page_title: Timurid conquests and invasions
section_title: Eastern Europe
hierarchical_section_title: Timurid conquests and invasions / Eastern Europe
caption_attribution_description: English: The campaign of Timur across the steppes in the hunt for Tokhtamish in 1391-1392. Nederlands: De campagne van Timoer over de steppes in achtervolging van Tochtamysj in 1391-1392.
context_page_description: Timurid conquests and invasions started in the eighth decade of the 14th century with Timur's control over Chagatai Khanate and ended at the start of the 15th century with the death of Timur. Due to the sheer scale of Timur's wars, and the fact that he was generally undefeated in battle, he has been regarded as one of the most successful military commanders of all time. These wars resulted in the supremacy of Timur over Central Asia, Persia, the Caucasus and the Levant, and parts of South Asia and Eastern Europe, and also the formation of the short-lived Timurid Empire. Scholars estimate that his military campaigns caused the deaths of 17 million people, amounting to about 5% of the world population at the time.
  Timur gained power over the Western Chagatai Khanate after defeating Amir Husayn, the regent of the Chagatai Khanate, at the Battle of Balkh but the laws laid down by Genghis Khan prevented him from becoming Khagan in his own right because he was not directly descendant of Genghis Khan by birth. Instead, he installed a puppet Khan descended from Ögedei, Suurgatmish.
context_section_description: Golden Horde was a division of Mongol Empire which was mainly dominated on the Eastern Europe. After the death of Jochi, the eldest son of Ghenghis Khan and emperor of Golden Horde, the Golden Horde itself divided into many wings with mainly White and Blue wings among Jochi's descendants. In the late 1370s and early 1380s, Timur firstly helped Tokhtamysh against his uncle Urus Khan to assume supreme power in the White wing and then in the unification of Golden Horde. Timur also supported him to attack Grand Duchy of Moscow in 1382 and get tribute from the Muscovy.
  After being established, Tokhtamysh invaded the Azerbaijan and Northwest Iran in 1385 when Timur was busy in his conquest of Persia. Tokhtamysh plundered the Tabriz and could retire a rich booty. The inevitable response by Timur resulted in the major-scale war between them. The initial battle was fought between them at Volga River in 1391 which became victorious for Timur and allowed Tokhtamysh with his remaining army to escape. Despite the defeat, Tokhtamysh recovered his position and in the spring of 1395 raided the Timurid territory of Shirvan.
  At that time Timur then counter-attacked by not only reconquering his own territories but also the realm of enemy via the crossing Caucasus region. In 1395, Timur defeated Tokhtamysh in the Battle of the Terek River and concluding the struggle between them. In the same year, Timur also plundered Sarai, the capital of Golden Horde and other important cities including  Ukek, Majar, Azaq and Astrakhan. After the battle of Terek River, Tokhtamysh was deposed and fleeing to the Ukrainian steppes where he asking for help from Grand Duke Vytautas of Lithuania but he never restored again.
  Timur installed Edigu on the throne under his suzerainty in place of Tokhtamysh, Golden Horde became tributary of Timur and the boundaries of Timurid Empire were secured. The Golden Horde never recovered again from this and in the middle of the 15th century, it fragmented into smaller khanates: the Kazan Khanate, Nogai Horde, Qasim Khanate, Crimean Khanate and Astrakhan Khanate. This led the decline of Tatar-Mongol rule over Russian lands and thus in 1480, Grand ducky of Moscow became free to pay tribute to Tatar-Mongols.
caption: Timur's movements, 1391–1392
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