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The Mongols were very effective, but I think no small part of that was due to the fractured nature of the enemy they faced. In Europe they faced an adversary subdivided into kingdoms... each unwilling to come to the aid of his neighbors. It's like plywood, together they might have been very strong, but the Mongols peeled off layer by layer and broke them like so much kindling.
It also didn't hurt that the Mongols had superior organization and tactics. While individual combat was big in Europe, there was a distinct lack of true military competence during the middle ages. Sad to say but it's possible that Roman Legions would have fared better against the Mongols than Europeans a century later did.
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