Timur was born on 8 April 1336 in Shahrisabz. A Turco-Mongol conqueror from Transoxiana, Timur rose to power in Central Asia in the 1360s and built an empire with its capital at Samarkand. His armies campaigned across Persia, the Caucasus, Iraq, Syria and northern India, sacking cities such as Delhi and Damascus, and in 1402 he defeated the Ottoman sultan Bayezid I at the Battle of Ankara. His conquests brought great destruction and loss of life, but he also gathered artisans and scholars to adorn his capital with monumental buildings. He died on the way to invade Ming China. His empire broke apart soon afterward, though the Timurid dynasty kept a cultural flowering in Persia and Central Asia.
Before and after
- 1334Construction of Sheikh Safi al-Din Khānegāh and Shrine Ensemble
- 1335Origins of Visoki Dečani
- from 1336 to 1646Vijayanagara Empire
- from 1336 to 1573Muromachi period
- 8 April 1336Birth of Timur
- 1337Construction of Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius
- from 24 May 1337 to 9 October 1453Hundred Years' War
- from March 1338 to October 1339English Channel naval campaign, 1338-1339
- 1340Construction of Doge's Palace
More in Art, literature & culture
- from 8th century to 13th centuryHouse of Wisdom
- 803 CELeshan Giant Buddha
- 12th centuryPublication of Primary Chronicle
- from 5 November 1414 to 22 April 1418Council of Constance
- 15 April 1452Birth of Leonardo da Vinci
- c. 1485Painting of The Birth of Venus
The era
This moment belongs to the Medieval world (500 CE to 1500 CE), kingdoms, faiths and trade routes. You can also browse everything in the 14th century.