Key Facts
- Date of caliph's surrender
- 10 February 1258
- Mongol army size
- Over 138,000 men
- Estimated deaths
- ~200,000 (Hulegu's own estimate)
- Baghdad garrison
- ~30,000 troops
- Duration of siege
- ~3 weeks (late Jan – 10 Feb 1258)
Strategic Narrative Overview
Mongol forces routed an Abbasid sortie on 17 January 1258 by flooding the enemy camp. Siege engines breached Baghdad's walls within days of the assault beginning in late January, and Hulegu's troops controlled the eastern wall by 4 February. Al-Musta'sim's desperate attempts to negotiate were rejected; Hulegu even executed soldiers who tried to surrender. The city fell on 10 February, and systematic looting began three days later.
01 / The Origins
Following Möngke Khan's accession to the Mongol throne in 1251, his brother Hulegu was dispatched westward to consolidate Mongol power in Persia. After subduing the Nizari Ismaili Assassins in 1256, Hulegu expected Abbasid Caliph al-Musta'sim to contribute forces to the Mongol campaign. The Caliph's refusal and arrogant conduct in negotiations convinced Hulegu to move against Baghdad itself by late 1257, invading Mesopotamia from multiple directions.
03 / The Outcome
Al-Musta'sim surrendered on 10 February 1258, and Hulegu declared an amnesty ending the pillage on 20 February before executing the caliph. The Abbasid Caliphate was extinguished. Though later Muslim historians exaggerated Baghdad's ruin, the city did decline relative to the new Ilkhanate capital at Tabriz, and the death toll—inflated by subsequent epidemics—was estimated by Hulegu himself at around 200,000.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Hulegu Khan.
Side B
1 belligerent
Caliph al-Musta'sim.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.