1258
Mongols sack Baghdad
After a two-week siege, Hulagu's army entered the Abbasid capital and spent a week in systematic slaughter. The last caliph al-Musta'sim was reportedly rolled in a carpet and trampled by horses, sparing his blood. The Tigris was said to run black with ink from the libraries. The fall of Baghdad sent shockwaves across the Islamic world and marked the end of the classical era of Arab civilization.
Provisions of Oxford imposed on Henry III
English barons led by Simon de Montfort forced King Henry III to accept a committee of fifteen to oversee royal government. It was the first written constitution in English history after Magna Carta and it set the stage for open civil war. The provisions required parliaments to meet three times a year and placed royal appointments under baronial control, a radical curtailment of monarchical power.
Sarai founded by Batu's successors
On the lower Volga, Berke Khan founded or greatly expanded the new capital of the Golden Horde at Sarai. The city, built of mud brick and felt tents alternately, became a polyglot trading hub where Italian merchants, Russian princes, and Turkish nomads crossed paths. At its peak Sarai may have housed over half a million inhabitants, making it one of the largest cities in the medieval world.
Abbasid Caliphate extinguished after five centuries
With the death of al-Musta'sim beneath Mongol hooves, the caliphate that had once stretched from Spain to Sindh ceased to exist. A shadow caliph would be installed in Cairo by the Mamluks, but the fiction fooled no one. The symbolic center of Sunni Islam had been trampled into the mud of the Tigris.
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Frequently asked
What happened in the year 1258?
Saeculum lists 4 curated events from 1258. The most significant is Mongols sack Baghdad: After a two-week siege, Hulagu's army entered the Abbasid capital and spent a week in systematic slaughter.
What era was 1258 part of?
1258 falls within the High Middle Ages (1000-1300). Crusades, cathedrals, and the slow waking of Europe.
Which regions saw notable events in 1258?
The curated events from 1258 span Middle East, Europe and Central Asia.