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al-Mustarshid

Type Figure Region Iraq Time 1092–1135 Also known as Abbasid caliph al-Mustarshid

al-Mustarshid (1092–1135), twenty-ninth Abbasid caliph, sought to break Seljuk control and restore caliphal secular authority;…

Timeline

  1. 1092–1118Baghdad · BaghdadBorn in the Abbasid court in Baghdad, son of caliph al-Mustazhir. Grew up under the shadow of Seljuk sultans; succeeded on his father's death in 1118, taking the honorific al-Mustarshid.
  2. 1118–1135Iraq and western Iran · IraqAfter accession he actively raised armies to throw off Seljuk control. Fought sultan Muhammad Tapar 1118–1121, briefly recovering some territory; defeated near Hamadan in 1123. Clashed again with sultan Mahmud after 1125, with repeated setbacks to the caliphal military revival.
  3. 1126–1135Khurramabad · KhurramabadFrom 1126 he besieged the Nizari Ismaili fortress of Alamut; though he failed to take it, the campaign sharpened the confrontation with the forces led by Hasan-i Sabbah. In August 1135 the caliph was assassinated by Ismaili killers near Khurramabad, ending efforts to revive caliphal secular power.

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