I understand they invaded to remove the neighbouring threats that the armies of hungary, polands and smaller/other powers posed for their plans in russia. I also read they had other war fronts in china.
Did they have any intention of long term hold and presence in europe (going as far as the british isles)?
Or did they simply want to destroy any possibility of a coalition against them, and picked up a few vassals and subjugations on the way to create a sort of buffer zone between europe and russia while they continued their ambitions there?
You are correct, the Mongols indeed had a war front in China.
Genghis Khan seems to have thought he was on Earth to conquer, it was not only his right, but his destiny. Once he had passed away his son Ogedei ascended to the throne and he and his brothers wanted to continue their father’s ambition. Plans of conquest were discussed at the Great Mongol Kurultai of 1235 where Batu, the son of Genghis Khan’s illegitimate son Jochi was sent West in a grand expedition. In this great army he is accompanied by many of his cousins such as Guyuk, Buri, Mongke, Baidar, Kedan and veteran Mongol generals such as Subutai.
Batu with this powerful army will subjugate many peoples which include and is not limited to the Volga Bulgars, the Kipchak Turks, the Alans and also the Rus Principalities. The Mongols will take the city of Kiev in December of 1240, a topic which I discussed in the past. I wrote out the details of this specific siege in this post. Bulgaria was forced to pay tribute for decades.
In the year 1241, the Mongols will invade Poland and Hungary resulting in the battles of Legnica and Mohi, where the Mongols will vanquish the armies of High Duke Henry II of Silesia, the Teutonic Knights and King Bela IV of Hungary. This caused panic in the region and Europe anticipated a follow-up attack as Mongol scouts were spotted as far West as Vienna which caused Frederick II, the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, to prepared his forces for defense. The Pope called for an anti-Mongol Crusade and for an alliance by the Catholic world against this new enemy. News of the Crusade spread throughout Europe and port regions such as the Baltics prepared their ships in case, they needed to evacuate the region. The contemporary sources of England talk about a fish market plummet around this time, most likely caused by the total freeze of the port towns.
The Pope will also send for a mission to these infidels. This topic was discussed by u/WelfOnTheShelf and I in this post.
Something strange happened…reports reached the crown heads of Europe in 1242 that the Mongols had disappeared from Hungary and Poland. The Europeans rejoiced and they were told that through their valiant efforts, the Hungarians in all their suffering had caused so many losses among the Mongols that they had retreated to the Kipchak Steppe.
The reality? Well, the reports were not totally wrong. The various campaigns across the lands of the Rus, Poland and Hungary did cause the Mongols to suffer many losses; however, at the end of 1241 back home, the ceremonial bell had been rung and news reached Batu that the Great Khan Ogedei had passed away, and he had to return to the Kurultai to partake in the elections of the next ruler of the Mongol Empire. Batu will boycott this Kurultai as his rival and cousin Guyuk, the son of Ogedei had wanted to assume power. The Empire will come to a complete halt for years.
Where does all of the confusion come in when discussing this particular topic? Ogedei had proclaimed a decree of world conquest, so we should be able to answer this question with a simple yes; however, there is nothing given to us by the Mongols that they intended to reach the Atlantic ocean, the Secret History of the Mongols doesn’t devote more than 2 lines towards this great Western expansion; IN FACT, they confuse this massive invasion with the cavalry raid conducted by the generals Subutai and Jebe years ago. Furthermore, Batu and the contemporaries within the Golden Horde don’t give us a clear motive.
Some scholars have argued that the Batu did not intend to conquer Europe as typically the Mongols took some time to consolidate their newly conquered regions, and since they had just conquered the Rus Principalities and the Pontic/Caspian Steppe, they couldn’t have been already wanting to conquer Europe. I humbly have to disagree with this theory, as we have letters sent from Batu to Bela IV demanding he swear fealty, and even a letter from Batu to Frederick II letting him know that he will soon be on the way to sit on his throne.
Sources:
The Mongol Empire by Timothy May
The Mongols and the West by Peter Jackson
The Mongols, 2nd edition by David Morgan
The Deed of the Hungarians by Master Roger and anonymous notary of King Bela