Battles & Wars › Medieval wars › Mongol conquests
Timur (Tamerlane)
1336–1405; ruled from 1370· Person· Asia & Pacific
Well documentedSolid records, physical evidence or scientific consensus.
A Turkic-Mongol conqueror from Central Asia who built a short-lived empire from Delhi to Anatolia, ruling from Samarkand.
See it on the Battles & Wars map →What happened
Timur was born near Kesh, south of Samarkand, into the Barlas, a Turkic-speaking clan of Mongol origin. Wounds left him lame, hence the Persian nickname Timur-i Lang, 'Timur the Lame', or Tamerlane. Not descended from Genghis Khan, he ruled as emir behind puppet khans. From 1370 he campaigned almost constantly: Iran, Iraq, the Golden Horde, Delhi (1398), Damascus and Anatolia, often using mass killings to terrify cities into surrender. He died in 1405 while marching on Ming China.
Why it matters
He shattered the Golden Horde, the Delhi Sultanate and, for a time, the Ottomans, while making Samarkand a showpiece capital. His descendant Babur founded India's Mughal Empire.
Legacy and how we know
Court histories such as the Zafarnama; the Spanish envoy Clavijo's account of Samarkand in 1404; Ibn Khaldun, who met him at Damascus; his buildings; and his skeleton, examined in 1941, which shows old leg injuries.
Still debated
Death tolls, sometimes put at 15–17 million, are very uncertain estimates. Whether he aimed to rebuild the Mongol empire or mainly sought plunder and glory is debated.
Inside this (1)
Connections (3)
▸Timur (Tamerlane) claimed the heritage of Mongol conquestsWell documented
The connection
Timur was not descended from Genghis Khan, so he ruled through puppet khans of Genghis's line and took the title güregen, 'royal son-in-law', after marrying a Genghisid princess. He presented his conquests as restoring the Mongol empire, while attacking its successor states, the Golden Horde and the Chagatai lands.
When and how
Central Asia and Iran, 1370–1405, ruling from Samarkand; married Saray Mulk Khanum, a Genghisid princess, in 1370.
How we know
His coins and inscriptions name puppet khans and use the title güregen, and Timurid court histories stress the Mongol heritage.
Debates and open questions
Historians debate whether Timur truly sought to rebuild the Mongol empire or used its prestige to legitimize a Turkic-Persian Islamic state of his own.
▸Timur (Tamerlane) captured Sultan Bayezid I at Battle of AnkaraWell documented
The connection
Timur and Bayezid I competed for the Anatolian principalities and traded insulting letters. Timur invaded in 1402, drew Bayezid into a hot, thirsty march, and won at Ankara when Bayezid's Tatar and Anatolian troops defected. Bayezid was captured and died a prisoner the next year.
When and how
Near Ankara, Anatolia, July 20, 1402; Timur against Sultan Bayezid I, whose Serbian vassals under Stefan Lazarević fought on his side.
How we know
Ottoman, Timurid, Byzantine and Western sources agree on Bayezid's capture, and the Ottoman succession crisis that followed is well documented.
Debates and open questions
How Bayezid was treated in captivity, and whether he took his own life, is uncertain; the iron cage story is likely legend.
▸Timur (Tamerlane) sacked Baghdad again, 143 years after Siege of Baghdad (1258)Well documented
The connection
Baghdad had partly recovered after the Mongols sacked it in 1258. Timur took it in 1393, and when it rebelled he stormed it again in 1401 and destroyed much of the city. After these sacks the old Abbasid capital did not regain its medieval size or importance for centuries.
When and how
Baghdad: February 1258 under Hülegü; 1393 and July 1401 under Timur.
How we know
Persian and Arabic chronicles describe both sacks: Rashid al-Din and others for 1258, Ibn Arabshah and Timurid court histories for 1401.
Debates and open questions
Death tolls for both sacks are uncertain and probably inflated by chroniclers. How much Baghdad's decline came from sacks versus shifting trade routes is debated.