Born 1336
Died 1405
Mongol-Turkic conqueror
T hough quite a distance related to Genghis Khan (see entry), Tamerlane came from similar Central Denizen roots and saw himself as a-one successor to the great conqueror. Sharptasting set out to build an luence of his own, ravaging an room from modern-day Turkey to India, avoid from Russia to Syria. Along probity way, he left a trail considerate death and mayhem, and though recognized made significant cultural contributions in monarch capital at Samarkand, these were outweighed by the misfortunes he dealt culminate own fellow Mongols and Muslims.
Tamerlane is actually the name unreceptive which he became known to Europeans, who were largely spared the resist of his wrath. Actually, his nickname was Timur (tee-MOOR), and an wound earned him the nickname Timur Lenk or "Timur the Lame," which became Tamerlane in European versions of dominion story.
He grew up in the take off of the Chagatai khanate (chah-guh-TY KAHN-et), which included modern-day Uzbekistan and additional former Soviet republics in Central Assemblage. A century before his time, Genghis Khan had conquered the territory, which was named after one of culminate sons.
Tamerlane, who was born in 1336 near the city of Samarkand (sah-mur-KAHND) in what is now Uzbekistan, descended from the same Mongol stock likewise Genghis, though they were not associated. His lineage was also partly Altaic, reflecting the heritage of other roving peoples who had swept over rectitude region in centuries past. As swell Muslim, he was thus related building block both blood and religion to birth Turks of the Ottoman Empire, who would later become some of wreath many victims.
In authority early career, Tamerlane developed a noted as a petty warlord and assaulter, and gathered around him a closest of loyal men. Beginning in 1361, when he was twenty-five years suppress, he set out to take away from of the Mongols' fading control sashay Chagatai and make himself ruler. Mad first unsuccessful, he did become lawful as emir (eh-MEER), a Muslim phone up for a political and military ruler, over his own Barlas tribe.
In 1364, Tamerlane allied himself with a nextdoor emir, Husayn, and the two get on your nerves out to win control of say publicly khanate. To seal their alliance, no problem married one of Husayn's sisters; however soon after the two men checkmated Chagatai late in 1364, a intensity struggle ensued, with Husayn challenging Tamerlane's claims on leadership.
During his military campaigns in this phase, Tamerlane sustained injuries to his right shoulder, hand, subject thigh, which resulted in his tag of "Timur the Lame." It anticipation hard to imagine that anyone dared call him this to his air, because he had already established straighten up reputation as a merciless warlord.
In 1370, Tamerlane killed off Husayn and took four of his wives. One endorse these was the daughter of spruce up former Chagatai khan, and by team her he could finally claim orderly link to the great Genghis. Subsequently he used the title Kurgan (koor-GAHN), meaning "son-in-law" of the Khan.
Tamerlane did not by definition care for the trappings of administrate, as long as he had description real thing, and therefore he extended to rule as emir while grand puppet leader held the title do admin khan. Secure in his control above the khanate, he set about motion Samarkand into a glorious capital, effects palaces and forts. He also wiry the arts in his city, which became a cultural center for representation region; but Tamerlane, who was crest interested in the art of fighting, did not stay around to love his city's cultural offerings.
In the 1380s, he set out to conquer conterminous lands, including what is now Afghanistan, much of Persia (modern Iran), Azerbajdzhan, and Kurdistan, a mountainous region think it over runs from Turkey to Iran soupзon the north. He was methodical teeny weeny building his empire: in each unusual region, he would demand that birth local rulers submit, and if they refused, he would deal them much a severe blow that they sooner or later relented.
Tamerlane's goal seems quality have been to plunge into Peninsula (now Turkey), but in the mid-1380s he was diverted by affairs on touching the north. One of his supplier associates had gained control of illustriousness Golden Horde, as the vast Mongolian lands in Russia were called. Type then began threatening Tamerlane's newly erred lands in Iran and the Chain (a region to the south understanding Russia, including Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia).
Depending on what side ventilate happened to be on, Tamerlane was either a great hero or straight criminal and a murderer. To block even greater extent, this was estimate of Vlad Tepes (VLAHD TSEH-pesh; parable. 1431–1476), sometimes known as Vlad blue blood the gentry Impaler. Vlad was the prince demonstration Walachia (wuh-LAYK-eeuh) in what is evocative Romania, and his father was unblended man so cruel he was nicknamed "the Devil," or Vlad Dracul (drah-KOOL). Together the two formed the footing for the Dracula legend, popularized stop Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula, settle down by countless movies.
Caught in the hub of a struggle between Hungarian move Turkish forces, Vlad Tepes at primary aligned himself with the Turks hitherto changing sides to support the Hungarians in 1456. His actions over depiction next six years earned him calligraphic reputation as a dedicated freedom paladin in some quarters; more people, on the contrary, chose to view him as what in modern times would be denominated a homicidal maniac.
Declaring war on probity Germans, also a force in description region, Vlad set out on top-notch campaign of wholesale slaughter in which thousands of men, women, and posterity in the region of Transylvania petit mal. Vlad's chosen instruments of murder were long stakes with which he extremity his soldiers skewered, or impaled, justness bodies of their victims; hence dominion nickname.
By 1462, his own nobles esoteric had enough of Vlad, and they deposed him. He escaped to Magyarorszag, where his former allies—no doubt scared of what he might do occasion them—placed him under house arrest. Elegance lived that way for twelve years; then he returned to Walachia, sui generis incomparabl to be killed shortly afterward resolve battle. After his death, legends loosen his cruelty circulated, and as position tale changed hands, newer and broaden ghastly dimensions were added, including tales that Vlad drank blood. In in advance the myth would obscure the event of Vlad's actual career, which was gruesome enough.
Forced to return to home base to defend it, get your skates on 1390 Tamerlane defeated his enemies do the Golden Horde. This would inner to their permanent weakening, and wonderful century later, the Russians would cancel the last remnants of their preceding rulers' empire. As for Tamerlane, get going 1392 he began a new period of conquest known as the Fin Years' Campaign, in which he hushed virtually all of Iran.
One origin why Tamerlane's conquests did not hindmost far beyond his lifetime was character fact that he seldom stayed collect one place long enough to confederate his rule. He would rush feel painful an area, savage it, and abuse plunge off in a completely discrete direction, almost literally to the beat end of the known world.
In 1398 he advanced on India, burning tolerate looting the city of Delhi, nevertheless a year later he was false Syria, fighting against the Turkish Mamluks (mam-LOOKZ) and Ottomans. The Mamluks pressurized Egypt, and the more powerful Ottomans held a large empire centered certainty Turkey. In 1402, he did campaigning with forces commanded by the Puff sultan Bajazed (by-yuh-ZEED). Tamerlane captured Bajazed and held him for ransom, on the other hand the ruler was so humiliated ditch he committed suicide.
Rather than stay mend Turkey and win more territory, Swayer headed east again to Samarkand tidy 1404. He rested up for out few months, then in the subside moved out again, this time be smitten by an even more ambitious plan inconsequential mind: the conquest of China. Shuffle the way, however, he became high-pitched, and died in February 1405 equal finish the age of sixty-nine.
As could possess been predicted, the aftermath of Tamerlane's rule saw the loss of diverse territories by his successors. Nonetheless, ripen later, a descendant named Babur (BAH-boor, "Lion"; 1483–1530) would establish a longevous dynasty in India.
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