Timur the Great Conqueror

Timur was a great Turkic warrior in the 14^th century, who conquered much of Central Asia, laying the empirical foundations of the Mughal Empire that reigned for several centuries. Notorious for his barbaric conquests in India, Russia, and the Middle East, Timor also lead the majority of the region to social and cultural excellence.

According to Encyclopedia Britannica, Timur was a member of the Barlas tribe, a Turkicized Mongol subgroup settled in Transxonia which is the region near and around modern-day Uzbekistan. He was born in 1336 in a village south of Samarkand. Macrohistory & World History states that as a child Timur was skilled at horse riding and fighting, spending most of his time raiding caravans on the nearby Silk Road.

During his early adulthood he was part of conquest campaigns lead by Chagatai Khan the son of Genghis Khan. Timur began to gain more political power, allying himself with Kurgan, the local warlord. During this time he raised an outstanding militia constructed of mostly Turkic tribesmen of the region. For ten years, Timur lead his men, invading neighboring tribes for the emir.

After Kurgan's assassination, major disputes flared among many claimants of the sovereign power. In the midst of the power struggle, Mongol forces reconquered Transoxiana. Timur was appointed the head of his own tribe. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, he was also a high minister for the Mongol governor. Timur turned against his alliance with the Mongol governor and declared to overtake the Mongol forces.

History World states that after establishing control of local tribes with help from the grandson of Kurgan, Hussien. Timur and Hussein worked together to drive the Mongol forces out of Transoxiana. They also overpowered the rising Islamic rebel force in Samarkand. Timur and Hussein split the region in two. Contradictory to Timur's legend, his subjects held him in high accolade as a generous leader, improving the infrastructure of Samarkand by building a new wall, improving the market place, and growing marvelous gardens. Hussein, on the other hand, was seen as cruel. According to History World, Timur and Hussein eventually began to clash.

Timur to defeated his former ally and declared himself the sovereign of the Chagatai khanates, pronouncing his intent to restore the great Mongol Empire under his rule. Beginning in 1383, Timur lead huge military campaigns in order to expand his empire into what two centuries earlier was the western half of Genghis Khan's conquest.

The first major conquest was the capture of the Persian city Heart, which sits on the modern-day border Afghanistan shares with Iran. Within a few years, Timur's army conquered the entirety of Persia. Rival dynasties refused to partner with each other to resist the oncoming expeditions, so by 1394 Timur had easily taken Iraq, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Mesopotamia, and Georgia. In 1396, Timur invaded India, hearing that Muslim rulers were being too tolerant towards Hindus. He destroyed the Islamic kingdom centered in Delhi.

Among his campaigns, he burned and looted Damascus, massacred 20,000 in Baghdad, enslaved thousands of Christians, and then began to question whether to wage war on the Ottomans. He did not want to instigate war between another Muslim entity, but he did exactly that angering the Ottoman sultan, Bayezid.

The Ottoman and Timurid Empires began their grand battle in 1402 at Angora, in which Timur defeated Bayezid, who was quickly captured and killed. He then turns eastward, wanting to move towards China as did Genghis Khan. However, before he gets to China Timur falls in ill. In January 1405, Timur died of the illness.

Timur began as the leader of a small nomadic tribe, but emulating Genghis Khan's military arts and discipline he regained much of the land that made up the Mongol Empire. Though he was seen as a cruel and merciless military leader and is most notarized for his pyramid of beheaded skulls Timur made a very positive impact in Central Asia. He also helped build the cultural and social infrastructures of his home, not only by expanding the empire, but also by constructing world renown architecture and promoting the arts. His empire was later consolidated by descendants into the Mughal Empire of India.