Siege of Baghdad (1157)

Siege of Baghdad
Part of the Abbasid-Seljuq Wars
Date January 12–July 3, 1157 Location Baghdad, Abbasid caliphate (modern day Iraq) Result Decisive Abbasid victory
Belligerents
Seljuqs of Hamadan Zengids of Mosul	Abbasid caliphate
Commanders and leaders
Muhammad of Hamadan, Qutb ad-Din Mawdud of Mosul	al-Muqtafi
Strength
30,000 Seljuqs	7000+ unknown number of militias (including Ahdath, Ayyārs and Naffatuns)
Casualties and losses
Unknown but heavy	Unknown

Seljuqs of Hamadan

The Siege of Baghdad in 1157 was the last Seljuq attempt to capture Baghdad from the Abbasids. Caliph al-Muqtafi successfully defended his capital against the coalition armies of Seljuq Sultan Muhammad of Hamadan and Qutb ad-Din of Mosul.

In the tenth century the Abbasid Caliphate lost control of most of its former provinces. Most of the governors were able to establish their own dynasties, and in the meantime the central government was unable to stop independence movements within the empire, though they retained their spiritual leadership over the Muslims since the new states (the Tulunids/Ikhshidids, Hamdanids, and others) acknowledged the Caliph as the head of the state and the successor of the prophet. In 1055, Tughril captured Baghdad from the Buyids under a commission from the Abbasid Caliph al-Qa'im. Although the Seljuqs respected the Caliphs, they did not let them rule.

Muhammad marched to Baghdad with an army of 30,000 men, while his ally Qutb ad-Din marched from Mosul to capture the Caliphate's provinces in central Iraq. On January 12, 1157, Muhammad reached the walls of western Baghdad. In response the Caliph gathered all his troops from Hillah and Wasit to defend the capital. In February, unable to defend western Baghdad, the caliph abandoned the western side and ordered all the bridges over the Tigris river, which separates the western side of Baghdad from its eastern side, to be destroyed. Muhammad crossed to the western side and easily captured it, and established his camp while at the same time the caliph fortified the walls of eastern Baghdad. Several catapults and ballistas were installed on the city's walls. The caliph also armed the natives of Baghdad by giving them armour and weapons, and incited them to fight the enemy of the caliphate, whom he called infidels since they waged war against the caliph, the successor of the prophet and the leader of the ummah. He also ordered his vizier Awn ad-Din ibn Hubayra to give five to every wounded soldier.

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