The Timurid Empire, a powerful empire founded by the Mongol aristocracy, conquered the surrounding countries of Central Asia and competed fiercely with the Ottoman Empire in an attempt to restore the glory of the Mongol Empire. It is worth mentioning that the Central Asian hegemon and the old neighbor of the Ming Dynasty, far to the east, seem to have taken exactly the same script. Timur, like Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, died first and had to appoint his grandson as the heir; After his death, another battle for the throne broke out. In the end, the fourth child ascended the throne and maintained the glory of the empire for half a century. It's a pity that although the Timurid Empire took a similar script, its fate was very different after all. In just 137 years, the powerful country that had swept through Central Asia collapsed due to civil strife and was replaced by the Uzbeks. What is the reason for the fate of this Central Asian hegemon? Let's find out.
The Gathering of Storms: The Miracle of Timur's Founding
Born into a nomadic Mongolian tribe, Timur grew up living on the steppes and was subjected to the harsh natural environment. He was gifted and courageous, and was never afraid of all difficulties and obstacles. In his early years, Timur served in the then Eastern Chagatai Khanate, where he was subservient and bullied. It wasn't until later that he and his half-brother Mirihusin rebelled, supported the puppets to take power, and took control of the Transoxiana region.
This move allowed Timur to meet a royal princess of Genghis Khan's blood, marry her, and lay the foundation of legitimacy for the future establishment of power. Timur had great ambitions, and after occupying the river, he secretly accumulated strength and continued to expand his territory. In 1370, he killed his allies, Mirikhusin, and took sole power, with Barrick as his capital, and established the Timurid Empire.
From then on, Timur embarked on a path of conquest to revive the Mongol Empire. He successively defeated the Zarayil dynasty that occupied Baghdad, the Black Sheep Turkic Alliance, Azerbaijan and other powerful enemies, and expanded his territory to the vast Central Asian region. At that time, the only thing that could compete with the Timurid Empire was the Ottoman Empire, which was in full swing.
In 1402, when the Ming Dynasty's Battle of Jingjing was coming to an end, Timur personally led a large army on an expedition to Ankara, and a major war broke out with the Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans were negligent and suffered heavy losses, with Emperor Bayedid I being captured and many of their princes killed or fleeing, plunging the Ottoman Empire into a decade of civil strife.
This campaign made the Timurid Empire a torch, and successively conquered the Eastern Chagatai Khanate, the Kurt Kingdom, the Sarbadar regime, the Golden Horde, the Mufazar dynasty, the Delhi Sultanate, the Mamluk regime, the Kingdom of Georgia and other powerful countries, becoming an invincible empire across Central and West Asia.
Seeing that the Ming Dynasty was brewing a rebellion to cut the feudal domain, Timur intended to take advantage of the situation, stop paying tribute to the Ming Dynasty, and personally deploy the army to the east. He planned to send an advance of 200,000 troops, and his relatives led 450,000 elite main forces, stationed in Tuntian along the way, and transferred troops from afar year by year. All the preparations are in place, and you can't wait.
Sweep away the terrorists on the Ottoman frontier
The confrontation between the Timurid Empire and the Ottoman Empire can be described as the ultimate decisive battle between the two great powers of Central Asia and West Asia at that time. The Ottoman Empire has played a pivotal role in Eurasia since the 14th century, expanding its territory and burning wars, becoming a terrorist throughout the Mediterranean.
Although the Ottomans claimed to be orthodox Muslim disciples following the Prophet, they followed extremist teachings and acted in a brutal and violent manner, killing and plundering everywhere. They were even more ruthless with the infidels, with countless civilians being abused, towns and towns looted, and churches and monasteries not spared.
In Europe, the Ottoman Empire conquered the territory of the Byzantine Empire several times, leading to the decline of this ancient civilization. The Orthodox Church has called on the Catholic Church several times to join forces against this evil force, but the two sides have become enemies due to conflicts of interest and have not been able to form a joint force.
The Ottoman army, which had been fighting in Central and West Asia for many years, was so murderous that Timur could not bear it. After years of conquest, the Timurid Empire had become a de facto hegemon in Central Asia, and the Ottoman Empire had been peering into the fertile lands and resources of Central Asia. It was only a matter of time before the two forces confronted each other.
In 1402, Timur gathered an elite army of 200,000 to conquer the Ottomans, and the two sides encountered a battle in the Ankara region. The Ottomans simply ignored Timur's strength and underestimated the opponent's combat effectiveness before the battle, so they retreated in fierce battles and their morale collapsed.
The Ottoman Emperor Bayedid I was killed, and the surviving princes were either dead or fled, leaving the empire uncontrolled for a while. In the years that followed, a decade-long civil war broke out between the sons of Bayagid I for the throne, leaving the Ottoman territory in chaos.
During this period, the Timurid Empire sat back and enjoyed its own profits, and successively conquered the Kingdom of Georgia and other lands that belonged to the Ottoman sphere of influence. The Ottoman Empire was in a state of collapse and could no longer pose a real threat to the Timurid Empire.
This decisive battle not only established the supreme dominance of the Timurid Empire in Central Asia, but also defeated the Ottoman terror that had long threatened Eurasia. From then on, the vast area from the Mediterranean Sea to the Caspian Sea was included in the territory of the Timurid Empire, which could really be said to have swept all directions and swept away all rivals.
Troubles in the Empire: The royal family is in turmoil
Although the Timurid Empire had many miraculous achievements in foreign conquests, it hid the source of instability at home. Timur was dying of old age in his old age, and his eldest son, who was originally the most beloved, had to be replaced by his grandson Khalil as the prince.
In 1405, Timur died of illness while leading his army to the east, which immediately sparked a battle for the throne. During his lifetime, Timur divided his sons into commanders of the armies in various places, the second son, Umar Shah, controlled the military power in the west, and the third son, Miranshah, commanded the armies of the North Caucasus and Baghdad. Under the noses of the ministers of the court, the two ambitious princes immediately couldn't hold back and eyed their grandson, Prince Khalil.
Soon after, Miransha led his cronies to besiege the capital Samana, beating Khalil's concubines and cronies and driving them out of the palace. Khalil had no choice but to ask for help. At this time, Umar Shah also drove his troops and occupied several southern provinces. The empire was suddenly divided into a three-legged situation.
Seeing that the opportunity could not be missed, Timur IV's grandson Bo Luo Khan entered the capital and declared himself the new prince. As a result, the clan contradictions were completely ignited, and the empire was divided from the center to the frontier. It was not until 1409 that Balo Khan finally won, ascended the throne as emperor, and ordered Khalil to be executed, ending the four-year struggle for supremacy.
However, the Khan did not have the ability to quell the internal strife of the dynasty, and some of the royal family and nobles were still dissatisfied with him. In 1446, after Sharukhmirza succeeded to the throne, the division of the royal family reached its peak. At this time, there were three powerful forces vying for the throne, all of whom claimed to be the rightful heirs.
One is the royal division of Sharukhmirza in the Samana region, which is the strongest; The second is the army of Abu Sa'id Mirza in the area of Damascua, which has a good number of troops; The third is Mohammed Juji's forces in western Iran. The three armies are facing each other, and a civil war may break out at any time.
In the end, Sharukhmirza won, but the throne changed several times over the next decade. In 1457, Abu Saïd Mirza, who succeeded to the throne, brutally slaughtered a large number of princes and princes in order to strengthen his foundation, causing great public resentment.
After that, Muhammad Juji and Sultan Hussein Mirza also succeeded to the throne, and they also killed their relatives and killed them on a large scale, plunging the Timurid Empire into endless civil strife and turmoil. The vicious circle of power struggles doomed the former power to its demise and became the catalyst for its eventual demise.
Family conflicts exacerbate divisions
Imperial infighting did not stop at fighting between those in power, but also turned into a full-blown intra-clan war. Decades of throne change of hands and brutal repression have led to the princes turning against each other.
The first to rebel were the Miransha family, who had played an important role since the time of Timur. They long controlled a powerful army of cronies and were an important pillar of the Timurid Empire. However, in the face of the suspicion and suppression of the rulers of the new dynasty, the descendants of Milansha could not bear it anymore and decided to start anew.
In 1469, Muhammad Mirza led the Miransha family to rebel against Sharukhmirza, and soon captured Samarkand and other important towns. Subsequently, they seized several cities in the central part of the empire.
In order to suppress this unrest, Abu Sa'id personally commanded the western expedition, and the killers were killed, and the blood flowed like a river. At the same time, however, another rebel army rose up in the eastern Kabul area. The army was led by Shahbok Khan's confidant, Karakuyunus Khan, who was once a prominent retainer of the empire.
Two anti-king divisions rose up one after another, leaving Abu Sa'id besieged and retreating. Eventually, the Milansha family occupied large swaths of northern Persia, while Karakuyunus Khan controlled vast areas of the east, and the Timurid Empire was virtually extinct.
And just as the empire was falling apart, the Uzbeks, a nomadic people, came uninvited and invaded the border areas. They first swept through Herat, the stronghold of the Miransha family, and then made their way to the Heilongjiang River, establishing a permanent residence in Siharia.
In the face of internal and external troubles, the new dynasty was powerless. In particular, the powerful offensive of the Uzbeks made the hinterland of the empire cease to exist. Nobles from all over the country betrayed the imperial court and took the opportunity to divide one side and seek personal gain. Soon, even the once impregnable capital of Samarkand fell.
The last ruler of the Timurid Empire, Sultan Hussein Mirza, fled to Maha and could only barely control a corner of Damascug and Kandahar. The Uzbek Khan continued to advance until he captured Maha and Herat, and Sultan Hussein completely lost his land and army.
In 1506, the last Timurid monarch was killed, declaring the complete ruin of the former power for 137 years. The struggle for power and family strife doomed the Timurid Empire to ruin, and the great cause came to naught. What was left for future generations was only the feather-like royal family and the remnants who fled without a trace.
Causes of Destruction: Incompetent Rule and Foreign Invasion
The Timurid Empire from glory to decline is a vivid historical portrayal. Why was this power, which had swept through Central Asia, dismembered and destroyed after just 137 years? The root cause of this is certainly the internal strife and family strife of the royal family, but the deeper cause lies in the double attack of incompetent rulers and foreign invasions.
Although Timur himself was a generation of heroes, his descendants were generally incompetent. For most of the years, the successor was rich and noble, arrogant and lascivious, and lost his ambition and enterprising spirit to expand the territory. They were immersed in the corrupt life of the court and were indifferent to the affairs of the state.
Especially in the face of internal and external troubles, these Timurid monarchs showed an extremely incompetent side. Faced with the land torn apart, they are helpless, and only know how to kill each other to take the throne; In the face of the invasion of the Uzbeks, they had no way to deal with it.
On the other hand, the Uzbeks, as an emerging nomadic power, eyed the heartland of the Timurid Empire. They mastered a powerful cavalry force, fought bravely and fiercely, and attacked with ferocious and ruthless means.
The Uzbek khans first occupied Herat and other important towns, and then went straight to the Heilongjiang region, gradually taking root in the Western Haria region. They struck at the heart of the Timurid Empire, destroying the economic lifeblood and sending the ruling class into a panic.
In the end, the Uzbek Khan Shayban gradually occupied Maha, Samarkand, Herat and other important towns, almost swallowing up the entire Central Asian region. The brutal invasion of this new nomadic tribe doomed the Timurid Empire.
In addition to the Uzbeks, the Sefi dynasty in Persia was also a fierce rival of the Timurid Empire. In the mid-15th century, after years of conquest, the Sefi dynasty gradually emerged and established Shia rule. They pursued a strategy of gradual expansion of the Timurid dynasty, and as soon as they were weakened, they immediately sent troops to attack cities and seize land.
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In the last decades, the Sefi dynasty became the last straw that crushed the Timurid Empire. They seized large tracts of Timurid territory and reduced the latter's dominance to a minimum. It can be said that the Timurid Empire finally collapsed under the double blow of foreign invasion and internal incompetent rule.