Timur
Also called: Tamerlane · Topic: Nomadic Empires: The Mongols · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 2 "An Empire Across Three Continents"
Meaning
Timur (Tamerlane) was a Barlas Turk who ruled from 1370 to 1405. He linked himself to the Mongol family line of Chaghatai. He wanted to rule the world, but he did not have Genghis Khanid blood. Because of this he hesitated to call himself king. Instead he ruled as guregen, meaning "royal son-in-law" of the Genghis Khanid family. His case shows how much descent from Genghis Khan mattered for the right to rule, long after the empire broke up.
Example
Babur, who seized Delhi and Agra in 1526 and founded the Mughal empire, was descended from both Timur and Genghis Khan.
Don't confuse with
- Genghis Khan: proclaimed Great Khan at the 1206 quriltai. Timur never took the title Khan and ruled as guregen.
- Shaybani Khan: a real descendant of Jochi, who took Transoxiana in 1500. Timur did not descend from Genghis Khan.