History vs. Tamerlane the Conqueror - Stephanie Honchell Smith

Tamerlane was one of history’s greatest conquerors- but was he a great state builder or a bloodthirsty tyrant? You decide.
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He was born in the 1330s in the Chaghatayid Khanate, formerly the Mongol Empire. On the steppe, he rose from a lowly sheep thief to become one of history’s greatest conquerors, uniting nearly all of Central Asia, Afghanistan, and Iran under his rule. But was he a great state builder or a bloodthirsty tyrant? Stephanie Honchell Smith puts this controversial figure on trial in History vs. Tamerlane.
Lesson by Stephanie Honchell Smith, directed by Brett Underhill, PorkchopBob Studio.
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[@frogglen6350]

Ted Ed should really do more of these. I'm not sure why there aren't more history vs videos.

[@aleenashafaat2295]

Yeah.. This video came up after a long gap.

[@goldenchildofra6432]

Yep it's not even 10, I love them

[@thejosegesmundochannel598]

yep the last was was in 2016 i think

[@topmusic6347]

his motherland that he was born is UZBEKISTAN BUT IT IS A DEVELOPING COUNTRY NOT WELL KNOWN

[@J1P2K]

And there are so many people to put on trails

[@Indego84]

I agree with everyone who says TED Ed needs to do more of this series. Ivan Pavlov, Sir Francis Drake and Caligula might make for fascinating topics.

[@tartaglia.]

Caligula especially.

[@ash.bl.9289]

And Churchill

[@drakejohnson5386]

Sulla. People say that it was Sulla's actions that allowed Cesar to act the way he did.

[@jeffreygao3956]

I nominate History vs Richard the Lionhearted, Pericles, or Walt Disney.

[@jonijoestar6871]

Ad0lf h1tl3r maybe?

[@seanmcloughlin5983]

Fun fact. His tomb was unsealed by a Soviet archeological team on June 20th 1941 and sent to Moscow, with a warning that a curse would be put on the those who removed him from his final resting place. 2 days later Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union began. And even more supposedly at the height of the battle of Stalingrad Stalin ordered the immediate return of Timurs body to his tomb in Samarkand. And wouldn’t ya know right after it was returned the German army in Stalingrad was surrounded. Coincidence??? Almost certainly, still interesting tho.

[@l.n.3372]

That's actually very interesting. Coincidence or not.

[@passerby7112]

This is the reason why i want to visit his tomb since i was a kid, seems like fairytale comes true

[@kingaxolotl4085]

I’ve heard that before, it’s a great story

[@nodirbekmahmud199]

@@passerby7112 come tu Uzbekistan to see his tomb bro im from Uzbekistan🔥🇺🇿

[@feruzaislomova3464]

It is definitely truth

[@NguyenHoang-mo7hs]

Tamerlane in Uzbekistan’s history: great ruler. Tamerlane in everyone else’s history: brutal tyrant.

[@boburzod]

I think it's the same in everywhere. You are always bad in someone else's story

[@FD-xr5qw]

@@boburzod Nah. For example Shah Ismail was Turkic but is respected among Persians (I don't like him). But Timur was nothing but a barbarian.

[@comradekenobi6908]

Tamerlane: Just as planned

[@arteastby_lily]

@@boburzod So accurate!

[@realtalk6195]

Timur is well-respected across Central Asia, the North Caucasus, and the Pontic-Caspian Steppe regions. It's not just Uzbekistan. He has admirers in South Asia as well.

[@goldenchildofra6432]

I love these depictions of historical figures. Shows a refreshing perspective on history.

[@JH-wi2xr]

I agree. I hope TED-Ed does more of these

[@brandonnguyen6718]

This was quite a shock to see, as the last episode was 3 years ago.

[@realtalk6195]

Why is Tamerlane (Timur) who is Central Asian depicted here as being brown, when Central Asians of all ethnic groups are between pale skin to olive skin? Looks like they're caricaturing him.

[@jeffreygao3956]

@Real Talk Because he was like that…

[@realtalk6195]

@@jeffreygao3956 No he was not. You're perpetuating stereotypes of what you think a Muslim "looks" like as opposed to what he actually looked like. I even just double-checked what sources describe him as, and it's "fair complexion". Central Asians aren't dark skin. Western artistic depictions always exaggerate or distort ethnic features of people to fit stereotypes.

[@sherlock.holmes.]

When Tamerlane saw captured Bayezid the Thunderbolt, he laughed. Bayezid, offended by this laugh, told Timur that it was indecent to laugh at misfortune; to which Timur replied: “It is clear then that fate does not value power and possession of vast lands if it distributes them to cripples: to you, the crooked, and to me, the lame.”

[@nenenindonu]

On the other end of the spectrum, Sharaf ad-din Ali Yazdi, an Arabian sage who desperately sought to win the emperor’s favor, claimed that Tamerlane practically pampered the sultan and burst into tears when he learned of his former enemy’s death. He went so far as to write that Tamerlane had never wanted war and after the battle at Ankara planned eventually to restore Bayezid to the Ottoman throne.

[@kevinlane1219]

What does that imply?

[@SUPERRRSAIYANNNNN]

@@kevinlane1219 implies he was a sigma male

[@It-Will-All-Be-Okay-I-Promise]

@@kevinlane1219 Tamerlane was calling Bayezid a crook.

[@feruzusmanov7729]

@@It-Will-All-Be-Okay-I-Promise By crooked he meant that Bayezid had only one eye. Timur was lame and Bayezid had only one eye. That is why he laughed and said that power and wealth are not important to fate since fate distributes them to cripples.

[@arteastby_lily]

I have been taught Tamerlane as a hero throughout my school years and I would always question my teachers saying "Why should we call our ancestors as heroes while other conquerers are tyrants for doing the exact same thing?". I grew up and met people from other parts of the world and heard them saying he was a tyrant and they are taught like that in history classes. History is not entirely accurate and it is misleading in most cases and we can never say what is true and what is not because it is written by many hands from different perspectives and things are always politicized. As they say say, "The one who controls the future, controls the past. The one who controls the past, controls the future."

[@mkalin78]

As a turk I have taken byzantine history course from a greek professor. What I have learned from her: For all governments history is a bendable tool to create national identity. So they change and bend it as they fit. In order to learn real history we just have to forget what we have taught in schools as official history.

[@ash.bl.9289]

Do you are from Usbekistan?

[@mkalin78]

Nope. Turkey.

[@Nuruddunya]

yeah almost like westerners gave non westerners brain cancer

[@SY-ql7iu]

Lilyyy! Hi dear)

[@bekad4049]

Thank you! Finally something about Central Asia. There are so many interesting stories and historical figures, but somehow world ignores them. I hope it will change.

[@saidakbarshermukhammedov9377]

Coz its really hard to accept, these figures awaked them truely.

[@jamshidxudoyberdiyev4927]

All uzbek tajik kazakh are turkish. "if we remove the turkish people from history, there will be no history itself".-Fritz Neumark German scientist from history

[@Stegosaurus_a_freak_of_nature]

@@jamshidxudoyberdiyev4927LMAO, I am sure no one will notice it, they are not Turkish, but Turkic, Tajiks are partly Persian.

[@YahyeAli123]

The early life of Tamerlane sounds like that one opportunistic “friend” who always asks for help when he gets in the problems, but the moment you need his help he wil let you down……

[@kurtlindner]

100% The original Scumbag Steve.

[@hetarth7056]

Most of the mughals were like that..Lol😂

[@YahyeAli123]

@@hetarth7056 really? Interesting could you give me some names of other historical Mughal figures who were like that, because I am really interested to learn more about them.

[@brandonnguyen6718]

@@hetarth7056 I mean, Tamerlane wasn't really a Mughal, his descendants were.

[@vashappenin7008]

@@hetarth7056 duh, he was Uzbek

[@teststudent5091]

Right when we thought this series was dead, it returned ❤️

[@Waterbead4220]

Yes

[@tvrcyoutubegaming2738]

Indeed

[@jeffreygao3956]

I'm still waiting for History vs: Alexander the Great Leonidas Pericles Oda Nobunaga Shaka Zulu Abdulazziz Ibn Saud Walt Disney Andrew Carnegie John D Rockefeller

[@jinsakai2047]

​@@jeffreygao3956 Walt Disney?

[@jeffreygao3956]

@@jinsakai2047 Why not? They can cover significant businesspeople and besides, the judge's reaction will be hilarious! "Let's get down to business!"

[@abdumalikfayziev7148]

i'm from uzbekistan and i want to thank you guys for your effort of properly passing the correct information to the audience :)

[@abdulazizabduqodirov4348]

In my motherland - Uzbekistan school teaches us Temur as a hero, without any sins) Anyway, we put history on trial. I'm so glad that Ted-Ed made a video about our ancestor. And soon, 9th April is his birthday. And it's celebrated in schools widely in Uzbekistan. It's so iconic, that Ted-Ed published the video these days.

[@moozillamoo2109]

Hahaha think people of India and Georgia might disagree.

[@realtalk6195]

@@moozillamoo2109 Most of the writings about Timur are from other parties, especially people from the sides that he defeated. So there is a lot of exaggerations going on. Obviously he wasn't a saint, he was a conqueror, but it was very common to exaggerate during medieval and ancient times about people you didn't like. For example, critical writings describing Sunni Ali in West Africa by scholars were notoriously crazy. Medieval European writers would even make up weird stories like Muslims being polytheists led by Amazonian women, or Jews having tails or whatever. The records of Arab scholars about his Baghdad conquest are completely exaggerated.

[@pogo8050]

It’s interesting to hear these kind of things from people who are directly taught about these characters that the west don’t usually talk about. It’s also very comforting to hear that there is a spirit of questioning and criticism of these historical figures.

[@wrjtung3456]

@@realtalk6195 he literally turned Georgia into a wasteland

[@yogeshpandey1612]

@@realtalk6195 he made mountain from the skulls of the dead. he was brutual tyrant who led siege to cities even when they surrender

[@aidanrogers4438]

Yes! Please keep doing this series! I learn more about people I already knew about and learn about someone completely new like this episode.

[@realtalk6195]

Most of the writings about Timur are from other parties, especially people from the sides that he defeated. So there is a lot of exaggerations going on. Obviously he wasn't a saint, he was a conqueror, but it was very common to exaggerate during medieval and ancient times about people you didn't like. For example, critical writings describing Sunni Ali in West Africa by scholars were notoriously crazy. Medieval European writers would even make up weird stories like Muslims being polytheists led by Amazonian women, or Jews having tails and other unrealistic things. The records of Arab scholars about his Baghdad conquest are completely exaggerated.

[@realtalk6195]

Why is Tamerlane (Timur) who is Central Asian depicted here as being brown or dark brown, when Central Asians of all ethnic groups are between pale skin to olive skin? Even sources describe him as being of "fair complexion". Western artistic depictions always exaggerate or distort ethnic features of peoples to fit stereotypes. In this case they're depicting what they think a Muslim "looks" like as opposed to what he actually looked like.

[@jeffreygao3956]

I wouldn’t know. I’d like to see History vs Alexander the Great, Pericles, Oda Nobunaga, Richard Lionheart, Leonidas, and Walt Disney.

[@m.islamnafees5770]

I really love the fact that the judge himself is learning through the heated debates

[@kylenetherwood8734]

The judge is the audience

[@ultimatebishoujo29]

I really loved it too!!!

[@FERUZE_]

I’m from Uzbekistan 🇺🇿 I was very surprised. The whole world knows us, our history, our ancestors. it's really nice 😢😢😢😢👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@parvizhamidov1078]

Aytilgan gaplarini hammasi ham to'g'ri emas, Temurni 'illiterate'(savodsiz) bo'lgan deyapti. Bu aniq noto'g'ri ma'lumot. Yana bosh chanoqlaridan piramida qurdirgan degan gapida ham asos yo'q. Har qanday videolarga ishonib ketavermaslik kerak

[@SardorVideos]

​@@parvizhamidov1078 tògri aytasz

[@user-ub7wg4hz4q]

​@@parvizhamidov1078sz notogri shunibsiz, qoshni davlatlatlaga urush qiganda 17 million odam ulgan ozidan kegn togdey yo bomasa peramidadey kop skelet qoldirib ketkan db aytilgan

[@user-ub7wg4hz4q]

​@@parvizhamidov1078O'zbechada kordizmi? Deme tarjima notogri, man russchada kordim

[@deadcell4297]

​@@user-ub7wg4hz4q 17 million deb ko'paytirib aytishgan bo'lishi mumkin deyildi videoda. Aslida suyakdan qurilgan piramidalar odamlar unga qarshi chiqmashligi uchun, qo'rqitish uchun Amir Temir tomonidan o'ylab topilgan bo'lishi mumkin.

[@epicmusic9029]

There are so many historical figures that would be perfect for this awesome series. Especially ones which are dragged into controversy like Gandhi, Churchill, The Mughals, Emperor Diocletian, Woodrow Wilson, Ulyssses S Grant and a whole lot more people.

[@sagnikjana8789]

Yes especially the Mughal ruler aurangzeb, who is celebrated as a hero by the muslims but as a tyrant by the Hindus.

[@jeffreygao3956]

Also add: Saladin, Richard Lionheart, Pericles, Oda Nobunaga, and...Walt Disney(one not like the others.)

[@Sanjar_turdiyev]

OUSMAN KING,

[@Blurrybob]

It feels me with some another kind of joy to see what we learned from school about our ancestor in a Ted-Ed video. Love from Uzbekistan.

[@ElBandito]

The ancestor of Uzbeks is Shiban, the grandson of Chingis Khan. Hence, Shaybanids. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaybanids

[@SJ-bl3uw]

@@ElBandito dont teach us our history, unless you dont know it

[@ElBandito]

@@SJ-bl3uw Isn't Muhammad Shaybani Khan the one who actually united the Uzbeks? He was a descendant of Shiban.

[@nenenindonu]

@@ElBandito He was the guy who made 'Uzbek' the nation name which remains to this day, however Uzbeks view both Timurids and Shaybanids as their ancestors, after all the population itself remained the same only with a new national identity

[@ElBandito]

@Jumamurod Aralov Your 'history' consists of many different interpretations and factors. Are Taza Uzbeks true Uzbeks, of Chagatai Turks under Timur the true Uzbeks? Cause they were different people, and Taza Uzbeks actually invaded and conquered part of Timur's lands after his death. At the time Abu'l-Khayr Khan was a leader of Uzbeks who had nothing to do with Timur, for example.

[@BelcarrigFarm]

I'd love to see one of these on Eamon de Valera. He's not really that famous on a global scale but here in Ireland he's quite a controversial figure with some people thinking of him as a hero while some people blame him for a lot of the problems Ireland faced after independence and the assassination of Michael Collins

[@seanmcloughlin5983]

I think even he would’ve admitted Colin’s was right in the end by achieving independence from the inside once he became president. Since that’s exactly what he did.

[@felivaldalopes5177]

Interesting. I've a series called Rebellion in which Ireland's story is the main plot and also introduces De Valera

[@felivaldalopes5177]

*i've seen

[@rajkaranvirk7525]

I’d love to know about him

[@reesehendricksen1871]

Oh good one, he is quite controversial, I myself personally despise him just for his treatment of Michael Collins alone. Though his refusal to join WWII in any helpful capacity, refusing to reunite with Northern Ireland, and directly causing the Irish Civil War marks him as a terrible leader in my book.

[@heartfulcry]

i’ve kept the “history vs.” playlist saved and i offhandedly decided to check it today, who would’ve guessed i checked it on the exact day the series got a new vid!! please keep making these!!

[@AfaqueAhmed_]

Man , I love this series . Putting historical legends of trial and by happenstance knowing way more about them than you already did .

[@kumaresanmm8946]

When I first started watching this series i thought the argument against the person where the truth .but later I've come to realise that both argument were equally valid .thank you for this balanced point of view

[@imperator9343]

I don't think that that is really the case. The video presents historical propaganda from both sides, but that doesn't mean it is equally true. Like, these conquerors were not enlightened patrons of the arts engaged in realpolitik. They were ruthless egotistical conquerors that happened to establish a cultural legacy in the process. The videos provide a "valid" alternate perspective that includes their positive influences, but in doing so falsely balances it with their motives and overall impact.

[@michaellynes3540]

5:22 “Hold on now, I think I’ve almost got the king cornered!”

[@celinanamalambo9798]

I would love to see a history against Shaka the Zulu. He's celebrated as one of Africa's greatest warriors and did many things to forward the Zulu nation but was also brutal and cruel to enemies.

[@lebarondevalois605]

Yeah, he was a good leader, but he introduced the idea of actual war to a peaceful people

[@oliviamcnally6650]

I love that you guy keeping this series active. I would recommend doing Marie Antoinette next since she is a very debated character in history. Or the first empress of China since she also very debated person too.

[@ash.bl.9289]

Thank you for continuing this series. Can you guys do one on Churchill and And the reformer Martin Luther soon?

[@tsarbeaver2351]

Do the Kim dynasty or Xi Jinping or Biden

[@firasajoury7813]

@@tsarbeaver2351 Why Xi jinping?

[@lebarondevalois605]

@@firasajoury7813 Yeah I agree, everyone knows he was a tyrant who literally massacred College students wanting reform protesting peacfully

[@uberfeel]

Timur was so brutal that when he was alive many people from the west and to the east thought he was genghis khan reincarnated.

[@crazyraptor2907]

Chad

[@uberfeel]

@@crazyraptor2907 he has nothing to brag about being "chad". Even his closest allies didn't even trust him at all.

[@crazyraptor2907]

@@uberfeel giga chad

[@LaRavachole]

I dunno man, that sounds like a Sigma Mindset to me.

[@bepositive3276]

You have not seen what he did in the past and you have no idea what he was like.You are just prejudicing based on some hearsays you hear here and there.Truth be tood,he was the greatest contributor to the development of science,social life and other domains as is stated in the video.So be careful about what you say,friend!

[@TheDressIsntGold]

IVE LITERALLY BEEN WAITING YEARS FOR THIS SERIES TO COME BACK!!! IM SO HAPPY

[@zamirasliev5765]

You should do more of these and maybe more episodes of continuing this topic. I’m really excited to hear more because I’m from Samarkand

[@Manowar458]

I love this series

[@Waterbead4220]

Same

[@NL-ws5fv]

I always love these type of TedEd videos. Gives a good perspective on historical figures and develops an interesting setting for discussion. I would love to see one on Cardinal Richelieu. There is so much fodder for being a grand diplomat and architect of the modern European state, but at the same time being a ruthless administrator and father of nationalism.

[@user-ob4sq6fi3s]

I am really glad they rebooted once more the history vs series. Hopefully we will get to see more videos in that line on a more regular basis from now on 🙂

[@madelineliu1102]

I’m not sure if anyone else picked up on it, but to me it always sounds like it’s the same voice score playing both lawyers and the judge, which never stops to blow my mind 🤩 - love this series so much, TedEd, please make more some day

[@TheRevanchrist]

Never heard this character before. Seems like a case of good Emperor when there is no such thing. Also. This is one of my favorite series on this channel. I look forward to the day Alexander the Great is put on trial. To see the less public side of his empire building and conquests.

[@SaikatChatterjee22]

u must be living under a stone then .....

[@ayanokoji715]

u must be living under a stone then .....

[@dodation]

u must be living under a stone then .....

[@krewa578]

u must be living under a stone then .....

[@ajjarindahouse]

u must be living under a stone then .....

[@trtotally]

I really miss this series! Thank you for a new installment.

[@pratyaytiwary8316]

I love it. Thanks you Ted ed for reviving this series back. 😍

[@chukstristan3605]

Only thing bugging me is that the geographical extent of Timur's conquests aren't fully depicted in the video (showing only central Asia and Iran). Timur at his death ruled from Anatolia to the borders of China. Alexander the Great died not long after his conquests in the East - his empire never to be ruled by one man again - but historical maps show what he achieved in entirety.

[@archivesoffantasy5560]

Yeah Timur not only unified Central Asia, he beat Indian armies that had war elephants, then he beat the Mameluke sultanate and the Ottoman Empire.

[@realtalk6195]

Why is Tamerlane (Timur) who is Central Asian depicted here as being brown or dark brown, when Central Asians of all ethnic groups are between pale skin to olive skin? Even sources describe him as being of "fair complexion". Western artistic depictions always exaggerate or distort ethnic features of peoples to fit stereotypes. In this case they're depicting what they think a Muslim "looks" like as opposed to what he actually looked like.

[@chukstristan3605]

@@realtalk6195 good point. That's another error. A stereotyping not based in historical accuracy.

[@shafqatishan437]

Timur invaded many places but didn't annex them. Taking over another country is only costly for an army that has no salary. Timur's men were all dependent on loot & plunder. Anatolia was still governed by ottomans. Mamlukes paid tribute to him, so did what left of the golden horde.

[@imanengineer2881]

@@realtalk6195 Why do you guys so much care about the skin? As Central Asian I didn't pay any attention to that, as it was just cartoon of child drawings...

[@Stozanume123]

I love History vs videos . I hope there are gonna be more of them

[@ThomasTubeHD]

I don’t understand why this series doesn’t have more videos, there so good

[@son-kun1841]

Thank you for this upload, this addition to the series.

[@zyronnepenuela272]

Glad this series is still alive. Keep it up Ted-ed!

[@sanjarbekabduraimov4092]

Great pronunciation of names, the effort appreciated immensely👍👍

[@zackzuckerberg7375]

I am very glad to see such content from TED-ed and how they cover(illuminate) events. I very much appreciate that you are giving history straight and justice without using "double standards" as its casual in our world to denigrate the truth. Thank you for the content. I am very proud of being Türk(Uzbek) and my ancestors of Golden Age.

[@jakhongirazimov4952]

This is such a brilliant video! Thank you TED-Ed!

[@mayankbisht7691]

Simple outside Central Asia, he is seen as a ruthless warlord and rightly so but in Central Asia, he is a hero

[@xusnoraabduxalilova9295]

If he hadn't invaded iraq iran syria egypt turkiye golden orde ( it is russia) mongolia india they would have fought one others .He occupied a lot of countries but he didn't kill children women and elderly as well as scholars.

[@jeffreygao3956]

In his time, he was well loved in Europe.

[@user-fi1so6dv7p]

​@@xusnoraabduxalilova9295 😂😂

[@alvinkoeswanto8622]

"One's hero is another one's villain" is the theme of this series.

[@Moss_knight00]

I love the history on trials serie, keep doing this amazing work!

[@quantie]

I've waited so much for more episodes of this series!

[@markroyhetgarcia5748]

Finally another history on trial, i love these kind of videos, keep it up ted-ed🥰✨

[@Waterbead4220]

I love this series thanks so much ted ed

[@AirQuotes]

Wow I forgot about this series why hasn't there been more videos. Very interesting as usual

[@graymonk5972]

dude i’m so hyped y’all did something on central asia (i’m from kazakhstan and we’re so rarely talked about)

[@jackwashburn9927]

These are insanely amazing! Please make more!

[@paleoph6168]

There is a dinosaur named after Timur, Timurlengia euotica, and 4:38 There is even a dinosaur quite recently named after Ulugh, Ulughbegsaurus uzbekistanensis.

[@comunistas2227]

"Timur had wiped out 10 percent of the human population, he had declard that his campaign in India had been a holy war. Declaring himself the sword of Islam, but seeing that his victims from Anatolia to Indus river were Muslims, the proper description associated with Timur was the Prince of destruction."

[@tausifchowdhury8180]

Funny how "swords of islam " are contradictory to the Quran itself

[@krokodil7057]

@@tausifchowdhury8180 no one asked

[@corneliaaurelli1603]

@@krokodil7057 I do

[@papazataklaattiranimam]

10% ?? Not really

[@tausifchowdhury8180]

@@papazataklaattiranimam there weren't a lot of people left after Genghis Khan was through with pillaging

[@SwasthyaNeer]

A beautifully inspirational and educational video, as always.

[@blackchang1981]

I applaud the voice "actor "that is the narrator, judge, prosecutor, and defense attorney...I almost thought these were all different people. Great work.

[@medardbitangimana4580]

As a lover of history, I really missed this series 😭. Thanks TED Ed 🤗

[@amanshukla8758]

I absolutely love your "History vs" series. Recommendations for this series: Winston Churchill Alexander Lyndon B Johnson Henry II Ivan the Terrible Deng Xiaoping Pope Alexander VI Thomas Jefferson Henry Ford Francisco Pizzaro Indira Gandhi Margaret Thatcher

[@EricStelzman]

How about Vlad III?

[@raj____2003]

Agree with Indira Gandhi....👍👍

[@ash.bl.9289]

Hermán Cortèz

[@rajkaranvirk7525]

@@ash.bl.9289 do you mean “hernan Cortez?

[@ash.bl.9289]

@@rajkaranvirk7525 The Conquistadors who fought the Aztecs. Don't know what his name is in English.

[@malkolmmonomoy7890]

This style of video is really cool and helps to show how history is not always one-sided. Actually not always should be never.

[@sergiomartincegarra4101]

I'm so glad TED-Ed is continuing the History VS series. As a Spaniard, I think it would be very interesting to see a History vs Juan Carlos I and a History vs Lucio Urtubia

[@aneggselentfellow5607]

"Mom can we have Genghis khan?" "No we have Genghis Khan at home" *Ghenghis Khan at home*

[@dodation]

A true perfect version of him!

[@Orgil.]

@@dodation lol no

[@lilishipper174]

Genghis Khan but Turkic

[@Orgil.]

@@lilishipper174 Timur was Mongolian he come from mongolian barlas tribe

[@user-xv9rf2ll3m]

@@Orgil. Temur wasn't Mongolian even Genghis khan's title is turkic... Golden Horde was also mostly turkic dominated.

[@DraculaMechArena]

I finally get to see an episode early 😊

[@eltiggre]

I’m so happy you guy made a new one after so much time and I have a recommendation for a new one Pancho Villa

[@lordsiomai]

Man I want more videos in this format. Not summarizing an historical figure as simply as 'good' or 'bad', but rather shows both of their sides. This way we can celebrate the good, and learn from the bad.

[@circumscris]

The Lenin and Che Guevara ones were more convincing, but the case for Timur seems rather weak. Overall, the atrocities he commited outweigh his accomplishments.

[@jsims1617]

same is certainly true for Lenin and Guevara

[@arifahmedkhan9999]

Agreeable given what we have is not merely propaganda. "Historians" love to be biased sometimes, I am not defending Timur, i believe he did commit all those atrocities but western historians are very biased, they deny indigenous historical records in favour of their "educated" guesses

[@jsims1617]

@@arifahmedkhan9999 Yeah, we Westerners tend to hold a grudge against barbarians that invaded our countries.

[@rajkaranvirk7525]

@@jsims1617 disagree with Guevara

[@dodation]

Buildings that were constructed during his time had launched a new era in Muslim Architecture for ex Taj mahal being a replica of his Mausoleum etc. His patronage of Arts and Science lead the the new Scientific Discoveries in the world for ex his Grandson Ulughbek who has been studying the stars, Women from his line who were famous poets, Behzad who largely contributed to the Post Medieval Arts. I cant say that it out weights his atrocities anyways

[@random.random]

"He offered surrender and only massacred if refused", Is this a good point?

[@smit_1449]

By the standard of his time? Yes

[@neemapaxima6116]

Actually the people of Delhi surrendered, but the city was razed and looted anyway

[@dodation]

@@neemapaxima6116 Those times one couldn't just travel thousands of kms with hundred thousands of soldiers and not loot the Deli

[@aneilp7631]

​@@neemapaxima6116 Yup, and it's why Tamerlane should not be celebrated by any means.

[@ambivalentaxe]

@@aneilp7631 Tamerlane is a sigma male 🗿🍷

[@davisbrown3342]

I'd never heard of this guy, y'all should do more of these!!!

[@skeletonentertainment4201]

I missed the history vs. series please do more

[@arctan-k]

Wow, I remember learning about ámir Temir or әмір Темір (on Cyrillic) (that's how we call him on Kazakh) in my history classes. It was really interesting to hear about him from a Western perspective

[@abbossoatov8896]

Timur Uzbek

[@user-zt5ro4wt9z]

Idk it's just western people who dind him disgusting

[@Dennis-nc3vw]

I'm surprised the prosecuting lawyer didn't mention how deadly the Mughal Empire was.

[@billcipherproductions1789]

Probably because it's not your fault that you're descendents were blood thirsty.

[@vashappenin7008]

Temur wasn't Mughal, his ancestors were; moreover, he's the founder of The TIMURID EMPIRE

[@rajkaranvirk7525]

That’s not really one him, just cause it’s his descendants . That did that.

[@bindraaggarwal5681]

Only aurangzeb did that. The empire was not very deadly

[@anirudh177]

The Mughals were mild compared to the Delhi Sultanate or Timur when it came to brutality.

[@Trietlikesicecream]

So glad you guys brought this back

[@Ethan-cz8xq]

I got so excited when I saw this video in suggested. I love this series!

[@user-tr6df6wr7c]

it's worth watching, I just want to say thank you Ted Ed for amazing video, actually it describes a great history of my country!❤🇺🇿

[@dulguundukdulguun2354]

Timur is mongolian man bro

[@user-hr9jy8ru1g]

​@@dulguundukdulguun2354 Ridiculus. Timur was Turkic Not Mongolian. Also Most population of Chagatai Khaganate were Turkic.Just Dynasty were Monoglian. For this Reason Old Chagatai language branch of Turkic languages.

[@nenenindonu]

Timur also massacred Christians like Georgians and Hospitallers in Smyrna but yes most of his victims were the neighboring Muslim states, Golden Horde, Ottomans, Kara Koyunlu, Mamluk and Delhi Sultanates,...

[@cmolodiets]

his armies alegedly killed 5% to 8% of the world population back then. He WAS a butcher. There are still statues of him in uzbekistan

[@ahmedkeremsayar]

@@cmolodiets to ottoman sultan he said we are both turkic submit to me and i would not destroy you. he wanted submission which people obviously denied than he butchered them

[@realtalk6195]

Hospitallaers are militarized Latin Catholics from Western/Northern Europe who shouldn't even be in Asia.

[@mikogames13]

Yeah true, he actually wiped out the Chruch of the East in Central Asia and Iran and killed tens of thousands of Assyrians, Georgians and Armenians, heavy reducing the Christian population of the Middle East

[@realtalk6195]

Most of the writings about Timur are from other parties, especially people from the sides that he defeated. So there is a lot of exaggerations going on. Obviously he wasn't a saint, he was a conqueror, but it was very common to exaggerate during medieval and ancient times about people you didn't like. For example, critical writings describing Sunni Ali in West Africa by scholars were notoriously crazy. Medieval European writers would even make up weird stories like Muslims being polytheists led by Amazonian women, or Jews having tails or whatever. The records of Arab scholars about his Baghdad conquest are completely exaggerated.

[@JulianPerez-it9sm]

I'm glad to see another one of these videos. I would love to see more of them. If I had to make a suggestion I think Emperor Hirohito should be put on trial next. Was Hirohito a war criminal who by using his status as a deity to fule a toxic form of imperial facism's reign of terror across Asia, or simply a man who was manipulated by his generals and after the war turned his once isolationist empire into a first world pacifist nation where cultural and technological advancement flourishes to this day. Keep up the good work TED-Ed.

[@catsruleacbanonogismanbo6107]

Great Video, I love this series! Could you do a History on Trial video on the American Inventor Thomas Alva Edison?

[@anirprasadd]

Genghis Khan and Timur did build thriving empires and were patrons of art, culture, and supported artisans, scientists, simplified trade and stopped constant regional in-fighting. But their conquests were unnecessarily bloody. They killed millions of civilians and destroyed entire cities and infrastructure.

[@arkivian5464]

That’s how steppes and Central Asia were Unlike Europe were everything is close and clustered up in Central Asia you need to travel vast distances from one city to another If one city rebels you need to mobilize your whole army and personally lead your troops, it is very expensive and time consuming Horses by nature are idol cults. Charisma of a leader is everything. If nobody fears, loves or respects him, how in bloody world he can rule all of them.

[@ganbat]

Wtf man in war thats main necessery to defeat fearsome enemy

[@elias4640]

thats the exact reason why he was a patron of art, culture and supported artisans, scientists and simplified trade and stopped constant in-fights. Without all the bloodshed and fear, all this would not have been achieved.

[@pixistypses5406]

As a Georgian, I must say he was one of the most brutal and bloodthirsty tyrant the middle ages have ever seen.

[@moody_moon_coder]

Lier, he was great

[@epa2349]

@@moody_moon_coder Nope he was in same mold of Gengis khan, Alexandar, Caesar, Attila, a brutal mass murderer.

[@junaidtarik9368]

@@epa2349 truth he preceded all of them

[@xurshidbekmahsudaliyev754]

​@@epa2349 no way

[@AK-dj5su]

@@moody_moon_coder Uzbek?

[@Pablo.Rodriguez]

I love this format so much

[@sushrutasengupta1273]

Your work is my inspiration....the best youtuber ❤️❤️❤️

[@sarvarbekrahmatjonov]

We are proud that we have such a great forefather😎🇺🇿

[@user-cg2tw8pw7j]

Brother, do you have a competition in destroying the tombs of Timur's family?

[@temor8829]

He isn’t your forefather all Timurid Prince were killed or drove out of where is Uzbekistan today by Shibak Khan

[@chankongsang0704]

Thank God. Descendants of Babur Mirza, a descendant of the great Tamerlane, are now living in Uzbekistan. We are his descendants.​@@temor8829

[@ndrk993]

Ted ed is the best teacher ever!🤩

[@ultimatebishoujo29]

I know right?!!

[@-nomi.-]

i always appreciate the narrator for giving the original pronunciations a serious effort. puts it a cut above

[@noorshahid1218]

Ted - ed is like my history and science tutor. I really appreciate these videos. They have helped me a lot.

[@prodge58]

I would love to see Emperor Claudius on trial! Was he a goofy failure that humiliated the Empire time and again or one of the literal best emperors Rome ever had?

[@youtubevideo3222]

how can I find the text

[@umidmannobjonov3384]

"Look at the buildings we have built who don't believe our power" Amir Temur

[@goealshafay425]

good job 👍 another banger from you guys

[@sepehrf.n8471]

It is very good that we get information about the positive and negative works of historical figures because we can comment on them without prejudice. I only heard Tamerlane's murders and evils and I did not know anything about his positive deeds

[@dorothywasrighttho5129]

One of the best series! I only know him for what he did to Bagdad and though I feel like the video was very generous toward him, it's good to have others sides of the argument brought out for a man I don't have the best first impression of. But I still don't think you can claim that the work of his descendence (especially one as distant as his Indian descents) makes him a good ruler. I don't think it should have been part of the video about him at all.

[@imperator9343]

It's also difficult to call this a fair balance, when things like "the handful of women close to him had some political liberties" and "he was super good at chess and impressed some famous person with it" get similar or more time in the video than things like "obliterated some of the greatest metropolises in the world" and "literally exterminated millions of people". Like, yeah, some cities prospered and he built some schools or whatever, but that's what happens when you massacre their competitors and it's not like he founded more than he destroyed.

[@atharvdandekar9612]

It's just propoganda of creating a fake new perspective of how invaders were good , in people's mind . How can a murderer of inocents can be generous and kind. He was just converting people's religion making most of central Asia islamic

[@marufjonsamidullayev1889]

Temurlane was great hero in history of central asia especially in Uzbekistan , he was my ancestor, THANKS TED Ed

[@user-zt5ro4wt9z]

that's nice, but the millions of people he unjustly massacred isn't that great a price...

[@Gulugulutv]

It is the most amazing video that I have ever watched at TED-ed! You rock!

[@feruzaislomova3464]

Thank you a lot! But can you make more videos about Central Asia

[@Gaius2k]

Do Lucius Cornellius Sulla. The prototype for Julius Caesar: Was he a tyrant who marched on Rome and made himself dictator, killing his opponents with proscriptions; or was he a messianic figure, trying to save the Roman Republic by any means necessary, who was happy to give up power when the job was done (as evidenced by his retirement)? This would make a very interesting video.

[@baraamuhamed2918]

As an baghdadi i want to say... Mongols please give us a break

[@hflp5029]

As a persian i want to repeat what you said First gengis then timur🥲

[@line5993]

he was only a distant relative of Genghis Khan, almost all of Central Asia was Mongolian, but this does not mean that they were Mongols, I was always told that he was a Turk

[@mahdi-oe6mk]

😂😂😂😂 you don't know you've just said ​@@line5993

[@slakmansauce3390]

PLEASE DO MORE OF THIS SERIES I LOVE THE JUDGE

[@BakedBread-is-the-best-bread]

My goodness these videos are so fun to watch.

[@lional4898]

I like when people are presented with such content. It shows that if we don't understand someone and have little knowledge about them, then we usually tend to perceive them as irrational barbarians. But we are all people plus-minus but are subject to different history

[@murodillafatkhullaev9782]

Oh, I LOVE this 🤩🤩🤩 Thank you TedEd for shedding light to the life of Timur the Great. Our “Buyuk Bobomiz” 🤩🤩🤩 I just wanted to add that a lot of information about him is very well white washed during the control of USSR over Central Asia. I love the facts you gave, right and wrong. However, one thing that was wrong is that he was an illiterate. Let’s use a common sense: How can a person from a rich family (from the family of Lords), Barlos, can possibly be illiterate? That does NOT make sense. He actually memorized the entire Koran by 7. By 12 he had great knowledge of religious and worldly: scientific and philosophical subjects. His last order was to be buried on the foot-side of his “Pir” Religious and theological teacher, adviser and lifelong companion, his first teacher. Today, in Samarqand, in Guri-Amir Mausoleum, there is Timur the Great’s tomb which is right on the foot side of his teacher’s tomb.

[@RicePho]

Please more of " History Vs." I enjoy these video series.

[@ultimatebishoujo29]

Yes please!!!

[@user-bm7rx5vs3n]

Hello from Uzbekistan 🇺🇿🇺🇿🇺🇿, Thanks TedEd for this video, that is be so good, specially when you live in Uzbekistan 👍👍👍