Horsemen of the Apocalypse: The Mongol Sack of Baghdad
The devastating event that caused 1,000,000 casualties and ended the Islamic Golden Age
At the end of the year 1257CE, the Mongol Khan, Möngke, had drawn up plans to extract more control from the faltering Abbasid Caliphate. Möngke was intent on solidifying his empire’s expansion westward through Persia and Mesopotamia. However, the great city of Baghdad lay in the way. Initially, Möngke had no intention of toppling the Abbasid Empire as long as they continued to abide by past agreements.
In order to show that he was serious, Möngke sent his brother Hulagu, a fearsome warlord at the head of a massive army, to march towards the ancient city. The Mongols assumed that the Muslim rulers in Baghdad would submit and pay the tribute and respect as they had done in the past as to not risk serious harm to their cultural and religious capital.
Möngke only wanted tacit support for his armies in Mesopotamia from the Abbasids and, unlike his predecessor, did not want to fully integrate the Muslim empires. At least not yet.
Instead of submitting, Caliph Al-Musta’sim brazenly issued a rebuttal to the Mongol army and insisted that if they wanted to attack the city, they were more than willing to try.
