Biography of Tamerlane, 14th Conqueror of Asia

Biography of Tamerlane, 14th Conqueror of Asia Tamerlane (April 8, 1336–February 18, 1405) was the ferocious and terrifying founder of the Timurid empire of Central Asia, eventually ruling much of Europe and Asia. Throughout history, few names have inspired such terror as his. Tamerlane was not the conquerors actual name, though. More properly, he is known as Timur, from the Turkic word for iron. Fast Facts: Tamerlane or Timur Known For: Founder of the Timurid Empire (1370–1405), ruled from Russia to India, and from the Mediterranean Sea to Mongolia.Birth: April 8, 1336 in Kesh, Transoxiana (present-day Uzbekistan)Parents: Taraghai Bahdur and Tegina BegimDied: February 18, 1405 at Otrar, in KazakhstanSpouse(s): Aljai Turkanaga (m. about 1356, d. 1370), Saray Mulk (m. 1370), dozens of other wives and concubinesChildren: Timur had dozens of children, those who ruled his empire after his death include Pir Muhammad Jahangir (1374–1407, ruled 1405–1407), Shahrukh Mirza (1377–1447, r. 1407–1447), and Ulegh Beg (1393–1449, r. 1447–1449). Amir Timur is remembered as a vicious conqueror, who razed ancient cities to the ground and put entire populations to the sword. On the other hand, he is also known as a great patron of the arts, literature, and architecture. One of his signature achievements is his capital in the city of Samarkand, located in modern-day Uzbekistan. A complicated man, Timur continues to fascinate us some six centuries after his death. Early Life Timur was born on April 8, 1336, near the city of Kesh (now called Shahrisabz), about 50 miles south of the oasis of Samarkand, in Transoxiana.  The childs father Taraghai Bahdur was the chief of the Barlas tribe; Timurs mother was Tegina Begim. The Barlas were of mixed Mongolian and Turkic ancestry, descended from the hordes of Genghis Khan and the earlier inhabitants of Transoxiana. Unlike their nomadic ancestors, the Barlas were settled agriculturalists and traders. Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Arabshahs 14th-century biography, Tamerlane or Timur: The Great Amir, states that Timur was descended from Genghis Khan on his mothers side; it is not entirely clear whether that is true. Many of the details of Tamerlanes early life are from a spate of manuscripts, dozens of heroic tales written from the early 18th through 20th centuries, and stored in archives across Central Asia, Russia, and Europe. In his book The Legendary Biographies of Tamerlane, historian Ron Sela has argued that they were based on ancient manuscripts but serve as a manifest against the corruption of rulers and officials, a call to respect Islamic traditions, and an attempt to situate Central Asia within a greater geopolitical and religious sphere.   The tales are full of adventures and mysterious happenings and prophecies. According to those tales, Timur raised in the city of Bukhara, where he met and married his first wife Aljai Turkanaga. She died about 1370, after which he married several of the daughters of Amir Husayn Qara’unas, a rival leader, including Saray Mulk.  Timur eventually collected dozens of women as wives and concubines as he conquered their fathers or erstwhile husbands lands. Disputed Causes of Timurs Lameness The European versions of Timurs name- Tamerlane or Tamberlane- are based on the Turkic nickname Timur-i-leng, meaning Timur the Lame.  Timurs body was exhumed by a Russian team led by archaeologist Mikhail Gerasimov in 1941, and they found evidence of two healed wounds on Timurs right leg. His right hand was also missing two fingers. The anti-Timurid author Arabshah says that Timur was shot with an arrow while stealing sheep. More likely, he was wounded in 1363 or 1364 while fighting as a mercenary for Sistan (southeastern Persia) as stated by contemporary chroniclers Ruy Clavijo and Sharaf al-Din Ali Yazdi. Transoxianas Political Situation During Timurs youth, Transoxiana was riven by conflict between the local nomadic clans and the sedentary Chagatay Mongol khans who ruled them. The Chagatay had abandoned the mobile ways of Genghis Khan and their other ancestors  and taxed the people heavily in order to support their urban lifestyle. Naturally, this taxation angered their citizens. In 1347, a local named Kazgan seized power from the Chagatai ruler Borolday. Kazgan would rule until his assassination in 1358. After Kazgans death, various warlords and religious leaders vied for power. Tughluk Timur, a Mongol warlord, emerged victorious in 1360. Young Timur Gains and Loses Power Timurs uncle Hajji Beg led the Barlas at this time  but refused to submit to Tughluk Timur. The Hajji fled, and the new Mongol ruler decided to install the seemingly more pliable young Timur to rule in his stead. In fact, Timur was already plotting against the Mongols. He formed an alliance with the grandson of Kazgan, Amir Hussein, and married Husseins sister Aljai Turkanaga. The Mongols soon caught on; Timur and Hussein were dethroned and forced to turn to banditry in order to survive. In 1362, the legend says, Timurs following was reduced to two: Aljai and one other. They were even imprisoned in Persia for two months. Timurs Conquests Begin Timurs bravery and tactical skill made him a successful mercenary soldier in Persia, and he soon collected a large following. In 1364, Timur and Hussein banded together again and defeated Ilyas Khoja, the son of Tughluk Timur. By 1366, the two warlords controlled Transoxiana. Timurs first wife died in 1370, freeing him to attack his erstwhile ally Hussein. Hussein was besieged and killed at Balkh, and Timur declared himself the sovereign of the whole region. Timur was not directly descended from Genghis Khan on his fathers side, so he ruled as an amir  (from the Arabic word for prince), rather than as khan.  Over the next decade, Timur seized the rest of Central Asia as well. Timurs Empire Expands With Central Asia in hand, Timur invaded Russia in 1380. He helped the Mongol Khan Toktamysh retake control and also defeated the Lithuanians in battle. Timur captured Herat (now in Afghanistan) in 1383, the opening salvo against Persia. By 1385, all of Persia was his.   With invasions in 1391 and 1395, Timur fought against his former protege in Russia, Toktamysh. The Timurid army captured Moscow in 1395.  While Timur was busy in the north, Persia revolted. He responded by leveling entire cities  and using the citizens skulls to build grisly towers and pyramids. By 1396, Timur had also conquered Iraq, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Mesopotamia, and Georgia. Conquest of India, Syria, and Turkey Timurs army of 90,000 crossed the Indus River in September  1398 and set upon India. The country had fallen to pieces after the death of Sultan Firuz Shah Tughluq (r. 1351–1388) of the Delhi Sultanate, and by this time Bengal, Kashmir, and the Deccan each had separate rulers. The Turkic/Mongol invaders left carnage along their path; Delhis army was destroyed in December and the city was ruined. Timur seized tons of treasure and 90 war elephants  and took them back to Samarkand. Timur looked west in 1399, retaking Azerbaijan and conquering Syria. Baghdad was destroyed in 1401 and 20,000 of its people were slaughtered. In July 1402, Timur captured early Ottoman Turkey and received the submission of Egypt. Final Campaign and Death The rulers of Europe were glad that the Ottoman Turk sultan Bayazid had been defeated, but they trembled at the idea that Tamerlane was at their doorstep. The rulers of Spain, France, and other powers sent congratulatory embassies to Timur, hoping to stave off an attack. Timur had bigger goals, though. He decided in 1404 that he would conquer Ming China. (The ethnic-Han Ming Dynasty had overthrown his cousins, the Yuan, in 1368.) Unfortunately for him, however, the Timurid army set out in December during an unusually cold winter. Men and horses died of exposure, and the 68-year-old Timur fell ill. He died on February 17, 1405 at Otrar, in Kazakhstan. Legacy Timur started life as the son of a minor chieftain, much like his putative ancestor Genghis Khan. Through sheer intelligence, military skill, and force of personality, Timur was able to conquer an empire stretching from Russia to India and from the Mediterranean Sea to Mongolia. Unlike Genghis Khan, however, Timur conquered not to open trade routes and protect his flanks, but to loot and pillage. The Timurid Empire did not long survive its founder  because he rarely bothered to put any governmental structure in place after he destroyed the existing order. While Timur professed to be a good Muslim, he obviously felt no compunction about destroying the jewel-cities of Islam and slaughtering their inhabitants. Damascus, Khiva, Baghdad...these ancient capitals of Islamic learning never really recovered from Timurs attentions. His intent seems to have been to make his capital at Samarkand the first city in the Islamic world. Contemporary sources say that Timurs forces killed about 19 million people during their conquests. That number is probably exaggerated, but Timur does seem to have enjoyed massacre for its own sake. Timurs Descendants Despite a death-bed warning from the conqueror, his dozens of sons and grandsons immediately began to fight over the throne when he passed away. The most successful Timurid ruler, Timurs grandson Ulegh Beg (1393–1449, ruled 1447–1449), gained fame as an astronomer and scholar. Ulegh was not a good administrator, however, and was murdered by his own son in 1449. Timurs line had better luck in India, where his great-great-grandson Babur founded the Mughal Dynasty in 1526. The Mughals ruled until 1857 when the British expelled them. (Shah Jahan, the builder of the Taj Mahal, is thus also a descendant of Timur.) Timurs Reputation Timur was lionized in the west for his defeat of the Ottoman Turks. Christopher Marlowes Tamburlaine the Great and Edgar Allen Poes Tamerlane are good examples. Not surprisingly, the people of Turkey, Iran, and the Middle East remember him rather less favorably. In post-Soviet Uzbekistan, Timur has been made into a national folk hero. The people of Uzbek cities like Khiva, however, are skeptical; they remember that he razed their city and killed nearly every inhabitant. Sources Gonzlez de Clavijo, Ruy. Narrative of the Embassy of Ruy Gonzalez De Clavijo to the Court of Timour, at Samarcand, A.D. 1403–1406. Trans. Markham, Clements R. London: The Hakluyt Society, 1859.Marozzi, Justin. Tamerlane: Sword of Islam, Conqueror of the World. New York: HarperCollins, 2006.Sela, Ron. The Legendary Biographies of Tamerlane: Islam and Heroic Apocrypha in Central Asia. Trans. Markham, Clements R.  Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011.  Saunders, J. J. History of the Mongol Conquests. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1971.

5 Ways to Be Happier at Work in the New Year

5 Ways to Be Happier at Work in the New Year Can’t settle on a resolution this year? Make 2017 the year you focus on your career. We all spend most of our time, whether we like it or not, at work. We might as well enjoy it. Here are 5 little things you can do to be happier and more successful on the job. 1. Be the early birdTry getting up a little earlier. Even 15 minutes can make a huge difference. Studies show people who wake up early are generally happier. Set your alarm just a tad bit earlier to give yourself a couple extra minutes, and you’ll be amazed at how easily you get ahead when you’re not always racing to catch up.2. Set boundariesYou make a point of pitching in when you’re really needed, and you would expect your coworkers to do the same for you. But sometimes you can get away with saying â€Å"no.† Taking a little extra time for your projects and priorities will make a big difference in how quickly you get through your to-do list.3. Open upOnce you learn how to say â€Å"no,â₠¬  try saying â€Å"yes.† Learn a new skill or language or go for that promotion. Exposing yourself to new and challenging experiences will help you grow both personally and professionally.4. Snack rightWorkplace vending machines are a resolution nightmare. Pack some healthy snacks and take them to work with you. You’ll save money and calories plus you’ll save yourself the mid-afternoon blood sugar crash.5. Know when to stopSo many times, we have to work late- even once we’ve left the office. But it’s easy to get caught up in bad habits even when the extra work just isn’t necessary. Pick a time to be done with work and stick with it. Drawing that line will make your actual work time more productive, and your free time more free for you to enjoy.This article is part of Bulk Up Your Career in 2017  campaign. Access the entire guide here to help you succeed in 2017.

Marketing Planning and Strategy (M7_1) Assignment

Marketing Planning and Strategy (M7_1) - Assignment Example This has the effect of cost reduction and improved productivity through learning and experience curve and overall increased market command from brand consistency. Most customers in all products in the world opt for a user friendly products and the car manufacturing industry is not an exceptional. In the car firms, comfort, safety, reliability and convenience rules the market. In that respect, Sync technology is a superb feature that is incorporating all the above stated factors plus many others that no any car firm in the globe can rival. It should therefore be noted that this is has given Ford a competitive edge above the others (Pride & Ferrell, 2012).Due to the increasing social economics adjustments in the society, women are rapidly joining the work force and they wield a lot of influence with their particular influence in the market for small car. The rising cost of fuel is also pushing people to go for the small cars as a cost cutting strategy and all these has made Ford invest in small cars hence greater market

Creativity and Innovation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Creativity and Innovation - Essay Example erall temperatures that are found on earth, which further results to greenhouse effects that are caused by the heightened levels of carbon dioxide among other pollutants. According to Weart (2003), global warming has been accelerating since 2005, and is further expected to increase if the environment is not taken care as would be expected particularly if there is no reduction of emission from burning fossils fuels such as coal and oil. Additionally, the rise in average have been confirmed as having far reaching effects on the general climate pattern across the world, and to human beings as well. As such, global warming has dire consequences on health, wildlife, weather patterns and glaciers and sea levels. Firstly, global warming has continuously led to high temperatures which translate to increased droughts and wildfires, heavier rainfall and numerous hurricanes across the world, and especially in Europe and Asia. According to Houghton (2008), the frequent occurrence of hurricanes that are more powerful and dangerous are as a result of warmer waters in the ocean that pumps energy into tropical storms that are potentially destructive, a situation that make easier to experience more complicated hurricanes in future due to flooding and soil erosion. Moreover, global warming has increased drought and wildfire due to greater evaporation that has been witnessed during summer, a situation that directly or indirectly leads to wildfires. Scholars associated to climate change and weather patterns have argued that when temperatures are warm they are likely to lead to heavier rainfall. Secondly, global warming has directly led to health consequences. Basically, the presence of hotter weather facilitates deadly mosquitoes to travelling for greater distance and the availability of carbon dioxide in the air makes a conducive environment for the growth of airborne diseases such as asthma and allergies. Additionally, the presence of more frequent and serious heat waves

Argentina - Language, Culture, Customs and Etiquette Essay -- Argentin

Understanding Global Cultures Argentina â€Æ' Argentina Introduction Argentina is an 8th largest country in the world. Cultural name of Argentina is Argentine and Argentinean. It is located in South America, with borders of Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay. Capital of Argentina is Buenos Aires. Primarily, most of the Argentines are European descent, which separates them from other Latin American countries. In Argentina, 97% of population have Spanish and Italian. Spanish is local language and also used into government offices. But Spanish language which use in Argentina is very different from Spanish which is spoken in Spain. There are also other different languages spoken in Argentina like Italian, German, English and French. In Argentina, 92% peoples are belong to Roman Catholic, Protestant and Jewish are respectively 2% and other 4%. The majority Argentines is Roman Catholics, but most of them are not actively practice the religion. Jews are migrated to Argentina at the end of the 19th century from Eastern Europe, Russia, and the Middle East countries. Pentecostalism and other Protestant denominations are becoming quite popular among the lower class. Culture The family is very important in the life of Argentine even though they live in extended families. Family head is a powerful & respectful person in their family, but with this come a responsibility to care for others in terms of security, jobs, etc. and to maintain personal and family honour. Honour is very important in their routine day-to-day life in home, community and business. Marriage is freely decided by men and women. It is one of the countries with the largest number of consensual unions. The Catholic Church is very influential and prominent ... ...e, Culture, Customs and Etiquette. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/argentina.html. [Last Accessed 4 February 2014]. 2. U.S. State Dept. Country Notes (2009). Argentina. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0107288.html. [Last Accessed 4 February 2014]. 3. Karen Nagy (2009). Social Issues in Argentina. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.vivatravelguides.com/south-america/argentina/argentina-overview/social-issues-in-argentina/. [Last Accessed 17 February 2014]. 4. Countries and Their Cultures (2009). Argentina. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.everyculture.com/A-Bo/Argentina.html. [Last Accessed 17 February 2014]. 5. Wikipedia.1998 – 2002 Argentina Great Depression. [ONLINE] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998%E2%80%932002_Argentine_great_depression [Last Accessed 17 February 2014]

Kenneth Nierman Essay

Kenneth A. Nierman (born 1954)(1)(2) is Founder and President of the Center for Bankruptcy Planning, and Principal of Adversity Financial Planners. His work to pioneer Financial Planning for Bankruptcy, is unparalleled. Mr. Nierman has been honored for his innovative work in advancing educational and entertaining economic concepts. One of his first economic papers was a discussion of a coming â€Å"Great Leveling† of the world economies. His first theorem on this discussion was available in 1987(doc). The Great Leveling was among the earliest neo-economic discussions about the effect s of improved technology in communication, creating a near-perfect, almost instantaneous, flow of information. It was a major factor in the breakup of the Soviet Union, and the early awareness of dictator oppression of their citizens. His theorem expressed that as information flow became instantaneous, that economies of third world countries would benefit tremendously at the permanent and unrecoverable loss of the economic world powers. This would not mean that third world economies would become equally as rich as the world leaders it would simply mean that the incremental increase in the existing standard of living would seem exponential and people in those countries would feel substantially wealthier. It would also mean that the great world economic powers would experience a loss of current standards of living. A decrease so much so that the people in those countries would experience economic and emotional pain beyond anything they had previously experienced. The Great Leveling would create a permanent shift in a majority of the world economies. World economic leaders would experience subtle or sharp, extended or immediate, decreases in citizen standards of living. The economic pain experienced would be permanent and would take years for the citizens to realize the new normal of a decreased lifestyle. Simple or drastic decreases in personal and household cash flow would have compounding effects throughout the economy of the country. His undocumented, yet historically discussed economic theorems include: The Great Leveling, The Baby-boom Retirement Myth, and Creative Destruction within the Entrepreneur World. Early life and education Nierman was born in Eastern Colorado in a small but innovative farming community of hard-working farmers and entrepreneurs (world renowned golf course footnote goes here). Family history. Parents were Alvin Kenneth Nierman and Teresa Marie (Natter) Nierman. Father died. Mother died. Sisters, Marilyn Irene Nierman (b.1949-), Alyce Dianne Nierman (b.1951-). Wife, Stacia(Stacy) Jo Nierman (Coven)(b.1956-). Married to Stacy, 19 January 1980 at King of Glory Lutheran Church, Arvada, Colorado. Formal Education. Colorado State University (CSU), Fort Collins, Colorado and Eastern New Mexico University (ENMU), Portales, New Mexico. History in Business. After graduating from CSU, married to Stacy, moved to Lakewood, Colorado. First job was as a stockbroker with OTC Net, Denver, Colorado. OTC Net specialized in underwriting venture capital developmental stage publicly held companies. After the closure of OTC Net in 1982, he went to work with E.F. Hutton in Fort Collins, Colorado. He worked with E.F. Hutton until 1984 and moved to Shearson Lehman Brothers in Denver, Colorado. In 1986, he moved to PAMCO Securities, a new firm offering financial services through local and regional savings and loans, and commercial banks.

Baseball Is An American Pastime - 3059 Words

Trey Deitrick Mr. Hubert English language and Composition 23 February 2015 Steroids in Baseball The game of Baseball is an American pastime. During the late 19th century and early 20th century it was the most widely played sport in the country. Baseball back then was what video games and televisions is to us now. Throughout the years baseball has changed in some good ways and in some bad ways. The integrity of the game has been changed in a bad way by steroids. Steroids is what makes the game today so much different than it was back then. Of course steroids have been a controversy in this game for a long time but not to the extent it is right now in the late 90s , and 2000s. The punishments that they give right now for steroid use is†¦show more content†¦Not only are these players, who use steroids and get caught , not able to play the game they love, but will lose out on a lot of money that they could be making during the games that they miss. Alex Rodriguez is a great example of financial punishment for steroid use. The suspension would be the lo ngest non-lifetime ban in Major league history and would cost Mr. Rodriguez more than 31 million in loss salary (Costa,Brian). The MLB has announced that it is going to enhance its testing policy and its punishments for using steroids or any other performance enhancing drugs. The enhanced testing procedure will include a lot more random in season tests. The number of urine tests will more than double. In the enhanced punishments there are at most three violations. A first time violation at the joint drug program will now result in an unpaid 80 game suspension, increased from 50 games.(Calcaterra,Craig). The second violation will result in an unpaid 162 game suspension rather than a 100 game. The third and final violation will result in a permanent suspension from baseball. Players want a fair and clean game, that is why they pushed for better testing and a lot more testing. The MLB commissioner, Bud Selig, was very pleased when the players pushed for stricter policies. Baseball has had its fair share of scandals. For example, baseballs first commissioner, Kennesaw Landis, was brought on to deal with the Black Sox scandal.