Jalal al-Din Khwarazmshah, the ruler of the Khwarazmian Empire, initiated a tragic but united struggle against the Mongol invasion. After unsuccessful attempts by the Khwarazm shahs to stop the Mongol invasion that began in the Central Asian steppes, Jalal al-Din, the last ruler of the empire, put dynastic fights between Seljuks and Khwarazmians aside, and tried to establish a united front to stop the Mongols.