Tamerlane or Tamburlaine or Timur was a Tartarchieftain and a King of Samarkland. He was born in 1336 of noble family near Samarkand and died in 1405. In 1358 he began his military career by invading Khorassan. He became a powerful chieftain and in 1369 was crowned king of Samarkand. After being crowned king he embarked upon a series of wars and invasions, reaching the Caspian Sea, subduing most of Persia and routing the Golden Horde. In 1398 he invaded India and sacked Delhi, carrying back to Samarkand enormous booty. He was victorious against the Turks and Egyptians, captured Damascus and Aleppo and defeated and captured Bayazid I in 1402. He died while preparing an invasion of China. Research Tamerlane