Al-Mu’tasim

Al-Mu’tasim was the eighth Abbasid caliph, ruling from 833 until his death in 842. A younger son of Caliph Harun al-Rashid, he rose to prominence through his formation of a private army composed predominantly of Turkish slave-soldiers. His armies defeated Emperor Theophilos and sacked the city of Amorium, cementing his reputation as a warrior-caliph.