The Mongol Siege of Baghdad 1258: Hulagu's Conquest

In 1258, the Mongol army under Hulagu Khan, grandson of Genghis Khan, besieged and sacked Baghdad, ending the Abbasid Caliphate that had ruled for over 500 years. This episode explores the campaign leading up to the siege, the fall of the city, and the aftermath. We discuss Hulagu's strategy, the role of his Chinese engineers, the massacre of hundreds of thousands, and the destruction of the House of Wisdom. We also examine the assassination of Caliph al-Musta'sim and the subsequent Mongol rule in Persia under the Ilkhanate. The conversation touches on the division within the Mongol Empire between Hulagu and his cousin Berke of the Golden Horde, the Battle of Ain Jalut, and the long-term cultural and political consequences for the Islamic world. Listeners will learn about key figures like Hulagu, his wife Dokuz Khatun, and the Persian historian Juvayni, who accompanied the campaign. We also explore the legend of the Tigris running black with ink from destroyed books. #Baghdad1258 #HulaguKhan #MongolSiege #AbbasidCaliphate #Ilkhanate #HouseofWisdom #BattleofAinJalut #Juvayni #DokuzKhatun #MongolCampaigns #ChineseEngineers #MedievalHistory #IslamicHistory #CentralAsia #SiegeWarfare #History #FexingoHistory #Podcast Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo