Turco-Mongol ruler of Samarkand, in Uzbekistan, from 1369 who conquered Persia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia. He defeated the
Golden Horde in 1395, sacked Delhi in 1398, invaded Syria and Anatolia, and captured the Ottoman sultan Bayezid I (
c. 13601403) in Ankara in 1402; he died invading China.
Tamerlane claimed to be a descendant of the Mongol leader Genghis Khan, and was the great-grandfather of Babur (1483-1530), founder of the Mogul Empire of India. His descendants ruled Persia.
© RM 2009. Helicon Publishing is division of RM.