Horsemen of the Apocalypse: The Mongol Sack of Baghdad

The devastating event that caused 1,000,000 casualties and ended the Islamic Golden Age

A painting depicting the siege of Baghdad. (Public domain)

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…