al-Musta'sim
al-Musta'sim Billah المستعصم بالله | |
---|---|
Caliph of the Abbasid dynasty | |
Reign | 5 December 1242 – 20 February 1258 (15 years 2 months 15 days) |
Predecessor | caliph of Cairo) |
Born | 1213 Baghdad |
Died | 20 February 1258 (aged 45) Baghdad |
Burial | |
Consort |
|
Sunni Islam |
Abu Ahmad Abdallah ibn al-Mustansir bi'llah (
Biography
Abu Ahmad Abdallah (future caliph Al-Musta'sim) was a son of the Abbasid caliph al-Mustansir, and his mother was Hajir.[4] He was born in 1213. After the death of his father, al-Musta'sim succeeded to the throne in late 1242.
He is noted for his opposition to the rise of
News of the
To please the Caliph and secure his recognition, Aybak announced that he was merely a representative of the Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad.[13] To placate the Ayyubids in Syria the Mamluks nominated an Ayyubid child named al-Sharaf Musa as a co-sultan.[10][14] But this did not satisfy the Ayyubids and armed conflicts between the Mamluks and the Ayyubids broke out.[15] The Caliph in Baghdad, preoccupied with the Mongols who were raiding territories not far from his capital, preferred to see the matter settled peacefully between the Mamluks in Egypt and the Ayyubids in Syria. Through negotiation and mediation of the Caliph that followed the bloody conflict, the Mamluks who manifested military superiority[16] reached an agreement with the Ayyubids that gave them control over southern Palestine including Gaza and Jerusalem and the Syrian coast.[17] By this agreement the Mamluks not only added new territories to their dominion but also gained recognition for their rule.
In 1258, Hulagu invaded the Abbasid domain, which then consisted of only Baghdad, its immediate surroundings, and southern Iraq. In his campaign to conquer Baghdad, Hulagu Khan had several columns advance simultaneously on the city, and laid siege to it. The Mongols kept the people of Abbasid Caliphate in their capital and executed those who tried to flee.
The Travels of Marco Polo reports that upon finding the caliph's great stores of treasure which could have been spent on the defense of his realm, Hulagu Khan locked him in his treasure room without food or water, telling him "eat of thy treasure as much as thou wilt, since thou art so fond of it."[18][19]
Siege of Baghdad
Although he replied to Hulagu's demands in a manner that the Mongol commander found menacing and offensive enough to break off further negotiation,
Siege
The Abbasid Caliphate could supposedly call upon 50,000 soldiers for the defense of their capital, including the 20,000 cavalry under al-Musta'sim. However, these troops were assembled hastily, making them poorly equipped and disciplined. Although the caliph technically had the authority to summon soldiers from other sultanates (caliphate's deputy states) to defence, he neglected to do so. His taunting opposition had lost him the loyalty of the Mamluks, and the Syrian emirs, whom he supported, were busy preparing their own defenses.[24]
On 29 January, the Mongol army began its siege of Baghdad, constructing a palisade and a ditch around the city. Employing siege engines and catapults, the Mongols attempted to breach the city's walls, and, by 5 February, had seized a significant portion of the defenses. Realizing that his forces had little chance of retaking the walls, al-Musta'sim attempted to open negotiations with Hulagu, who rebuffed the caliph. Around 3,000 of Baghdad's notables also tried to negotiate with Hulagu but were murdered.[25]
Five days later, on 10 February, the city surrendered, but the Mongols did not enter the city until the 13th, beginning a week of massacre and destruction.
Destruction and massacre
Many historical accounts detailed the cruelties of the Mongol conquerors. Contemporary accounts state Mongol soldiers looted and then destroyed mosques, palaces, libraries, and hospitals. Priceless books from Baghdad's thirty-six public libraries were torn apart, the looters using their leather covers as sandals.[26] Grand buildings that had been the work of generations were burned to the ground. The House of Wisdom (the Grand Library of Baghdad), containing countless precious historical documents and books on subjects ranging from medicine to astronomy, was destroyed. Claims have been made that the Tigris ran red from the blood of the scientists and philosophers killed.[27][28] Citizens attempted to flee, but were intercepted by Mongol soldiers who killed in abundance, sparing no one, not even children.
The caliph al-Musta'sim was captured and forced to watch as his citizens were murdered and his treasury plundered. According to most accounts, the caliph was killed by trampling. The Mongols rolled the caliph up in a rug, and rode their horses over him, as they believed that the earth would be offended if it were touched by royal blood. All but one of al-Musta'sim's sons were killed, and the sole surviving son was sent to Mongolia, where Mongolian historians report he married and fathered children, but played no role in Islam thereafter.
Hulagu had to move his camp upwind of the city, due to the stench of decay from the ruined city.[29]
Baghdad was a depopulated, ruined city
Aftermath
Hulagu left 3,000 Mongol soldiers behind to rebuild Baghdad.
Initially, the fall of Baghdad came as a shock to the whole Muslim world; after many years of utter devastation, the city became an economic center where international trade, the minting of coins and religious affairs flourished under the Ilkhans.[37] The chief Mongol darughachi was thereafter stationed in the city.[38]
Although hesitant at first to go to war with Hulagu out of Mongol brotherhood, the economic situation of the Golden Horde led him to declare war against the Ilkhanate. This became known as the Berke–Hulagu war.[39]
Legacy
Al-Musta'sim ruled from 5 December 1242 to 20 February 1258, for a period of 15 years, 2 months and 15 days. His death marked the final end of the caliphate as a political and religious entity. The
See also
- Yaqut al-Musta'simi a well-known calligrapher and secretary of al-Musta'sim.
- Mongol invasions of the Levant
- Tekuder, son of Hulagu and a Muslim convert.
References
- ^ al-Hawadith al-Jami'a . Ibn al-Fuwaṭi
- ^ ISBN 978-0-691-18337-4.
- ^ al-Hawadith al-Jami'a . Ibn al-Fuwaṭi
- ISBN 978-9987-9022-4-8.
- ^ al-Maqrizi 1997, p.464/vol1
- ^ al-Maqrizi 1997, p.462/vol.1
- ^ a-Maqrizi,pp.462-463/vol.1
- ^ The Abbasid Caliph al-Musta'sim sent a message from Baghdad to the Mamluks in Egypt that said: "If you do not have men there tell us so we can send you men." – (al-Maqrizi 1997, p.464/vol1)
- ^ In Egypt there was also objection from people who did not like Shajar al-Durr allowing Louis IX to depart from Egypt alive
- ^ a b Shayyal, p.115/vol.2
- Baibarsa puppet Abbasid Caliphate was installed in Egypt which gave the Mamlukes full independence and freedom from any external power ( Shayyal, p.109/vol.2 )
- ^ al-Maqrizi 1997, p.463/vol.1
- ^ ( al-Maqrizi 1997, p.464/vol.1 ) ( Shayyal, p.115/vol.2 )
- ^ al-malik Sharaf Muzafer al-Din Musa was a grandson of al-Malik al-Kamil. (al-Maqrizi 1997, p.464/vol.1) – (Shayal, p.115/ vol.2) – (Ibn Taghri, pp.103-273/ The Sultanate of al-Muizz Aybak al-Turkumani) – ( Abu al-Fida, pp.68-87/year 652H ) – See also Aybak.
- ^ See Aybak.
- ^ Mamluk forces defeated the forces of the Ayyubid king an-Nasir Yusuf in all the battles. – See also Aybak and an-Nasir Yusuf.
- ^ ( al-Maqrizi 1997, p. 479/vol.1 )( Shayyal, p. 116/vol.2 )
- ^ Yule-Cordier Edition
- ^ Ibn al-Furat; translated by le Strange, 1900, pp. 293–300
- ISBN 978-1-61640-532-8.
- ^ Zaydān, Jirjī (1907). History of Islamic Civilization, Vol. 4. Hertford: Stephen Austin and Sons, Ltd. p. 292. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
- ^ a b c d Davis, Paul K. (2001). Besieged: 100 Great Sieges from Jericho to Sarajevo. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 67.
- ^ Nicolle
- ^ James Chambers, "The Devil's Horsemen," p. 144.
- ^ Fattah, Hala. A Brief History of Iraq. Checkmark Books. p. 101.
- ^ Murray, S.A.P. (2012). The library: An illustrated history. New York: Skyhorse Publishing, pp. 54.
- ^ Frazier, I., "Invaders: Destroying Baghdad," New Yorker Magazine, [Special edition: Annals of History], 25 April 2005, Online Issue Archived 12 June 2018 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Szczepanski, Kallie. "How the Mongols Took Over Baghdad in 1258." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/the-mongol-siege-of-baghdad-1258-195801(accessed[permanent dead link] 10 February 2021).
- ^ Henry Howorth, History of the Mongols from the 9th to the 19th Century, Part I, Burt Franklin, New York, ç1876, p. 127
- ^ James Chambers, The Devil's Horsemen, Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London, ç1979, p.145
- ^ Guy Le Strange, Baghdad During the Abbasid Caliphate, Clarendon Press, Oxford, ç1901, p.344
- ^ Timothy Ward, The Mongol Conquests in World History, Reakton Books, London, ç2012, p.126
- ISBN 978-0-14-194804-1.
- ^ Maalouf, 243
- ^ Runciman, 306
- ^ Foltz, 123
- ^ Coke, Richard (1927). Baghdad, the City of Peace. London: T. Butterworth. p. 169.
- ISBN 0-7007-0667-4.
- ISBN 978-0-8122-0531-2.
Sources
- al-Maqrizi (1997). al-Sulūk li-maʿrifat al-duwal wa-l-mulūk. DDārr al-Kutub.
- Ibn al-Furat; le Strange (1900). "The Death of the Last Abbasid Caliph, from the Vatican MS. of Ibn al-Furat". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society. 32: 293–300.