The correct answer is Al-Mustansir. After the Mongols captured Baghdad in 1258 CE, the Abbasid Caliphate lost its traditional political center. The Abbasid caliphate in Baghdad effectively came to an end when the Mongol forces led by Hulagu Khan captured... Read More
The correct answer is Al-Mustansir. After the Mongols captured Baghdad in 1258 CE, the Abbasid Caliphate lost its traditional political center. The Abbasid caliphate in Baghdad effectively came to an end when the Mongol forces led by Hulagu Khan captured the city. This created a major political change in the Muslim world.
A few years later, Sultan Baybars, the powerful Mamluk ruler of Egypt, sought to strengthen the legitimacy of his rule by restoring the Abbasid caliphate in Cairo. In 1261 CE, an Abbasid prince who had survived the fall of Baghdad arrived in Cairo. Baybars recognized him as Caliph Al-Mustansir and formally installed him as the Abbasid Caliph.
The establishment of the Abbasid caliphate in Cairo did not restore the Abbasids to their former political power. Instead, the caliphs in Cairo mainly held a religious and symbolic position, while actual political and military authority remained with the Mamluk sultans. Nevertheless, restoring the Abbasid title gave the Mamluk government additional legitimacy and connected it with the respected Abbasid tradition.
Discussion
Leave a Comment