مقتل المتوكل

In 247 AH al-Mutawakkil was killed in his assembly after a group of Turks entered on him, according to al-Tabari. ^{1 2}

al-Suyuti says that al-Mutawakkil gave the oath of the heir apparency to his son al-Muntasir, then to al-Mu'tazz, then to al-Mu'ayyad. He then wanted to put al-Mu'tazz first because of his love for his mother, and his relationship with al-Muntasir was disturbed. The Turks turned away from him and agreed with al-Muntasir to kill him. Five men entered on him in the middle of the night and killed him and his vizier al-Fath ibn Khaqan, on the fifth of Shawwal 247 AH. ³

al-Mas'udi quotes al-Buhturi that al-Mutawakkil bought a sword for ten thousand dirhams and gave it to Bagher to stand with it at his head. Then Bagher came with ten masked men and struck him, while al-Fath held them off, on the night of Wednesday, three nights into Shawwal. ⁴

He mentions that the place was known as al-Makhura, the place where Shiruyah had killed his father. ⁵

The two accounts differ on the day: al-Suyuti gives the fifth of Shawwal, and al-Mas'udi the third.