Al-Basasiri's Revolt and Brief Seizure of Baghdad

Name: Al-Basasiri's Revolt and Brief Seizure of Baghdad
Start: 1058
End: 1059

Type Event Region West Asia Time 1058–1059

In 1058, the Iraqi commander al-Basasiri rebelled with Fatimid support, briefly occupying Baghdad and installing a Shia caliph, challenging the Selju…

Timeline

1058Mosul · Iraqal-Basasiri, backed by the Fatimid caliph of Egypt, gathered forces in Mosul and elsewhere, opposing Seljuk rule in Iraq in the name of restoring Shia orthodoxy.
1058Baghdad · MesopotamiaIn 1058 al-Basasiri's forces entered Baghdad, deposed the Sunni caliph, and briefly established a Shia regime, with Fatimid influence reaching deep into the heart of Mesopotamia.
1059Baghdad · MesopotamiaIn 1059 Seljuk Sultan Tughril led a counterattack, recaptured Baghdad, defeated and killed al-Basasiri, and restored the Sunni Seljuk order.

Sources

The Cambridge History of Iran, Vol. 5: The Saljuq and Mongol Periods — J. A. Boyle et al. (1968)