The exact number of people who died in the sack of Baghdad in 1258 is not known with certainty, and the estimates vary widely. The most commonly cited estimates range from hundreds of thousands to over a million, with the higher estimates being more common in the medieval sources and the lower estimates being more common in the modern scholarship.
The uncertainty about the number of deaths is partly the result of the difficulty of establishing the population of Baghdad at the time of the sack. Baghdad was one of the largest cities in the medieval world, and its population has been estimated at between 1 million and 2 million people at the time of the sack. The uncertainty about the population, combined with the uncertainty about the death toll, makes it difficult to estimate the number of deaths with any precision.
The Medieval Sources
The medieval sources give a wide range of estimates of the death toll of the sack. The most famous of the medieval sources is the account of the Persian historian Ibn al-Athir, who reported that the death toll was about 1 million people. The estimate of Ibn al-Athir is widely cited, but it is probably an exaggeration.
The other medieval sources give similar or higher estimates. The Armenian historian Kirakos Gandzaketsi reported that the death toll was 1.5 million people. The Persian historian Wassaf reported that the death toll was even higher. The European sources, including the chronicle of Matthew Paris, also reported high death tolls.
The Modern Estimates
The modern estimates of the death toll of the sack are generally lower than the medieval estimates, and they range from 200,000 to 1 million people. The most commonly cited modern estimate is 800,000 people, which is based on a combination of the medieval sources and the modern demographic studies.
The modern estimates are based on a number of factors, including the population of Baghdad at the time of the sack, the duration of the sack, and the methods of the Mongol army. The modern estimates are also based on a comparison with other sackings of major cities, including the sack of Constantinople in 1204 and the sack of Rome in 410.
The Significance of the Number
The exact number of deaths in the sack is less significant than the magnitude of the disaster. The sack of Baghdad was a major catastrophe for the Islamic world, and it is widely remembered as one of the central events of the medieval period. The sack of Baghdad was also a major factor in the political, cultural, and economic decline of the Islamic world, and it marked the end of the Abbasid Caliphate as a major power.
The sack of Baghdad is also significant for what it tells us about the Mongol military tradition. The sack was a typical example of the Mongol use of terror as a weapon of war, and it was a major demonstration of the effectiveness of the Mongol military tradition. The sack was, in this sense, a major factor in the success of the Mongol military, and it has been studied by military commanders for centuries.
The Long-Term Consequences
The long-term consequences of the sack were enormous. The sack marked the end of the Abbasid Caliphate, which had been a major power in the Islamic world for five centuries. The sack also marked the destruction of one of the most culturally rich cities in the medieval world, and the cultural treasures of the city were plundered or destroyed.
The sack of Baghdad was also significant for the political life of the Middle East. The sack marked the beginning of a new era in the history of the region, and it marked the rise of the Ilkhanate as the major power in the Middle East. The sack was also significant for the cultural life of the Middle East, since it marked the destruction of one of the major centers of Islamic learning and culture.
Sources
- George Lane, Early Mongol Rule in Thirteenth-Century Iran (London, 2003).
- Linda Komaroff, ed., The Legacy of Genghis Khan (New York, 2002).
- Peter Jackson, The Mongols and the West (London, 2005).