Al-Nasir li-Din Allah
Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad
Years: 1158 - 1225
Al-Nasir li-Din Allah (1158 – 2/6 October 1225) is the 34th Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad from 1180 until his death.
His laqab literally means The Victor for the Religion of God.
He attempts to restore the Caliphate to its ancient dominant role and achieves a surprising amount of success, despite the fact that the caliphate has long been militarily subordinated to other dynasties.
He not only holds Baghdad (the capital of the Abbasid empire), but extends his dominion into Mesopotamia and Persia.
According to the historian, Angelika Hartmann, Al-Nasir is the last effective Abbasid caliph.
Besides his occasional conquests, he consistently holds Iraq from Tikrit to the Gulf without interruption.
His long reign of forty-seven years is chiefly marked by ambitious and corrupt dealings with the Tartar chiefs, and by his hazardous invocation of the Mongols, which will soon bring his own dynasty to an end.
In his day, however, there is comparative peace at Baghdad; learning flourishes; while refuges for the poor, and other works of public interest, are encouraged.
