The reign of Tamerlane. Timur Tamerlan - biography: I learned what awaits me from dreams. Timur and Hussein take over Central Asia

Tamerlane was called "the ruler of the world." He was one of the greatest conquerors in world history. This man combined incredible ruthlessness and a subtle understanding of art and science.

"Iron Lame"

The great emir Timur, the founder of the Timurid Empire, went down in history under the name "Timur-e Leng or Tamerlane, which translates as "iron lame". According to legend, there was gore in the clenched fist of the newborn Tamerlane. The boy's father, a former warrior Taragay ("Lark"), immediately realized that his son was waiting for the path of a great warrior, and named the newborn Timur (the Turkic version of the Mongolian Temur - "Iron").

This name contains a deep sacred meaning and is rooted in the religious traditions of the Turkic peoples, for whom iron has always been a sacred matter. According to some Asian legends, an iron mountain stands in the center of the world, and the "eternal kingdom" in Mongolian mythology is called "like iron." In addition, it is important to consider that Timur was born in the Barlas tribe, where pagan beliefs were still preserved, and the name given at birth determined the further life path.

The nickname Leng (lame) stuck to Timur after the Persian campaign and was offensive in nature, pointing to the soldier's injury - incorrectly fused bones of the right leg after one of the battles. Since then, the invincible emir has been proudly called the derogatory name of Tamerlane.

Educated tyrant

Timur, despite his reputation as a "bloody barbarian", was a highly educated ruler. According to the memoirs of his contemporaries, he was fluent in the spoken Turkic, Persian and Mongolian languages. According to other sources, he did not know how to read and write, but he loved the arts and belles-lettres, he attracted scientists, artists, artisans and engineers by force, considering them the best prey.

It was under Timur that Samarkand became the "Shining Star of the East" - one of the main cultural centers in Asia. Surprisingly, Tamerlane loved his capital, despite the fact that he was from the Norman steppes, who preferred not to limit themselves to city walls.

The biographers of the great emir say that the active construction that he carried out in Samarkand was a way for him to forget everything that he destroyed and devastated. Through his efforts, a huge library, the Koksaray Palace and many other sights of the city that have survived to this day appeared in Samarkand. As if confirming the unshakable power of its founder, the inscription on the door of Tamerlane's palace read: "If you doubt our power, look at our buildings."

Spiritual teacher of Tamerlane

Tamerlane's thirst for knowledge did not appear out of nowhere. As a child, he was surrounded by wise mentors, among whom was a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, the Sufi sage Mir Said Barak. It was he who handed Tamerlane the symbols of power (drum and banner), predicting a great future for him.

The “Guru” was almost always next to the great emir, accompanying him even on military campaigns. He also blessed Timur for the decisive battle with Tokhtamysh. There is a legend that already during the battle, when the latter began to gain the upper hand over Timur, Said Barak poured sand in front of the Khan's army and he was defeated. They say that he warned his student against the battle with Dmitry Donskoy, and, as you know, Timur deployed his troops and went to the Crimea, not going further into the territory of Russia.

Tamerlane deeply respected his teacher. He bequeathed to him his place of honor in the Gur-Emir family mausoleum to Said Barak, and ordered himself to be buried at his feet, so that he would intercede for him, a great sinner, at the Last Judgment.

Banner of Timur

The banner, a symbol of Tamerlane's power, was of great religious significance. In the Turkic tradition, they believed that this was the spirit of the army. Losing it meant losing the ability to resist the enemy.

The banner also served as a call to war. If the emir put him out at his wagon - there will be war, immediately his whole family was in a hurry to arm themselves, messengers flew to the allied villages.

Three rings were depicted on the banner of Tamerlane, arranged in the form of an equilateral triangle. Their meaning is still not clear. Some historians believe that it could symbolize earth, water and sky. Perhaps the circles denote three parts of the world (according to those ideas, all parts of the world), which Tamerlane owns, that is, the banner meant that the whole world belongs to Tamerlane. This is evidenced in the 16th century by the Spanish diplomat and traveler Clavijo.

There is a legend that in the battle of Ankara with the Ottoman Sultan Bayezid, the latter exclaimed: “What impudence to think that the whole world belongs to you!”, to which he received the answer: “Even more impudence to think that the moon belongs to you.”
There were also more mythological interpretations of this symbol. Nicholas Roerich saw in it a sign of "trinity", which is quite universal in many cultures: Turkic, Celtic, Indian and many others.

Beloved wife

Tamerlane had eighteen wives - in the best traditions of the Muslim world. One of the favorites was Sarai-mulk khanum, which once belonged to Timur's closest associate, and then to his worst enemy, Emir Hussein. The woman became the prey of Tamerlane after the death of her first husband, but fell in love with the conqueror and soon became his main wife. She was by no means a quiet wife - at court her role was significant, she could, with her grace, save a person or kill him. For a while, only she could meet her husband from campaigns, which was considered a great privilege. At the same time, she never gave birth to children to the great conqueror.

In many ways, it was the influence of Sarai-mulk khanym that ensured the “golden age” of culture in the era of Tamerlane. She was a real patroness of sciences and arts. It is Mulkkhanym who will bring up a wise ruler from the grandson of Tamerlane Timur Ulugbek. With her, active construction will be carried out in Samarkand. The Cathedral Mosque Bibi-Khanym is named after her, which means “Lady Grandmother” - one of the names of Sarai-mulk Khanym.

Merciful Executioner

If we dwell on the above, then a great ruler would appear before us, to whom everyone smiles. He is wise, talented, and his deeds are always good. He created a peaceful, stable and prosperous and rich state. But this is an unfinished portrait of Tamerlane.

Sources brought to us many references to his bloody deeds, which, at one time, inspired Vereshchagin to create his famous painting “The Apotheosis of War”. Once Timur decided to erect a monument to his own victories, ordering the erection of a ten-meter pyramid of severed heads. He became the executioner of the flourishing cities of the East: Isfahan, Delhi, Damascus, Baghdad, Astrakhan. It is still not known to which people Tamerlane belonged. According to the most common version, he belonged to the Turkic tribe of the Barlas. But the few surviving descriptions of his appearance do not match his image as a Mongol. Thus, the historian Ibn Arabshah, captured by the emir, reports that Timur was tall, had a large head, a high forehead, was very strong and brave, strongly built, with broad shoulders. The historian describes the conqueror's skin color as "white".

An anthropological reconstruction of the remains of Tamerlane, which was carried out by the famous Soviet anthropologist Gerasimov, concludes: “The discovered skeleton belonged to a strong man, too tall for an Asian (about 170 cm). characteristic Turkic face, is relatively weakly expressed. The nose is straight, small, slightly flattened; lips thick, contemptuous. The hair is gray-red, with a predominance of dark chestnut or red. The type of face is not Mongoloid." The results of this paradoxical study were published in Gerasimov's article "Portrait of Tamerlane". We will not dare to judge how true this portrait is to reality, one thing is clear - not all the secrets of the "iron lame" have yet been revealed.

Timur, the son of a Bek from the Turkicized Mongol Barlas tribe, was born in Kesh (modern Shakhrisabz, Uzbekistan), southwest of Bukhara. His father had a small ulus. The name of the Central Asian conqueror comes from the nickname Timur Leng (Lame Timur), which was associated with his lameness on his left leg. From childhood, he persistently engaged in military exercises and from the age of 12 began to go on campaigns with his father. He was a zealous Mohammedan, which played a significant role in his struggle with the Uzbeks.

Timur early showed his military abilities and the ability not only to command people, but also to subordinate them to his will. In 1361, he entered the service of Khan Togluk, a direct descendant of Genghis Khan. He owned large territories in Central Asia. Pretty soon, Timur became an adviser to the khan's son Ilyas Khoja and the ruler (viceroy) of the Kashkadarya vilayet in the possessions of Khan Togluk. By that time, the Bek's son from the Barlas tribe already had his own detachment of mounted warriors.

But after some time, having fallen into disgrace, Timur with his military detachment of 60 people fled across the Amu Darya River to the Badakhshan Mountains. There his squad was replenished. Khan Togluk sent a thousandth detachment in pursuit of Timur, but he, having fallen into a well-arranged ambush, was almost completely exterminated by Timur's soldiers in battle.

Gathering strength, Timur entered into a military alliance with the ruler of Balkh and Samarkand, Emir Hussein, and began a war with Khan Togluk and his son-heir Ilyas Khoja, whose army consisted mainly of Uzbek soldiers. On the side of Timur came the Turkmen tribes, who gave him numerous cavalry. Soon he declared war on his ally, the Samarkand Emir Hussein, and defeated him.

Timur captured Samarkand, one of the largest cities in Central Asia, and intensified military operations against the son of Khan Togluk, whose army, according to exaggerated data, numbered about 100 thousand people, but 80 thousand of them were garrisons of fortresses and almost did not participate in field battles. Timur's cavalry detachment numbered only about 2 thousand people, but they were experienced warriors. In a number of battles, Timur defeated the khan's troops, and by 1370 their remnants retreated across the Syr River.

After these successes, Timur went to a military trick, which he succeeded brilliantly. On behalf of the khan's son, who commanded the troops of Togluk, he sent an order to the commandants of the fortresses to leave the fortresses entrusted to them and to move beyond the Syr River with the garrison troops. So, with the help of military cunning, Timur cleared all the enemy’s fortresses from the khan’s troops.

In 1370, a kurultai was convened, at which the rich and noble Mongol owners elected a direct descendant of Genghis Khan, Kobul Shah Aglan, as khan. However, Timur soon removed him from his path. By that time, he had significantly replenished his military forces, primarily at the expense of the Mongols, and now he could lay claim to independent khan power.

In the same 1370, Timur became emir in the Maverannakhr region between the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers and ruled on behalf of the descendants of Genghis Khan, relying on the army, nomadic nobility and Muslim clergy. He made the city of Samarkand his capital.

Timur began to prepare for large campaigns of conquest by organizing a strong army. At the same time, he was guided by the combat experience of the Mongols and the rules of the great conqueror Genghis Khan, which his descendants by that time had thoroughly forgotten.

Timur began his struggle for power with a detachment of 313 warriors devoted to him. They made up the backbone commanders the army he created: 100 people began to command dozens of soldiers, 100 hundreds and the last 100 thousand. The closest and most trusted associates of Timur received the highest military positions.

He paid special attention to the selection of military leaders. In his army, foremen were chosen by the ten soldiers themselves, but Timur appointed centurions, thousandth and higher commanders personally. "The chief, whose power is weaker than a whip and a stick, is not worthy of the title," said the Central Asian conqueror.

His army, unlike the troops of Genghis Khan and Batu Khan, received a salary. An ordinary soldier received from two to four horse prices. The size of such a salary was determined by the serviceman's service. The foreman received the salary of his ten and therefore was personally interested in the proper performance of the service by his subordinates. The centurion received a salary of six foremen, and so on.

There was also a system of awards for military distinctions. This could be the praise of the emir himself, an increase in salary, valuable gifts, rewarding with expensive weapons, new ranks and honorary titles such as, for example, Brave or Bogatyr. The most common measure of punishment was the deduction for a specific disciplinary offense of a tenth of the salary.

Timur's cavalry, which formed the basis of his army, was divided into light and heavy. Simple light horse warriors were required to be armed with a bow, 18-20 arrows, 10 arrowheads, an ax, a saw, an awl, a needle, a lasso, a tursuk bag (water bag) and a horse. For 19 such warriors on a campaign, one wagon relied. Selected Mongol warriors served in the heavy cavalry. Each of her warriors had a helmet, iron protective armor, a sword, a bow and two horses. Five such horsemen relied on one wagon. In addition to the obligatory weapons, there were pikes, maces, sabers and other weapons. The Mongols carried everything necessary for camp life on spare horses.

Light infantry appeared in the Mongol army under Timur. These were horse archers (carrying 30 arrows) who dismounted before the battle. Thanks to this, the accuracy of shooting increased. Such horse archers were very effective in ambushes, during military operations in the mountains and during the siege of fortresses.

Timur's army was distinguished by a well-thought-out organization and a strictly defined order of construction. Each warrior knew his place in the ten, the ten in the hundred, the hundred in the thousand. Separate parts of the troops differed in the colors of horses, the color of clothes and banners, and combat equipment. According to the laws of Genghis Khan, before the campaign, the soldiers were reviewed with all the severity.

During campaigns, Timur took care of reliable military guards in order to avoid a sudden attack by the enemy. On the way or in the parking lot, security detachments were separated from the main forces at a distance of up to five kilometers. From them, sentinel posts were sent out even further, which, in turn, sent horse sentries ahead.

Being an experienced commander, Timur chose for the battles of his predominantly cavalry army flat terrain, with water sources and vegetation. He lined up the troops for the battle so that the sun did not shine in the eyes and thus did not blind the archers. He always had strong reserves and flanks to encircle the enemy involved in the battle.

Timur began the battle with light cavalry, which bombarded the enemy with a cloud of arrows. After that, horse attacks began, which followed one after another. When the opposing side began to weaken, a strong reserve was brought into battle, consisting of heavy armored cavalry. Timur said: "The ninth attack gives victory." This was one of his main rules in the war.

Timur began his campaigns of conquest outside his original possessions in 1371. By 1380, he made 9 military campaigns, and soon all the neighboring regions inhabited by Uzbeks and most of the territory of modern Afghanistan were under his authority. Any resistance to the Mongol army was severely punished after himself. Commander Timur left huge destruction and erected pyramids from the heads of defeated enemy soldiers.

In 1376, Emir Timur provided military assistance to Tokhtamysh, a descendant of Genghis Khan, as a result of which the latter became one of the khans of the Golden Horde. However, Tokhtamysh soon repaid his patron with black ingratitude.

The Emir Palace in Samarkand was constantly replenished with treasures. It is believed that Timur brought to his capital up to 150 thousand of the best craftsmen from the conquered countries, who built numerous palaces for the emir, decorating them with paintings depicting the conquests of the Mongol army.

In 1386, Emir Timur made an aggressive campaign in the Caucasus. Near Tiflis, the Mongol army fought the Georgian army and won a complete victory. The capital of Georgia was destroyed. The defenders of the fortress of Vardzia put up courageous resistance to the conquerors, the entrance to which led through the dungeon. Georgian soldiers repelled all enemy attempts to break into the fortress through an underground passage. The Mongols managed to take Vardzia with the help of wooden platforms, which they lowered on ropes from the neighboring mountains. Simultaneously with Georgia, neighboring Armenia was also conquered.

In 1388, after a long resistance, Khorezm fell, and its capital Urgench was destroyed. Now all the lands along the river Jeyhun (Amu Darya) from the Pamir Mountains to the Aral Sea became the possessions of Emir Timur.

In 1389, the cavalry of the Samarkand Emir made a campaign in the steppes to Lake Balkhash, in the territory of Semirechie in the south of modern Kazakhstan.

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Tamerlane (1336-1405) is a Turkic-Mongolian conqueror whose victories, characterized by acts of inhuman cruelty, made him the master of most of Western Asia.

Tamerlane or Timur (Timur-Lang, "Timur the Lame") belonged to the Turkicized Mongol Barlas clan, whose representatives, as the Mongol armies moved westward, settled in the Kashka valley, near Samarkand. Tamerlane was born near Shakhrisabz on April 9, 1336. This place is located on the territory of modern Uzbekistan between the rivers Amu Darya and Syr Darya, and at the time of his birth, these lands belonged to Khan Chagatai, named after the founder of his family, the second son of Genghis Khan.

The European version of Timur's name - "Tamerlane" or "Tamberlane" goes back to the Turkic nickname Timur-i-Lenga, which means "Timur the Lame". Evidence of Timur's lameness was found in 1941 as a result of the opening of his grave by a group of Soviet archaeologists led by Mikhail Gerasimov. Traces of two wounds were found on the femur of Timur's left leg. Causes of Timur's lameness different sources are interpreted differently. According to some sources, he began to limp as a child, when one day he fell off a horse, and the nickname Timur-Khromets stuck to him thanks to his fellow boys. Other authors claim that Tamerlane's lameness was the result of a battle wound he received in 1362. Historians also disagree on which leg Timur limped on. However, most historians claim that the conqueror's sick leg was the left one, which, however, was quite convincingly confirmed by Soviet archaeologists.

In 1346 - 1347. Kazan Khan Chagatai, was defeated by Emir Kazgan and was killed, as a result of which Central Asia ceased to be part of his khanate. After the death of Kazgan (1358), a period of anarchy followed, and the troops of Tughlak-Timur, ruler of the territories beyond the Syr Darya known as Moghulistan, invaded Maverannahr, first in 1360 and then in 1361 in an attempt to seize power.

Timur declared himself a vassal of Tughlak-Timur and became the ruler of the territory from Shakhrisabz to Karshi. Soon, however, he rebelled against the rulers of Moghulistan and formed an alliance with Hussein, the grandson of Kazgan. Together in 1363 they defeated the army of Ilyas-Khoja, the son of Tughlak-Timur. However, around 1370, the allies quarreled and Timur, capturing his colleague, announced his intention to revive the Mongol Empire. Tamerlane became the sole owner of Central Asia, settling in Samarkand and making this city the capital of the new state and his main residence.

Map of the Chagatai Khanate

Empire expansion

The first campaigns of Tamerlane were directed against Khiva and Moghulistan. And after 1381, he turned his attention to the west, starting expeditions to Iran, Iraq, Asia Minor and Syria.

The rulers of the conquered principalities were unable to effectively resist the well-organized army of Timur. Eastern Persia and Khorasan were completely conquered in 1382-1385; Fars, Iraq, Armenia and Azerbaijan fell between 1386 and 1394; Georgia and Mesopotamia came under the control of Tamerlane in 1394.

Being engaged in the conquest of Asia, Timur did not forget about the fight against the Golden Horde and personally with Khan Tokhtamysh. In 1391, pursuing Tokhtamysh, Timur reached southern Russia, where he defeated the Horde Khan. Tokhtamysh's attempt to rectify the situation in 1395 and his invasion of the Caucasus were unsuccessful, and he was finally defeated on the Kura River.

Timur, who had already ravaged Astrakhan and Sarai, was diverted from planning a campaign against Moscow by a powerful Persian uprising, which was subsequently suppressed with cruelty characteristic of Tamerlane. Entire cities were destroyed throughout Persia, the inhabitants were killed, and their skulls were walled up in the walls of the city towers.

Timur defeats the Mamluk sultan of Egypt Sultan Nasir adin Faraj

Tamerlane's Seven Year Campaign

In 1399 Tamerlane invaded India. As a result of the brutal looting of Delhi, 90 elephants were loaded, which carried a variety of goods - from stones for the construction of a mosque in Samarkand to jewelry. The famous Seven-Year Campaign of Tamerlane (1399-1403) started with a trip to India, during which the conqueror got involved in a confrontation with the two most powerful rulers of Western Asia - the Sultan of Turkey and the Sultan of Egypt.

Syria, then part of Egypt, was completely overrun by the spring of 1401. The further path of Tamerlane lay to Baghdad, defended by the troops of Sultan Ahmad, who put up stubborn resistance to the conquerors. Baghdad was taken by a successful assault in June 1401. The massacre arranged by Tamerlane in the captured city was terrible. The heads of the slain townspeople were stacked in 120 towers. Baghdad was completely plundered.

Tamerlane spent the winter of 1401-1402 in Georgia. And already in the spring of 1402 he launched an offensive in Anatolia. In the battle near Ankara on July 20, 1402, Tamerlane defeated the army of his main enemy, the Turkish Sultan Bayezid (Bayazet), capturing him himself.

The inhuman imprisonment of Bayazet in an iron cage intended for wild animals has gone down in history forever. However, some researchers argue that the story with the cage is nothing more than the result of a misinterpretation of the record of the historian Arabshah, which, however, does not in the least detract from the obvious inhuman cruelty of Tamerlane towards the defeated opponents.

Timur ended his Seven Years Campaign by reaching Samarkand in August 1404. However, by the end of the same year, he started an even more grandiose enterprise - a campaign in China, which gained independence from the Mongols only 30 years before. However, his plans to conquer China were not destined to come true - while in Otrar, on the eastern bank of the Syr Darya River (modern South Kazakhstan), Tamerlane fell seriously ill and died on February 18, 1405.

Vasily Vereshchagin. Doors of Timur (Tamerlane). 1872

Tamerlane's legacy

Thanks to his truly outstanding military prowess and incredible strength of personality, bordering on demonism, Tamerlane was able to create an empire stretching from Russia to India and from the Mediterranean to Mongolia.

Unlike the conquests of Genghis Khan, the conquests of Tamerlane were not aimed at opening new markets, reviving trade routes. The goal of all campaigns of the Iron Lame was the total robbery of the vanquished.

Despite the colossal size of the Timurid Empire, it was not destined to exist for a long time, because Tamerlane did not bother to create a coherent structure in the conquered territories. government controlled, he only destroyed the order that existed before, without offering anything in return.

Although Tamerlane aspired to be a good Muslim, he clearly felt no remorse for destroying Muslim cities by massacring their inhabitants. Damascus, Khiva, Baghdad - these ancient centers of Islam forever remembered the cruelty of Timur. The ruthless attitude of the conqueror towards the ancient Muslim centers was probably due to his desire to make his own capital, Samarkand, the main city of Islam.

According to a number contemporary sources, about 19 million people died at the hands of Tamerlane's soldiers. Although the number of victims of the conquests of Lame Timur is probably exaggerated, they clearly run into the millions.

In post-Soviet Uzbekistan, Tamerlane has been made a national hero. However, residents of such Uzbek cities as Khiva are definitely related to this great personality very ambiguous - their genetic memory stores memories of his atrocities.

Tamerlane is one of the most famous conquerors in history. He was born into a military family, a small landowner. His family came from the ancient and powerful Mongolian tribe of the Barlas. The date of his birth in different sources coincides in year and month, but the number is different everywhere. Having come to a common conclusion, historians settled on March 11, 1336.

Tamerlane's hometown was Keshe, which was located in Central Asia. Its immediate surroundings were Turkified by the Mongol tribe. Full name given to Tamerlane at birth was Timur ibn Taragai Barlas. Giving such names was an ancient Arab tradition. Translated from the Mongolian language, the name is listed as "iron" or "iron"

The political activity of Tamerlane is quite similar to the biography of the great historical figure of the commander Genghis Khan. Both were unique individuals, commanders of personally recruited squads of warriors. Tamerlane was well aware of all the details of the organization of military forces. Numerous troops were the backbone of the power of Tamerlane.

After the reign of the great khan, a large number of cultural values ​​of that time remained. He cared about the prosperity of not only the capital of the state, but also of his native city. Conquering a large number of lands, Timur brought in worthy craftsmen, masters of their craft, jewelers, builders and architects from there. With their help, he tried to rebuild and elevate the capital of his khanate, Samarkan.

It is worth noting that in the biography of Tamerlane, there were a very large number of amazing moments. Since his youth, the khan was fond of hunting, equestrian competitions, archery and javelin throwing. His skills served as an example and support for many soldiers in his army. Everyone could envy the restraint and courage of the commander, because the sobriety of his judgments played into the hands of the invaders. Positive character traits helped to surround yourself big amount wise people.

The first information about Timur appeared in 1361 from reliable sources. It was during these years that he began his political activity. Until that time, Timur was not a Chingizid and officially could not bear the title of great khan. He called himself "emir", that is, the leader, the leader. Only in 1370 did the khan intermarry with the Chingizid house and take the new name Timur Gurkan, the latter being listed as "son-in-law". After rapprochement with the khans, he could live in peace and rule in their homes.

It is worth noting that the great khan died at an advanced age. But when his grave was opened, scientists of our time found enough Interesting Facts. Death overtook Tamerlane at the age of 69, but the structure of his remains indicates that he was no more than 50. Appearance conqueror strikes. He was of fine build, tall, and well muscled. A slight dryness of forms indicated a complete absence of obesity, but this is not surprising, because he spent his whole life on campaigns sitting in the saddle.

The most important external difference from other Muslims was the preservation by Tamerlane and his army of the Mongol-kos custom. This can be confirmed by numerous drawings of that time and many manuscripts. Khan had a beard, which, having earned a title, he, according to custom, could not cut it. Some sources indicate that it is possible that the leader dyed his hair with henna to give it a light shade.

Tamerlane's education was commendable. He spoke Persian, Turkic, Arabic and Mongolian. This is confirmed by numerous documents and orders of that time found in excavations. A great confirmation is the stone on which orders were given during the attack on Golden Horde in 1391. This historical value has been preserved to this day, it is located in the Hermitage and is presented in St. Petersburg.

Timur had 18 wives. This was the custom of the time. The most beloved of them was the daughter of Kazan Khan and was the patroness of art and science. It was in honor of her mother that a large madrasah and mausoleum was built in the capital of the country, Samarkand. In addition to a large number of wives, the khan also had 21 concubines, drawn from many countries and tribes. Thanks to his wives, who were the daughters of neighboring khans, Timur gained great power and respect for his person.

Tamerlane's ascent to the throne was long and very thorny. After the overthrow of Khan Kazagan from the throne, his son began to rule the country, who was later killed. The region was engulfed in political anarchy. It was during these years that Timur entered the service of the ruler of Kesh. Later, the khan appointed him the manager of the entire Kesh region and was deposed from his throne. After a while, Khan Hadji returned to his conquered place, and Timur had to flee.

The great ruler suffered a lot of betrayal, dirt, attacks in his life. He was captured more than once, they were going to sell him, despite this, he did not despair. Thanks to all the wounds and physical pain he received in his life, the khan was of a very strong character, prudent and stern. Unfortunately, his actions did not find continuation in his children, grandchildren and followers.

Until today, the personal belongings of the great Khan Tamerlane have been preserved, but scattered throughout the mainland. They are kept in museums of many countries and are a heritage of historical culture. Tamerlane died on February 18, 1405 at the age of 69. His burial ground was opened in June 1941. The Great Khan, the conqueror Timur, was one of the most majestic people who will forever remain in the history of many countries.

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680 years ago, on April 8, 1336, Tamerlane was born. One of the most powerful world rulers, famous conquerors, brilliant commanders and cunning politicians. Tamerlane-Timur created one of the largest empires in the history of mankind. His empire stretched from the Volga River and the Caucasus Mountains in the west to India in the southwest. The center of the empire was in Central Asia, in Samarkand. His name is shrouded in legends, mystical events and still inspires interest.

"Iron Lame" (the right leg was struck in the area of ​​the patella) was an interesting personality, in which cruelty was combined with great intelligence, love of art, literature and history. Timur was a very brave and restrained man. He was a real warrior - strong and physically developed (a real athlete). A sober mind, the ability to make the right decisions in difficult situations, foresight and talent as an organizer allowed him to become one of the greatest rulers of the Middle Ages.

Timur's full name was Timur ibn Taragai Barlas - Timur son of Taragai from Barlas. In the Mongolian tradition Temir means "iron". In medieval Russian chronicles, it was referred to as Temir Aksak (Temir - "iron", Aksak - "lame"), that is, Iron Lame. In different Persian sources the Iranianized nickname Timur-e Liang is often found - "Timur the Lame". It passed into Western languages ​​as Tamerlane.

Tamerlane was born on April 8 (according to other sources - April 9 or March 11) 1336 in the city of Kesh (later called Shakhrisabz - "Green City"). This entire region was called Maverannahr (in translation - “what is beyond the river”) and was located between the Amudarya and Syrdarya rivers. It has been part of the Mongol (Mughal) empire for a century now. The word "Mongols", in the original version "Moguls" comes from the root word "could, can" - "husband, mighty, mighty, powerful." From this root came the word "Moguls" - "great, powerful." The family of Timur was also a representative of the Turkified Mongols-Moguls.

It is worth noting that the then Mongols-Moguls were not Mongoloids, like the modern inhabitants of Mongolia. Tamerlane himself belonged to the so-called South Siberian (Turanian) race, that is, a mixture of Caucasians and Mongoloids. The mixing process then took place in the south of Siberia, in Kazakhstan, Central Asia and Mongolia. Caucasoids (Aryans-Indo-Europeans), who for many millennia inhabited these areas, and gave passionary impetuses to the development of India, China and other regions, mixed with the Mongoloids. They completely dissolve in the Mongoloid and Turkic ethnic arrays (the genes of the Mongoloids are dominant), passing on to them some of their characteristics (including militancy). However, in the XIV century the process was not yet completed. Therefore, Timur had blond (red) hair, a thick red beard, and anthropologically belonged to the South Siberian race.

Timur's father, the petty feudal lord Taragai (Turgai), came from the Barlas tribe, which at one time was among the first, united by Temuchin-Genghis Khan. However, he did not belong to the direct descendants of Temuchin, so later Tamerlane could not claim the khan's throne. The founder of the Barlas clan was considered a large feudal lord Karachar, who at one time was an assistant to the son of Genghis Khan Chagatai. According to other sources, Tamerlane's ancestor was Irdamcha-Barlas - allegedly the nephew of Khabul Khan, the great-grandfather of Genghis Khan.

Little is known about the childhood of the future great conqueror. Timur's childhood and youth were spent in the mountains of Kesh. In his youth, he loved hunting and equestrian competitions, javelin throwing and archery, and had a penchant for war games. There is a legend about how ten-year-old Timur once drove home sheep, and with them managed to drive a hare, not allowing him to fight off the herd. At night, frightened by his too quick son, Taragai cut the tendons on his right leg. Allegedly, then Timur became lame. However, this is only a legend. In fact, Timur was wounded in one of the skirmishes during his turbulent youth. In the same fight, he lost two fingers on his hand, and all his life Tamerlane suffered from severe pain in his crippled leg. Perhaps this could be associated with outbursts of rage. Thus, it is known for sure that the boy and the youth were distinguished by great dexterity and physical strength, and from the age of 12 he took part in military skirmishes.

Start of political activity

The Mongol Empire was no longer a single state, it broke up into destinies-uluses, there were constant internecine wars that did not bypass Maverannahr, which was part of the Chagatai ulus. In 1224, Genghis Khan divided his state into four uluses, according to the number of sons. The second son Chagatai got Central Asia and nearby territories. The ulus of Chagatai covered primarily the former state of the Karakitays and the land of the Naimans, Maverannahr with the south of Khorezm, most of the Semirechye and East Turkestan. Here, since 1346, the power actually belonged not to the Mongol khans, but to the Turkic emirs. The first head of the Turkic emirs, that is, the ruler of the interfluve of the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya, was Kazgan (1346–1358). After his death, serious unrest began in Maverannahr. The Mongol (Mogul) Khan Toglug-Timur invaded the region and captured the region in 1360. Soon after the invasion, his son Ilyas-Khodzhi was appointed governor of Mesopotamia. Part of the Central Asian nobles took refuge in Afghanistan, the other - voluntarily submitted to Toglug.

Among the latter was the leader of one of the detachments - Timur. He began his activity as the ataman of a small detachment (gang, gang), with which he supported one or the other side in civil strife, robbed, attacked small villages. The detachment gradually grew to 300 horsemen, with whom he entered the service of the ruler of Kesh, the head of the Barlas tribe, Haji. Personal courage, generosity, the ability to understand people and choose his assistants, and the pronounced qualities of a leader brought Timur wide popularity, especially among warriors. Later, he received the support of Muslim merchants, who began to see in the former bandit a protector from other gangs and a true Muslim (Timur was religious).

Timur was approved as the commander of the Kashkadarya tumen, the ruler of the Kesh region and one of the assistants to the Mogul prince. However, he soon quarreled with the prince, fled after the Amu Darya to the Badakhshan mountains and joined with his forces the ruler of Balkh and Samarkand, Emir Hussein, the grandson of Kazgan. He strengthened his alliance by marrying the emir's daughter. Timur with his warriors began to raid the lands of Khoja. In one of the fights, Timur was crippled, becoming the "Iron Lame" (Aksak-Timur or Timur-Leng). The fight against Ilyas-Khoja ended in 1364 with the defeat of the latter's troops. The uprising of the inhabitants of Maverannahr, which was dissatisfied with the cruel eradication of Islam by pagan warriors, helped. The Mughals were forced to retreat.

In 1365, the army of Ilyas-Khoja defeated the troops of Timur and Hussein. However, the people revolted again and expelled the Mughals. The uprising was led by the Serbedars (Persian “gallows”, “desperate”), supporters of the dervishes who preached equality. People's rule was established in Samarkand, the property of the rich sections of the population was confiscated. Then the rich turned to Hussein and Timur for help. In the spring of 1366, Timur and Hussein crushed the uprising by executing the Serbedar leaders.

"Great Emir"

Then there was a discord in the relationship between the two leaders. Hussein hatched plans to take the post of supreme emir of the Chagatai ulus, like his grandfather Kazagan, who seized this position by force during the time of Kazan Khan. Timur stood on the way to sole power. In turn, the local clergy took the side of Timur.

In 1366, Tamerlane rebelled against Hussein, in 1368 he made peace with him and again received Kesh. But in 1369 the struggle continued, and thanks to successful military operations, Timur fortified himself in Samarkand. In March 1370, Hussein was taken prisoner in Balkh and killed in the presence of Timur, although without his direct order. Hussein was ordered to be killed by one of the commanders (due to blood feud).

On April 10, Timur took the oath from all the military leaders of Maverannahr. Tamerlane declared that he was going to revive the power of the Mongol Empire, declared himself a descendant of the mythical progenitor of the Mongols, Alan-Koa, although, being a non-Chinghisid, he was content with the title of only "great emir." With him was "zits-khan" - the real Genghisid Suyurgatmysh (1370-1388), and then the son of the latter Mahmud (1388-1402). Both "khans" did not play any political role.

The city of Samarkand became the capital of the new ruler; Timur moved the center of his state here for political reasons, although he initially leaned towards the Shakhrisabz option. According to legend, choosing the city that was to become the new capital, the great emir ordered to slaughter three rams: one in Samarkand, another in Bukhara and the third in Tashkent. Three days later the meat in Tashkent and Bukhara was rotten. Samarkand became "the home of the saints, the birthplace of the purest Sufis and a gathering of scholars." The city has really turned into the largest cultural center of the vast region, the “Shining Star of the East”, the “Precious Pearl”. Here, as well as in Shakhrisabz, the best architects, builders, scientists, writers from all countries and regions conquered by the emir were brought. An inscription was made on the portal of the beautiful Ak-Saray palace in Shakhrisabz: “If you doubt my power, look what I built!” Ak-Saray was built for 24 years, almost until the death of the conqueror. The arch of the entrance portal of Ak-Saray was the largest in Central Asia.

In fact, architecture was the passion of the great statesman and commander. Among the outstanding works of art that were supposed to emphasize the power of the empire, the Bibi Khanum Mosque (aka Bibi-Khanym; built in honor of Tamerlane's wife) has survived to this day and amaze the imagination. The mosque was erected by order of Tamerlane after his victorious campaign in India. It was the largest mosque in Central Asia; 10,000 people could pray in the courtyard of the mosque at the same time. Also worth noting is the Gur-Emir Mausoleum - the family tomb of Timur and the heirs of the empire; the architectural ensemble of Shakhi-Zinda - an ensemble of mausoleums of the Samarkand nobility (all this in Samarkand); mausoleum Dorus-Siadat in Shakhrisabz — memorial Complex first for Prince Jahongir (Timur loved him very much and prepared him as heir to the throne), later he began to act as a family crypt for part of the Timurid dynasty.

Bibi-Khanym Mosque

Mausoleum Gur-Emir

The great commander did not receive school education, but had a good memory, knew several languages. A contemporary and prisoner of Tamerlane, Ibn Arabshah, who knew Tamerlane personally since 1401, reports: "As for Persian, Turkic and Mongolian, he knew them better than anyone else." Timur liked to talk with scientists, especially to listen to the reading of historical works, at court there was even a position of "reader of books"; stories of brave heroes. The great emir showed respect to Muslim theologians and hermit dervishes, did not interfere in the management of the property of the clergy, ruthlessly fought against numerous heresies - he also included philosophy with logic, which he forbade to engage in. The Christians of the captured cities should have rejoiced if they remained alive.

During the reign of Timur, a special cult of the Sufi teacher Ahmed Yasawi was introduced in the territories subordinate to him (primarily Maverannakhr). The commander claimed that he introduced a special worship of this outstanding Sufi, who lived in the XII century, after a vision at his grave in Tashkent, in which the Teacher appeared to Timur. Yasawi allegedly appeared to him and ordered to memorize a poem from his collection, adding: “In difficult times, remember this poem:

You, who at will are free to turn the dark night into day.
You who can turn the whole earth into a fragrant flower garden.
Help me in the difficult task that lies ahead of me and make it easy.
You who make everything difficult easy."

Many years later, when during the fiercest battle with the army Ottoman Sultan Bayezid Tamerlane's cavalry rushed to the attack, he repeated these lines seventy times, and the decisive battle was won.

Timur took care of the observance by his subjects of the prescriptions of religion. In particular, this led to the appearance of a decree on the closure of entertainment establishments in large trading cities, although they brought large income to the treasury. True, the great emir himself did not deny himself pleasures, and only before his death he ordered the destruction of the belongings of feasts. Timur found religious reasons for his campaigns. So, it was necessary to urgently teach heretics a lesson in Shiite Khorasan, then to avenge the Syrians for the insults inflicted on the family of the prophet in their time, then to punish the population of the Caucasus for drinking wine there. Vineyards and fruit trees were destroyed in the occupied lands. Interestingly, later (after the death of the great warrior), the mullahs refused to recognize him as a true Muslim, since he "honored the laws of Genghis Khan above religious ones."

Tamerlane devoted all the 1370s to the fight against the khans of Dzhent and Khorezm, who did not recognize the power of Suyurgatmysh Khan and the great emir Timur. It was restless on the southern and northern borders of the border, where Mogolistan and the White Horde were causing concern. Moghulistan (Mughal ulus) is a state that was formed in the middle of the 14th century on the territory of South-Eastern Kazakhstan (south of Lake Balkhash) and Kyrgyzstan (the coast of Lake Issyk-Kul) as a result of the collapse of the Chagatai ulus. After the capture of Sygnak by Urus Khan and the transfer of the capital of the White Horde to it, the lands subject to Timur were in even greater danger.

Soon the power of Emir Timur was recognized by Balkh and Tashkent, but the Khorezm rulers continued to resist the Chagatai ulus, relying on the support of the rulers of the Golden Horde. In 1371, the ruler of Khorezm attempted to capture southern Khorezm, which was part of the Chagatai ulus. Timur made five trips to Khorezm. The capital of Khorezm, rich and glorious Urgench, fell in 1379. Timur waged a stubborn struggle with the rulers of Mogolistan. From 1371 to 1390, Emir Timur made seven campaigns against Mogolistan. In 1390, the Moghulistan ruler Kamar ad-din was finally defeated, and Mogolistan ceased to threaten the power of Timur.

Further conquests

Having established himself in Maverannahr, the Iron Lame proceeded to large-scale conquests in other parts of Asia. Timur's conquest of Persia in 1381 began with the capture of Herat. The unstable political and economic situation in Persia at the time favored the invader. The revival of the country, which began during the reign of the Ilkhans, again slowed down with the death of the last representative of the Abu Said clan (1335). In the absence of an heir, the throne was occupied in turn by rival dynasties. The situation was aggravated by the clash between the dynasties of the Mongolian Jalayrids, who ruled in Baghdad and Tabriz; the Perso-Arab family of the Muzafarids, who were in power in Fars and Isfahan; Harid Kurtami in Herat. Besides, in internecine war local religious and tribal alliances, such as the Serbedars (who rebelled against the Mongol oppression) in Khorasan and the Afghans in Kerman, and petty princes in the border regions participated. All these warring dynasties and principalities could not jointly and effectively resist Timur's army.

Khorasan and all of Eastern Persia fell under his onslaught in 1381-1385. The conqueror made three large campaigns in the western part of Persia and the regions adjacent to it - a three-year (from 1386), a five-year (from 1392) and a seven-year (from 1399). Fars, Iraq, Azerbaijan and Armenia were conquered in 1386–1387 and 1393–1394; Mesopotamia and Georgia came under the rule of Tamerlane in 1394, although Tiflis (Tbilisi) submitted as early as 1386. Sometimes vassal oaths were taken by local feudal lords, often close military leaders or relatives of the conqueror became the heads of the conquered regions. So, in the 80s, Timur's son Miranshah was appointed ruler of Khorasan (later Transcaucasia was transferred to him, and then the west of his father's power), Fars was ruled for a long time by another son - Omar, and finally, in 1397, Timur was the ruler of Khorasan, Seistan and Mazanderan appointed his youngest son - Shahrukh.

It is not known what prompted Timur to conquer. Many researchers tend to the psychological factor. Like, the emir was driven by irrepressible ambition, as well as mental problems, including those caused by a wound in his leg. Timur suffered from severe pains and they caused outbursts of rage. Timur himself said: "The whole space of the inhabited part of the world is not worth having two kings." In fact, this is a call for globalization, which is also relevant in modern world. Alexander the Great and the rulers of the Roman Empire, Genghis Khan, also acted.

It is worth noting such an objective factor as the need to feed and maintain a large army (its maximum number reached 200 thousand soldiers). In peacetime it was impossible to maintain a large army, tens of thousands of professional soldiers. The war fed itself. The troops ravaged more and more new areas and were pleased with their ruler. A successful war made it possible to channel the energy of the nobility and warriors, to keep them in subjection. As Lev Gumilyov wrote: “Having started the war, Timur had to continue it - the war fed the army. Having stopped, Timur would have been left without an army, and then without a head. The war allowed Timur to obtain great wealth, export the best craftsmen from various countries and equip the heart of his empire. The emir brought to the country not only material booty, but also brought with him prominent scientists, artisans, artists, architects. Timur cared mainly about the prosperity of his native Maverannahr and about the exaltation of the splendor of his capital - Samarkand.

Tamerlane, unlike many other conquerors, did not always strive to create a strong administrative system on the conquered lands. Timur's empire rested solely on military power. Apparently, he chose civilian officials much worse than military leaders. This can be evidenced by at least numerous cases of punishment for extortion of high dignitaries in Samarkand, Herat, Shiraz, Tabriz. As well as uprisings of the local population, caused by the arbitrariness of the administration. In general, the inhabitants of the newly conquered regions of Tamerlane were extremely weakly interested. His armies smashed, crushed, robbed, killed, leaving a bloody trail of tens of thousands of dead people. He sold into slavery the population of entire cities. And then he returned to Samarkand, where he brought the treasures of the whole world, the best masters and played chess.