Coin Turkey Seljukid of Rum, Kaykaus II - Fals, Ist Rule - 1245 / 1249

This copper fals was issued under the reign of Kay K?wus II, Seljuk Sultan of Rum, during his first reign (1245?1249). It bears the name of the Abbasid caliph al-Musta'sim, the last caliph of Baghdad, a common practice attesting to the symbolic recognition of caliphal authority by numerous Muslim rulers.

The reign of Kay K?wus II falls within a particularly troubled period in the history of the Sultanate of Rum. Following the decisive defeat at Köse Da? in 1243 against the Mongols, the Seljuks of Rum were compelled to acknowledge the suzerainty of the Mongol Empire and gradually became a vassal state. Kay K?wus II came to power in this context of strong political dependency, his authority being largely conditioned by Mongol influence. This situation durably weakened the internal cohesion of the sultanate and fuelled dynastic rivalries, notably with his brothers Kilij Arslan IV and Kay Qubadh II, who would later share power under Mongol arbitration. At the regional level, the sultanate had to contend with Mongol domination to the east, while Turcoman principalities gradually gained autonomy in the western and southern regions of Anatolia.

The mention of Caliph al-Musta'sim on this fals carries particular significance. The last representative of the Abbasid line reigning in Baghdad, he would be executed by the forces of Hülegü Khan during the sack of the city in 1258, an event traditionally marking the end of the Abbasid Caliphate of Baghdad. This coin thus bears witness to a pivotal period in the history of the medieval Near East, shortly before the profound political and religious transformations brought about by the Mongol conquests.