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Political Tensions between Baghdad and the Seljuks
In the 1130s sustained political confrontation erupted between the Abbasid caliphal capital of Baghdad and the Seljuk Sultanate over suzerainty, mili…
Timeline
- 1131–1134Baghdad · BaghdadCaliph al-Mustarshid intensified his challenge to Seljuk suzerainty in the early 1130s, refusing to recognize Sultan Mas'ud's supreme authority, mustering troops in Baghdad, and courting local powers in an attempt to rebuild direct caliphal rule over Iraq.
- 1134–1135Central Iraq · IraqCaliphal and Seljuk forces clashed in central Iraq; in 1135 al-Mustarshid was killed by Nizari assassins while withdrawing, dealing a fatal blow to Baghdad's autonomy movement and bringing political tensions to a peak.
- 1136–1140Baghdad · BaghdadAl-Rashid reigned briefly before being deposed again, and his uncle al-Muqtafi acceded with Seljuk support; thereafter the caliphate nominally survived, but real political power in Baghdad remained constrained by the Seljuk sultan, and tensions shifted into a low-intensity standoff.
Sources
- The Cambridge History of Iran, Volume 5: The Saljuq and Mongol Periods — J. A. Boyle (ed.) (1968)
- The Political and Dynastic History of the Iranian World (A.D. 1000–1217) — C. E. Bosworth (1968)