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 by that time his descendants had thoroughly forgotten.

Timur began his struggle for power with a detachment of 313 warriors devoted to him. It was they who formed the backbone of the commanding staff of 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 posts.

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. It 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 forward.

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 trip to the steppes to Lake Balkhash, to the territory of Semirechye in the south of modern Kazakhstan.

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Tamerlan is the stage name of a Ukrainian singer, musician and composer, a member of the pop duo "Tamerlan Alena" and the wife of the second member of the duet, Alena Omargaliyeva.

Childhood and youth

The real name of Tamerlane is Yuri, and the artist keeps his last name a secret. The future singer was born on January 28, 1989 on the Volga, but he spent all his conscious childhood and youth in sunny Odessa, on the Black Sea coast. His grandfather first moved there, who was invited to the post of rector of the Odessa Agricultural Institute, and then Yura's parents.

The singer's father is a professional athlete, master of sports in judo and sambo, boxing master of sports, played on goal for the Rostov hockey team. It is not surprising that his four children (Yuri has a sister and two younger brothers) from an early age, he instilled a love of sports and physical activity. Yura has been professionally engaged in judo for twelve years, became a master of sports, won prizes in prestigious international competitions.

The young man showed great promise, and if it were not for a serious injury that put an end to his sports career, he could have become an outstanding judoka. However, fate decreed in its own way, and forced to be bored without training, Yuri suddenly became interested in rap and RnB music. He began to compose lyrics and overlay them on primitive beats, reciting into a karaoke microphone.

As a child, the young man was fond of history, he was especially impressed by the life path of the legendary commander Tamerlane. Therefore, when the question arose of choosing a creative pseudonym, Yuri had no other options.

Musical career

After graduating from school, the aspiring rapper went to Kyiv, where more possibilities open up like a musician. Acquaintance with the Ukrainian producer Ruslan Minzhinsky was the first serious step in his career.

Ruslan helped in the recording of the debut album and offered to star in the video "Silicone Brains" of the then popular group "XS".

Tamerlane - My name

The song became the hit of the season, and inspired by the success of the young rapper, Minzhinsky decided to create a duo Tamerlan & ROIEL. However, the second performer moved to America and it became inconvenient to work with him. Therefore, Tamerlane was asked to choose a partner for himself. The young man chose the young singer Alena Omargalieva, with whose work he was a little familiar. He found a girl on social networks and offered cooperation.

Alena immediately recognized the charismatic guy from the popular video and accepted his offer. The guys flew to America, where they shot their first joint video for the song "I want with you." The debut was successful, and soon the duet took its rightful place in the Ukrainian show business.

Tamerlane and Alena Omargalieva - I want to be with you.

Alena's father, a prominent Cherkasy official Konstantin Omargaliev, who invested a considerable amount of money, made a great contribution to the promotion of the project. However, according to Konstantin himself, his participation in the fate of the duet was limited to this - in the future, the guys achieved success themselves.

Personal life of Tamerlane

At first, Tamerlane was associated with Alena with a purely working relationship, which gradually developed into a romantic one. For a while they tried not to succumb to emotions, believing that they would harm their creative tandem, but soon it became impossible to deal with feelings. Everything happened, as in their first song "I want with you."

On December 31, 2012, Tamerlan proposed to Alena, and in the summer of 2013, the artists played a luxurious wedding in a country residence near Kiev, and in January of the following year, their baby Timur was born. The couple decided to try the so-called "pair birth": Tamerlane was present at this difficult test and supported Alena to the best of his ability.

Tamerlane now

Together with his beloved Alena, Tamerlan continues to work on new material and perform on stage. In 2017, the TamerlanAlena group began to create in the neo r'n'b genre. In the press, they are often called "the most beautiful couple in Ukrainian show business." In their free time from performances, Tamerlane and Alena enjoy parental responsibilities - Timur grows up as a very smart and musical boy.

One of the most famous personalities in world history is Amir Temur - the great commander and statesman of the Middle Ages. He was called differently - Lame Gurgan, but everywhere the name of this conqueror was pronounced with horror. Amir Temur, the great commander, inspired awe in all peoples. The biography of this ruler and commander will be the subject of our discussion.

Pedigree

First of all, let's find out the genealogy of the great conqueror. Amir Temur's ancestors came from the Mongolian Barlas tribe, which by the time of his birth had largely become Turkic. Its ancestor is considered to be Baralutai, the son of Khachiu.

Let's take a look at interesting facts from the life of Amir Temur.

It is known that even in his youth he was in captivity together with his brother Hussein at one of the Turkmen princelings. They were going to be sold into slavery. Only thanks to the intercession of the brother of this ruler, Temur and Hussein were released.

One of Tamerlane's main hobbies was playing shatranj, which is considered the founder of modern chess.

Characteristic

Of course, it is difficult to give a full description of such a versatile person as Amir Temur was. A short biography does not allow this to be done in full. Nevertheless, we know that Tamerlane was fond of not only war and public affairs, but devoted quite a lot of time to science and art.

Undoubtedly, Amir Temur was one of the brightest personalities of his era. He was a strong-willed and purposeful person who, thanks to incredible charisma and extraordinary intelligence, managed to create the greatest empire.

In 1336 in the village. Khoja-Ilgar near Kesh (the territory of present-day Uzbekistan) in the family of a bek from the Barlas tribe, the son Timur ibn Taragai Barlas was born (he is known in history as Timur Tamerlane). In Mongolian, the name Timur means "iron".

Timur Tamerlane is an emir who is associated with the last conquests of the Mongols in Asia. He led the Mongols and was only an emir, since, not being a descendant of the Chingizid house, he could not be a khan and bear this title. Although in 1370 he became related to this house and became their relative, taking the name Timur Gurgan.

For the first time historical sources mention him since 1361 - this is the year of the beginning of his political career. This year he began to serve with Khan Togluk - a direct descendant of Genghis Khan.

He quickly increased his influence: first he was appointed to the post of adviser to the son of Khan Ilyas - Khoja - the ruler of Maverannehr, then he received the post of governor of the Kashkadarya vilayet (Khan's domain). He always had his own cavalry detachment of 60 people.

After a couple of years, Timur became objectionable to the khan and therefore was forced to flee. Having concluded a military alliance with Emir Hussein, he began to fight against the Mongols.

As a result of these wars, in 1370 he captured Maverannehr and became emirs, having taken an oath. Samarkand, an important center in Asia at that time, became the capital.

Beginning in 1371, Tamerlane's army began to conquer new territories - until 1380, many of the neighboring territories and most of the territory of Afghanistan were captured. Over the next 10 years, Georgia, Armenia, Khorezm were conquered by Tamerlane, and in 1388, the lands from the Pamirs to the Aral Sea were in the possession of Tamerlane.

Starting from 1389, the emir was at war with the Golden Horde. His main opponent was Tokhtamysh (a descendant of Genghis Khan), whom he helped to become Khan of the Golden Horde in 1376.

In 1391, after the defeat of Tokhtamysh's troops, Tamerlane ravaged the capital of the Horde, Sarai-Berke.

In 1394 Tamerlane conquered Persia, in 1398 he sacked Delhi, the capital of India, in 1401 he captured Damascus and conquered Syria, in 1402 Ankara, the capital of the Ottoman Empire.

All his campaigns are divided into three large ones:

• three-year (campaign to Persia);
• five years (war with the Golden Horde);
• seven years (campaign in Iran and the war with the Ottoman Empire).

Tamerlane died in 1405 during a campaign in China. After him, his grandson Khalil-Sultan took over the board.

Tamerlane had 18 wives and four sons.

Timur did not even have a school education, but he knew the Persian language and loved history (they say that with his knowledge in this area, he struck Ibn Khaldun, the most famous Muslim historian).

islam today

The full name of the great conqueror of antiquity, which will be discussed in our article, is Timur ibn Taragay Barlas, but in literature he is often referred to as Tamerlane, or Iron Lame. It should be clarified that he was nicknamed Iron not only for his personal qualities, but also because this is how his name Timur is translated from the Turkic language. Lameness was the result of a wound received in one of the battles. There is reason to believe that this mysterious commander of the past was involved in the great blood shed in the 20th century.

Who is Tamerlane and where is he from?

First, a few words about the childhood of the future great khan. It is known that Timur-Tamerlane was born on April 9, 1336 on the territory of the present Uzbek city of Shakhrisabz, which at that time was a small village called Khoja-Ilgar. His father, a local landowner from the Barlas tribe, Muhammad Taragay, professed Islam, and raised his son in this faith.

Following the customs of those times, from early childhood he taught the boy the basics of military art - horseback riding, archery and javelin throwing. As a result, barely reaching maturity, he was already an experienced warrior. It was then that the future conqueror Tamerlane received invaluable knowledge.

The biography of this person, or rather, that part of it that became the property of history, begins with the fact that in his youth he won the favor of Khan Tuglik, the ruler of the Chagatai ulus, one of the Mongol states, on whose territory the future commander was born.

Appreciating the fighting qualities, as well as the outstanding mind of Timur, he brought him closer to the court, making him the tutor of his son. However, the entourage of the prince, fearing his rise, began to build intrigues against him, and as a result, fearing for his life, the newly-minted teacher was forced to flee.

At the head of a squad of mercenaries

The years of Tamerlane's life coincided with the historical period when it was a continuous theater of military operations. Fragmented into many states, it was constantly torn apart by civil strife of local khans, who were constantly trying to seize neighboring lands. The situation was aggravated by countless bands of robbers - jet, who did not recognize any power and lived exclusively by robberies.

In this situation, the failed teacher Timur-Tamerlane found his true calling. By uniting several dozens of ghulams - professional hired warriors - he created a detachment that surpassed all other surrounding gangs in its fighting qualities and cruelty.

First conquests

Together with his thugs, the newly-born commander made daring raids on cities and villages. It is known that in 1362 he stormed several fortresses belonging to the Sarbadars - participants in the popular movement against Mongol rule. Having captured them, he ordered the surviving defenders to be immured into the walls. This was an act of intimidation for all future opponents, and such cruelty became one of the main features of his character. Very soon, the whole East learned about who Tamerlane was.

It was then that in one of the fights he lost two fingers of his right hand and was seriously wounded in the leg. Its consequences were preserved until the end of his life and served as the basis for the nickname - Timur the Lame. However, it did not prevent him from becoming a figure who played a significant role in the history of not only Central, Western and South Asia, but also the Caucasus and Rus' in the last quarter of the 14th century.

Military talent and extraordinary audacity helped Tamerlane to conquer the entire territory of Ferghana, subjugating Samarkand, and making the city of Ket the capital of the newly formed state. Further, his army rushed to the territory belonging to present-day Afghanistan, and, having ruined it, stormed the ancient capital of Balkh, the emir of which - Hussein - was immediately hanged. His fate was shared by most of the courtiers.

Cruelty as a weapon of intimidation

The next direction of his cavalry strike was the cities of Isfahan and Fars located south of Balkh, where the last representatives of the Persian Muzaffarid dynasty ruled. Isfahan was the first on his way. Having captured it and given it to his mercenaries for plunder, Timur the Lame ordered to lay the heads of the dead in a pyramid, the height of which exceeded the height of a man. This was a continuation of his constant tactics of intimidating opponents.

It is characteristic that the whole subsequent history of Tamerlane, the conqueror and commander, is marked by manifestations of extreme cruelty. In part, it can be explained by the fact that he himself became a hostage to his own politics. Leading a highly professional army, Lame had to regularly pay his mercenaries, otherwise their scimitars would turn against him. This forced them to seek new victories and conquests by any means available.

The beginning of the struggle with the Golden Horde

In the early 80s, the next stage in the ascent of Tamerlane was the conquest of the Golden Horde, or, in other words, the Dzhuchiev ulus. From time immemorial, it was dominated by the Euro-Asian steppe culture with its religion of polytheism, which had nothing to do with Islam, professed by the majority of its warriors. Therefore, the fighting that began in 1383 became a clash not only of opposing armies, but also of two different cultures.

Ordynsky, the one who in 1382 made a campaign against Moscow, wishing to get ahead of his opponent and strike first, undertook a campaign against Kharezm. Having achieved temporary success, he also captured a significant territory of present-day Azerbaijan, but soon his troops were forced to retreat, having suffered significant losses.

In 1385, taking advantage of the fact that Timur and his hordes were in Persia, he tried again, but this time failed. Having learned about the invasion of the Horde, the formidable commander urgently returned his troops to Central Asia and utterly defeated the enemy, forcing Tokhtamysh himself to flee to Western Siberia.

Continuation of the fight against the Tatars

However, the conquest of the Golden Horde has not yet ended. Its final defeat was preceded by five years filled with incessant military campaigns and bloodshed. It is known that in 1389 the Horde Khan even managed to insist that Russian squads support him in the war with the Muslims.

This was facilitated by the death of the Grand Duke of Moscow Dmitry Donskoy, after which his son and heir Vasily was obliged to go to the Horde for a label to reign. Tokhtamysh confirmed his rights, but subject to the participation of Russian troops in repelling the Muslim attack.

Defeat of the Golden Horde

Prince Vasily agreed, but it was only formal. After the defeat perpetrated by Tokhtamysh in Moscow, none of the Russians wanted to shed blood for him. As a result, in the very first battle on the Kondurcha River (a tributary of the Volga), they abandoned the Tatars and, having crossed to the opposite bank, left.

The completion of the conquest of the Golden Horde was the battle on the Terek River, in which the troops of Tokhtamysh and Timur met on April 15, 1395. Iron Lame managed to inflict a crushing defeat on his enemy and thereby put an end to the Tatar raids on the territories under his control.

The threat to Russian lands and the campaign against India

The next blow was prepared by him in the very heart of Rus'. The purpose of the planned campaign was Moscow and Ryazan, who until that time did not know who Tamerlane was, and paid tribute to the Golden Horde. But, fortunately, these plans were not destined to come true. The uprising of the Circassians and Ossetians prevented, which broke out in the rear of Timur's troops and forced the conqueror to turn back. The only victim then was the city of Yelets, which appeared on its way.

Over the next two years, his army made a victorious campaign in India. Having captured Delhi, Timur's soldiers plundered and burned the city, and killed 100 thousand defenders who were captured, fearing a possible rebellion on their part. Having reached the banks of the Ganges and captured several fortified fortresses along the way, the army of many thousands returned to Samarkand with rich booty and a large number of slaves.

New conquests and new blood

Following India, it was the turn of the Ottoman Sultanate to submit to the sword of Tamerlane. In 1402, he defeated the Janissaries of Sultan Bayezid, who had been invincible until then, and captured him himself. As a result, the entire territory of Asia Minor was under his dominion.

The Ionite knights, who for many years held the fortress of the ancient city of Smyrna in their hands, could not resist the troops of Tamerlane. Having repeatedly repulsed the attacks of the Turks before, they surrendered to the mercy of the lame conqueror. When the Venetian and Genoese ships with reinforcements arrived to their aid, the victors threw them from the fortress catapults with the severed heads of the defenders.

The idea that Tamerlane could not implement

The biography of this outstanding commander and evil genius of his era ends with the last ambitious project, which was his campaign against China, which began in 1404. The goal was to capture the Great Silk Road, which made it possible to receive a tax from passing merchants and replenish their already overflowing treasury due to this. But the implementation of the plan was prevented by a sudden death that cut short the life of the commander in February 1405.

The great emir of the Timurid Empire - under this title he entered the history of his people - was buried in the Gur Emir mausoleum in Samarkand. A legend is connected with his burial, passed down from generation to generation. It says that in the event that the sarcophagus of Tamerlane is opened and his ashes are disturbed, then a terrible and bloody war will be the punishment for this.

In June 1941, an expedition of the USSR Academy of Sciences was sent to Samarkand to exhume the remains of the commander and study them. The grave was opened on the night of June 21, and the next day, as you know, the Great Patriotic War began.

Another fact is also interesting. In October 1942, a participant in those events, cameraman Malik Kayumov, meeting with Marshal Zhukov, told him about the fulfilled curse and offered to return the ashes of Tamerlane to their original place. This was done on November 20, 1942, and on the same day a radical change followed during the Battle of Stalingrad.

Skeptics tend to argue that in this case there were only a number of accidents, because the plan of attack on the USSR was developed long before the opening of the tomb by people who, although they knew who Tamerlane was, but, of course, did not take into account the spell that hung over his grave. Without entering into polemics, we will only say that everyone has the right to have their own point of view on this matter.

Conqueror Family

Timur's wives and children are of particular interest to researchers. Like all Eastern rulers, this great conqueror of the past had a huge family. He had 18 official wives alone (not counting concubines), the favorite of whom is considered to be Sarai-mulk xanim. Despite the fact that the lady with such a poetic name was barren, her master entrusted the upbringing of many of his sons and grandchildren. She also went down in history as the patroness of art and science.

It is quite clear that with such a number of wives and concubines, there was also no shortage of children. Nevertheless, only four of his sons took the places befitting such a high birth, and became rulers in the empire created by their father. In their face, the story of Tamerlane found its continuation.