish capital, Kraków and then Bytom, and Orda Khan ravaged the southwestern border of Lithuania and the Polish Baltic coast. The three leaders were then to attack the Silesian capital Breslau. Baidar began to besiege the town, but marched north with Kadan and Orda to Liegnitz to defeat the forces of Henry II the Pious, Duke of Silesia, before the Polish duke could join King Wenceslaus I of Bohemia. After defeating some forces of Konrad I of Masovia, Kadan's forces joined with Baidar's and Orda's at Liegnitz. The Christian army was crushed in the ensuing Battle of Liegnitz of April 9, 1241.

Kadaň

Kadaň (Czech pronunciation: [ˈkadaɲ]; German: Kaaden), is a city in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. The city lies on the banks of the river Ohře. Although it is situated in an industrial part of the Czech Republic there is no major industry within the city and people usually work in offices or have to commute. There are two large power plants nearby (Tušimice and Prunéřov). Kadaň is a tourist centre with highlights being the Franciscan Monastery and the historical square with late Gothic Town Hall Tower. It is also a town with the narrowest lane in the Czech Republic - Katova ulička with only 66.1 cm.

History

Early history until the Thirty Years' War

There are legends accrediting the beginnings of the town to Celtic tribes. In the 1st century A.D. Germanic tribes came, but moved on in the great Germanic migration to the west. In the 6 th century the country was settled by Slavs. Some talk about a castle on Úhošť hill that might have been called Wogastisburg where a battle between Franks and Slavs occurred in 631. The battle of Canburg in 805 is also often mentioned in connection with the town, but is a mistake because locality of this name (Canburg - Kanina) is in Middle Bohemia.