Al-Muktafi vs Wonjong of Goryeo

Al-Muktafi's forces defeated a Qarmatian army near Kufa, temporarily halting their raids into Iraq. This victory was one of the last significant military successes of the Abbasid caliphate before its decline.

Al-Muktafi moved the Abbasid court from Samarra back to Baghdad. This ended the period of Samarra as the capital, which had lasted since 836, and marked a symbolic return to the traditional seat of the caliphate.

Al-Muktafi died after a short reign of about six years. His death marked the end of the last effective Abbasid caliph from the Samarra period, as his successors were weaker and more dependent on military factions.

As a prince, Wonjong was sent as a hostage to the Mongol court to secure peace after Goryeo's submission. He spent several years in Mongolia, learning Mongol customs and forming ties with the imperial family.

Wonjong became king with Mongol support, marking the beginning of direct Mongol influence over Goryeo's throne. He agreed to pay tribute, provide troops, and accept Mongol oversight in exchange for peace.

Wonjong, with Mongol military aid, crushed the Sambyeolcho (Three Elite Patrols) rebellion, which opposed the peace with the Mongols. The rebels were defeated on Jeju Island, ending the last major military resistance to Mongol domination.

Wonjong arranged the marriage of his son (future King Chungnyeol) to a Mongol princess, Kublai Khan's daughter. This established a pattern of intermarriage that tied the Goryeo royal family to the Mongol Yuan dynasty.