In 1403, Timur invaded China through Moghulistan allied with northern Yuan under Bunyashiri( who converted to islam as an appeasement to the Emir). Yongle being busy in Jingnan civil war was unable to react in time. In the battle of UngleJian* Timur defeated a large Ming force under Yongle, with much causalties and losing his descendants pir Muhammad jahangir, Rustam and Pir muhammad Bin Umar Sheikh. He rapidly advanced through North China and besieged Lanzhou, only falling back after Oirat rebellion broke out. Though this rebellion was soundly defeated by Sultan Muhammad, he couldn’t advance into China any further. The Ming were defeated but not destroyed as they would continue to hang on and influence various polities around them.
Immediately after his death in 1405, his grandson Muhammad sultan and son Shahrukh Mirza were locked in a conflict cover succession which was solved by intervention of Golden horde, a Timurid vassal whose Khan Makmut( a descent of Batu) was instilled by Timur himself in 1380s. This resulted in the split of empire into 2 entities one comprising most of transoxiana and Mongolia and the other mostly Persian lands( Muhammad sultan gaining the former and Shahrukh Mirza the latter).
So many argue that this campaign changed so little ( apart from beginning of islamisation Mongolia proper) and in turn weakened the empire so much that the central Asian successor state became a vassal of its former vassal, the golden horde in the course of next centuries😅
Perhaps if Timur went west instead of butting heads with China, his empire could have avoided the gradual disintegration it went through and change history of Middle east to a greater extent?
*OTL Dongle
Immediately after his death in 1405, his grandson Muhammad sultan and son Shahrukh Mirza were locked in a conflict cover succession which was solved by intervention of Golden horde, a Timurid vassal whose Khan Makmut( a descent of Batu) was instilled by Timur himself in 1380s. This resulted in the split of empire into 2 entities one comprising most of transoxiana and Mongolia and the other mostly Persian lands( Muhammad sultan gaining the former and Shahrukh Mirza the latter).
So many argue that this campaign changed so little ( apart from beginning of islamisation Mongolia proper) and in turn weakened the empire so much that the central Asian successor state became a vassal of its former vassal, the golden horde in the course of next centuries😅
Perhaps if Timur went west instead of butting heads with China, his empire could have avoided the gradual disintegration it went through and change history of Middle east to a greater extent?
*OTL Dongle
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