Tamerlane vs Tughril

Tamerlane conquered Khorasan from the Kartids, capturing Herat and establishing his base of power. This victory marked the beginning of his rise as a major military leader in Central Asia.

After a rebellion in Isfahan, Tamerlane ordered a massacre of the city's inhabitants, reportedly building towers of skulls. The sack was part of his campaign to subdue Persia and served as a brutal warning to other cities.

Tamerlane invaded the Delhi Sultanate, defeating Sultan Nasir-ud-Din Mahmud Shah Tughluq at the Battle of Delhi. His army sacked Delhi, massacring tens of thousands of civilians and looting the city's wealth, including the Peacock Throne.

Tamerlane besieged and sacked Damascus, burning the Umayyad Mosque and deporting artisans to Samarkand. The destruction was part of his campaign against the Mamluk Sultanate, which had refused to submit to his authority.

Tamerlane defeated the Ottoman Sultan Bayezid I at the Battle of Ankara, capturing him. The victory shattered Ottoman power and led to a civil war in the Ottoman Empire, delaying their conquest of Constantinople by 50 years.

Tamerlane died of illness while leading a massive army towards the Ming dynasty of China. His death ended the campaign and led to the fragmentation of his empire among his sons and grandsons.

Tughril led the Seljuk Turks to a decisive victory over the Ghaznavid Empire at Dandanaqan in Khorasan. This battle ended Ghaznavid control over the region and established the Seljuk Empire as a major power in Persia and Central Asia.

Tughril launched raids into Byzantine Anatolia, capturing cities such as Erzurum. These campaigns weakened Byzantine control in the east and paved the way for later Seljuk expansion, though they did not result in permanent conquest at this time.

Tughril entered Baghdad at the invitation of the Abbasid caliph Al-Qa'im, who sought protection from the Buyid dynasty. Tughril overthrew the Buyids and was granted the title of Sultan, becoming the de facto ruler of the Islamic world while preserving the caliph as a figurehead.

Tughril married the daughter of the Abbasid caliph Al-Qa'im, solidifying the alliance between the Seljuk sultans and the caliphate. This union legitimized Seljuk rule and established a precedent for future sultan-caliph relations.