Abbasid caliph

Abbasid Caliphs (750–1258)

The Abbasids came to power overthrowing Umayyad dynasty in the Abbasid Revolution. As caliphs, they held both temporal and religious suzerainty over Muslim lands. After a golden age and a temporary revival, their decline accelerated the fragmentation of the Muslim world into autonomous states. Their religious authority was also challenged by the Shi'aFatimid Caliphate (909-1171) and the Caliphate of Córdoba (929-1031). The caliphs lost their temporal power completely in mid-tenth century; first to a series of military strongmen, then to the Shi'a BuyidEmirs, which were in turn replaced by the Sunni Seljuk Turks. Their independence from the Seljuks was short-lived, as the dynasty ended with the Mongol Sack of Baghdad in 1258.