Preface
In the 13th century, Timur, a prominent Mongol general, led his army on an expedition to distant Turkey. Timur, a fierce warrior guided by the ideals of Genghis Khan, conquered many lands, but faced an extraordinary challenge in this campaign.
When Timur's army met the Turkish army, he was surprised to find that the enemy had the presence of Mongol cavalry. These were his compatriots, but now they are his enemies. This discovery caused an indescribable sense of anger and betrayal in Timur's heart.
Standing on his horse, Timur angrily rebuked: "You are ashamed of Genghis Khan!"
Why did Timur say this, and what was the outcome of this war?
Young Timur: The Road to Hegemony
Timur, whose real name was Temur, means "blacksmith". He was born in 1336 as the son of a chieftain of a yellow-headed tribe in Central Asia. However, he himself was born with a disabled right leg, which made it impossible for him to mount and shoot arrows like a normal person.
However, this did not dampen his ambitions. The young Timur longed for Genghis Khan's great talent and was determined to make his name resounding in the sky. He took part in various adventurous expeditions and soon made a name for himself with his sharp cunning and brutal methods.
In 1362, the fragmentation of the Mongol Empire provided Timur with the opportunity to fulfill his ambitions. He took advantage of the chaos to occupy Samarkand and establish his own regime. Through a series of political actions and military conquests, he gradually took control of the Transoxiana region and became the de facto hegemon.
At the same time, he used the hearts of the people to incite the ambitions of his subordinates, inspiring them to fight in all directions with great wealth and honor. The soldiers who served under his command regarded conquest as a way to make profits, and were willing to fight to the death.
Timur's ambitions did not end in the middle of the river. He dreamed of building a vast empire across Asia and becoming the reigning ruler of Mongolia. On this road of conquest, he had to face countless internal and external troubles and intrigues. But for him, these are the only ways to achieve his goals.
Tokhtamysh: The Lost Mongol Prince
In the winter of 1375, a distinguished guest came to Timur's tent. He is Tokhtamysh, a descendant of Genghis Khan, and the former king of the White Horde.
However, when he reappeared, it was a defeated warlord. His attempt to seize the throne of the White Horde failed, and he was surrounded and suppressed by the Khan's king Urus, and suffered heavy losses. Penniless, he decided to retreat to the river and asked for the help of his fellow Mongol Timur.
For Timur, this was undoubtedly a rare opportunity. By supporting Tokhtamysh, he was able to not only expand his sphere of influence, but also help the Mongols regain their rivers and mountains. So, without hesitation, he accepted Tokhtamysh and treated him with great courtesy.
Only a year later, with Timur's support, Tokhtamysh defeated Urus and became the new White Horde. However, the good times were short-lived, and he was soon re-seized and had to return to Timur for refuge.
Battle of the White Horde: Liberation
Seeing his godson return again, Timur was furious. He decided to send troops again to seek justice for Tokhtamysh. In the Second Battle of the White Horde, Tokhtamysh once again regained the throne with the support of Timur.
Returning to power, he was ambitious and began a series of wars to expand his territory. Under Timur's guidance, he gradually grew from a barbarian leader who could only fight to a khan king who knew how to govern the country.
As a result, Timur gained a solid alliance and expanded his sphere of influence to a much wider territory. An interdependent relationship has been formed between the two countries.
Thanks to the efforts of the two monarchs, the White Horde gradually regained its former glory. It regained its position as the center of the Northwest Mongols and a force to be reckoned with in Central Asia.
Expedition to the West: Ambition burns in all directions
While propping up the White Horde, Timur also built his empire in all other aspects of the White Horde. From Samarkand as the center, he led his army to conquer a vast area, including Hezhong and Khorezm, and annexed countless cities and tribes.
By 1390, his territory had extended north to the Yuldus River, west to the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea, and south to the Kabul River in central Afghanistan. It can be said that all of Central Asia has been firmly controlled by him.
However, Timur's ambitions continued to swell. Realizing that he needed to open a door to a wider territory, he set his sights on the Ottoman-occupied Anatolia in the west.
On the eve of the decisive battle: assemble the Papal Hill
At the same time, Bayezid, the Sultan of Ottoman Turkey, was at the peak of his country's glory.
With his military prowess and foresight, he led the Ottoman army to conquer vast territories in the Balkans. For a time, the whole of Eastern Europe was overshadowed by Ottoman power.
Such a thriving force posed a great threat to the westward invasion of Timur. The two sides have waged a series of wrestling around the border area. In 1400, the situation finally escalated sharply in the direction of confrontation.
In the early summer of that year, Timur led an army of 140,000 men to raid the eastern Ottoman town of Sivas. The city was directly administered by Bayezet's son and was a strategic point on the eastern front of the Ottoman Empire.
With the fall of Sivas, Bayezid learned of the bad news at the front. He was furious and immediately abandoned his attack on important European locations. He turned his horses and returned to Asia Minor with an army of 1 million, preparing to fight Timur to the death.
The two armies gathered and confronted each other in the area of Mount Pape, on the outskirts of Sivas. A battle over the fate of the two empires is on the verge of breaking out.
In the face of the Turkish dragoons, Timur had the upper hand in his forces. But Bayezid was experienced, and the Ottoman army was very combat-ready. The outcome of this battle is really inseparable.
Moment of truth: Shame on Genghis Khan?
In the Ottoman army, there was a special force that Timur feared - the Mongol cavalry, which consisted of descendants of Genghis Khan.
These people were originally nomadic herders scattered throughout the Ottoman land, but they still retained their nostalgia for their homeland. They were united under the banner of Genghis Khan, and their combat effectiveness should not be underestimated.
Timur saw that his compatriots in his homeland, who should have been the object of his allegiance, but now he became his enemy. He felt both sad and angry. Finally, when the battle reached the white-hot stage, he couldn't help but ask in a loud voice:
"Are you ashamed of Genghis Khan!"
Genghis Khan's name meant strength and glory for the nomads. It awakened a nostalgia for their homeland and a resentment against Ottoman rule.
As a result, they suddenly switched sides on the battlefield. Shouting the slogan "Give me back the rivers and mountains", they rushed up and cut into the Ottoman army.
The Mongol rebellion immediately routed the right flank of the Ottoman army. Bayezid was forced to mobilize central forces to the rescue, which left a gap for Timur to attack.
Timur immediately seized the opportunity and concentrated all his forces on the onslaught of the Ottoman central line. After a climactic wave of attacks, Bayezide's T-line finally collapsed. In the confusion, he himself fell off his horse and became a prisoner of Timur.
In one sentence, change the political situation
The battle for Ankara, on an unprecedented scale, ended in a complete victory for Timur. With a simple question, he managed to take advantage of the defection of the Mongol cavalry and destroy the layout of Bayezid in one fell swoop.
This victory not only gave him complete control of the Anatolian region. More importantly, it shook the foundations of Ottoman domination in Eurasia. The civil strife and scuffle that followed Bayezid's defeat temporarily halted the pace of Ottoman expansion.
And Timur, the overlord of Central Asia, was also inspired by this victory to continue his path of conquest that lasted half a century. Until the cry of "ashamed of Genghis Khan" finally disappeared in the long river of history.