Fall of Baghdad to the Mongols Term Paper

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Fall of Baghdad to the Mongols

Fall of Baghdad

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However the Caliph's army was strong and was able to defeat the armies in 1238 and in 1245.

But even though the Caliph was successful he knew that he truly couldn't be secure nil and unless he had the Mongols as allies and tried to come to a truce with the Mongol arm in 1241. By then they were trying their diplomatic best to woo the Mongol leaders and sent rich tributes to them. (Prawdin 1967)

Initially relations did improve and the caliph and his delegation were present at the coronation of Guyuk Khan in 1246 and that of Mongke Khan in 1251.

But when Guyuk Khan came into power he insisted that the Caliph should completely bow to their will and submit himself by coming to their courts in present day China at a region called Karakoram. (Saunders 2001)

However the Abbasid caliph resisted and Guyuk as well as Hulagu, both successors of Genghis khan were incensed at this. More over they blamed their own member, Baiju, who was Chormaqan successor, for the irritated resistance of the Abbasid Caliphate. This was because Baiju was responsible for the attack on Baghdad and having failed to do so; he was accepted rich tributes and not putting in enough strength to invade Baghdad, instead remaining on its outskirts and maintaining cordial relations with the Caliph there. They were of the opinion that if Baiju had exerted enough military strength then the Caliph would be awed of their power and would give in to them. (Sicker 2000)

On a logical note, they were also knew that they were much stronger than the Caliph and that when applied with the right kind of pressure he would submit to them and the vast Muslim empire would come under their rule. (The Fall of Baghdad to the Mongols in 1258-2009)

As the chain of events progressed, 1257 arrived with Mongke Khan resolving to control the middle each including Iraq, Syria and Persia. The Mongol leader was clairvoyant enough to understand that these were strong empires that they were undertaking in order to expand their reach. There was also an Ismailia population that had its strongholds in the region who were very strong there. The Mongol ruler sent his brother to the region, demanding that the caliph come to meet Hulegu personally and submit his territories before him. But the caliph rejected these demands. Hulegu who w as busy in fighting the Ismailia then had to redirect his strong army to Baghdad in order to have the caliph submit to him. The army was a hundred and fifty thousand strong the largest that the Mongols ever rallied in any war and attacked Baghdad.

There were aware that the Caliphate army was strong and for that they would need as much power as they could muster. However the army fought and the Muslim side fell heavily and fast. (Tolan 2000)

It can't be said that the war was on a religious basis. It was mainly a war to increase people under their control and as a move to consolidate their empire. Unlike other rulers of the world who conquered lands and then went on to reconstruct them and to develop them, the Mongols were a destructive army and were mainly focused on consolidating power and wealth in their hands through the use of warfare. Their religion was mainly Shamism, but some had also converted to Christianity in light of the fact that they married people in their conquered lands and one of Hulegu Khan's favorite wives was Christian. (Venegoni 2004)

Details of the Siege

As the caliphate rejected the demands of the Mongols, the Mongols aligned their strong generals to the region. These generals included Arghun Agha, Baiju of the Besud, Buqa-Temur of the Oirats, the Chinese commander Guo Kan, the Jalayir general Koke Ilge, Kitbuqa of the Naiman, Tutar, Quli, Sunitai. The army was therefore prepared from a variety of backgrounds and belonged to a number of regions under Mongol control. There were also Christian commandments who were taking this as an opportunity to avenge their defeat at the hands of the Muslims earlier on by Jalal Al din.

The Mongol army was very well prepared for this. They had archers and catapults that were made by the Chinese engineers in their ranks who used flammable substances in order to attack Baghdad, which became the reason why the city was burnt to ashes, all its books, monuments.....

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