Al-Mu'tasim, having succeeded his brother to become…
833 CE
Al-Mu'tasim, having succeeded his brother to become the eighth 'Abbasid caliph, concludes an indeterminate peace with Emperor Theophilos.
Al-Mu'tasim is the first caliph to employ the non-Muslim Berber, Slav, and especially Turkish mercenaries (who will later come to dominate the Abbasid dynasty).
To strengthen himself against the troublesome Khorasanians, Al-Mu'tasim inaugurates a policy of importing enslaved Turkish men and mercenaries to form a special military corps.