Timurid conquests and invasions

The Timurid conquests and invasions started in the late 14th century with Timur's control over the 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 due to 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 Timur's supremacy over Central Asia, Persia, the Caucasus, the Levant, and parts of South Asia and Eastern Europe, and they also resulted in the formation of the short-lived Timurid Empire.

Timur gained power over the Western Chagatai Khanate (Transoxiana) 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 a direct descendant of Genghis Khan by birth. Instead, he installed a puppet Khan descended from Ögedei, Suurgatmish. After that, he launched massive military campaigns in all directions and established his suzerainty over most of the Middle East and Central Asia. He never adopted the title of Emperor or Caliph, maintaining the title of Amir.

To legitimize his rule and his military campaigns, Timur married Husayn's widow Saray Mulk Khanum, a princess who was a descendant of Genghis Khan. In this way, he called himself Temur Gurgan (son-in-law of Genghis Khan, the Great Khan). Timurid territorial gains in Transoxiana and Central Asia as well as Timur's suzerainty over the Mamluk Sultanate, the Ottoman Empire, the Delhi Sultanate and the Golden Horde were weakened after his death, due to a war of succession between his son and grandson Shahrukh Mirza and Khalil Sultan. However, in the Indian subcontinent a Timurid state survived until the mid 19th century in the form of the Mughal Empire which was founded by his great-great-grandson Babur.