Batu’s Iron Fist: The Daily Life of a Warrior of the Great Steppe
Screex Morning in the felt world: rituals and duties The sun had not yet had time to scorch the withered grass, and the camp-smoke was already buzzing like a disturbed beehive.…
Batu — the eldest of the Chingizids
Batu and Guyuk In December 1241, Khan Ugedei died. All power was concentrated in the hands of his wife and regent Doregene (Turakin in Russian sources). Doregene wanted to transfer…
Was Tamerlane a good individual fighter?
"Timur was tall and of good build, as if he belonged to the remnants of the Amalekites ... mighty in strength and courage ... sturdy in body, broad shouldered, with…
Tamerlane’s campaign against the Golden Horde
In 1395-1396. Timur carried out a second invasion of the Horde lands. This time he moved not to the eastern uluses devastated by the previous invasion, but to the rich…
Tamerlane’s art of warfare. Battle of the Kondurcha River
In the last third of the XIV century, Amir Timur, a talented military leader and ruler of Maverannahr (the Arabic name for the Amu Darya and Syr Darya interfluve), stepped…
How was it possible to defeat Mongol horse archers?
Neither Chinese emperors, nor Turkic khans, nor Russian princes, nor Muslim emirs, nor European kings could come up with tactics to defeat the Mongol army. Although, it would seem, their…
Tamerlane’s art of warfare. The Battle of Angora
In the early 15th century, the most powerful ruler of Central Asia was Amir Tamerlane (Timur). Under his rule he was able by that time to unite all the territories…
You can’t enter the same river twice: why did the second Mongol invasion of Hungary fail?
After conquering Russia, Batu was forced to let some of his army go home. A few tumen headed by his personal enemy, Güyük, went to Mongolia. Nevertheless, invasion to Europe…
Why were the Egyptian Mamluks able to defeat the Mongols in field mounted battles?
In the middle of the 13th century, the peak of Mongol strength was reached, and no nation could stand up to the nomads militarily. The Mongol army was better in…
The Battle of the Lamb or the first defeat of the Mongol army in history
“When Mongols have made with Russ what we have described above, and have plundered their grounds, they have withdrawn back and have gone to Bulgarian in 620 ” - so…