Abbasid Caliphate

Historical eventDecember 11861

Abbasid Caliphate

The Abbasid caliph al-Mutawakkil was assassinated by his guards, beginning the Anarchy at Samarra.

Everything on December 11Original source

In context

When
Thursday, December 11 8611165 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
9th century · 860s
Calendar
Julian — as recorded at the time
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

Dates before 15 October 1582 are in the Julian calendar, so the weekday shown follows the Julian reckoning of the time.

At a glance

Dates: From 861.

What happened

The Abbasid Caliphate or Abbasid Empire was the third Islamic caliphate, ruled by the Abbasid dynasty. The dynasty was descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, after whom it is named. The Abbasids rose to power in 750, when the Abbasid Revolution overthrew the preceding Umayyad Caliphate. They ruled as caliphs from their base in Iraq until 1258, with Baghdad as their capital for most of their history.

December 11 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 861Abbasid Caliphate
  2. 2006Holocaust denial
  3. 2006International Conference to Review the Global Vision of the Holocaust
  4. 2007Insurgency in the Maghreb (2002–present)
  5. 2008Bernie Madoff
  6. 2009Rovio Entertainment
  7. 2012Aqrab massacre
  8. 20172017 New York City Subway bombing
  9. 20192019 Bougainvillean independence referendum
  10. 2020Food and Drug Administration
  11. 2024Murder of Sara Sharif

Sources

Cite this page

“Abbasid Caliphate”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/abbasid-caliphate-861-december-11, accessed October 28, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did Abbasid Caliphate happen?

December 11 861 — 1165 years ago, on a Thursday.

Is this a Julian or a Gregorian date?

It is the date as recorded at the time, on the Julian calendar. The Gregorian equivalent falls about ten days later; sources from different countries may give either.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

Text adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0 and from Wikidata (CC0). Images come from Wikimedia Commons; credit and licence are shown with each image. Editorial entries are © What's On This Date. Sources & licensing · How this site works.