Tamerlane (Timur)

1336–1405 · Turko-Mongol (Kesh, modern-day Uzbekistan) · Medieval Central Asia / Timurid Empire

Known for: Conquered an empire from India to Turkey—history's last great nomadic conqueror, with a body count rivaling Genghis Khan

Tamerlane (Timur the Lame—he walked with a limp from battlefield injuries) built the last great nomadic empire, stretching from Delhi to Damascus. He claimed descent from Genghis Khan and modeled his conquests on the Mongol pattern, but with even greater brutality.

He defeated the Ottoman Sultan Bayezid I at the Battle of Ankara (1402), sacked Delhi (1398), conquered Persia, and planned to invade China before dying en route. His conquests may have killed 17 million people—approximately 5% of the world's population.

Despite the bloodshed, he patronized extraordinary architecture and arts—his capital Samarkand became one of the world's great cities, with mosques, madrasas, and gardens of stunning beauty. He stacked skulls into towers outside conquered cities and built paradise gardens inside them.

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