75-836: Tamerlano ( Tamerlane , HWV 18) is an opera seria in three acts by George Frideric Handel . The Italian libretto was by Nicola Francesco Haym , adapted from Agostino Piovene's Tamerlano together with another libretto entitled Bajazet after Nicolas Pradon 's Tamerlan, ou La Mort de Bajazet . The opera was staged by the Royal Academy of Music in the King's Theatre at the Haymarket, London . The German-born Handel, after spending some of his early career composing operas and other pieces in Italy, settled in London, where in 1711 he had brought Italian opera for
150-893: A dagger, saying that it would have been her present to Tamerlano. After a trio between Tamerlano, Bajazet, and Asteria, Tamerlano orders the death of Bajazet and Asteria. However, Asteria protests that she has never been unfaithful and gets agreement from Bajazet, Andronico, and Irene, which gives her some feeling of happiness. She also feels sad that her plans for assassination failed and that she has lost her chance for happiness. Asteria and Bajazet decide to kill themselves with concealed poison. Alone, Asteria contemplates her oncoming death. Tamerlano makes one last attempt to win Asteria and says that he will even pardon her father. However, Andronico and Asteria declare their love for each other, which enrages Tamerlano and makes him swear his own revenge. Bajazet tries to gain inspiration from their action, while
225-477: A decade later in 1389 by Timur's son Miran Shah . Timur then headed west to capture the Zagros Mountains , passing through Mazandaran . During his travel through the north of Persia, he captured the then town of Tehran , which surrendered and was thus treated mercifully. He laid siege to Soltaniyeh in 1384. Khorasan revolted one year later, so Timur destroyed Isfizar, and the prisoners were cemented into
300-406: A descendant of Tumbinai Khan , a male-line ancestor he shared with Genghis Khan . Tumanay's great-great-grandson Qarachar Noyan was a minister for the emperor who later assisted the latter's son Chagatai in the governorship of Transoxiana . Though there are not many mentions of Qarachar in 13th and 14th century records, later Timurid sources greatly emphasized his role in the early history of
375-532: A love duet between Tamerlano and Irene, and the chorus sings of love's ability to save light from the dark. Tamerlane Timur , also known as Tamerlane (1320s – 17–18 February 1405), was a Turco-Mongol conqueror who founded the Timurid Empire in and around modern-day Afghanistan , Iran , and Central Asia , becoming the first ruler of the Timurid dynasty . An undefeated commander, he
450-657: A mercenary to the khan of Sistan in what is today the Dashti Margo in southwest Afghanistan . Timur's injuries and disability gave rise to the nickname "Timur the Lame" or Temūr(-i) Lang in Persian , which is the origin of Tamerlane, the name by which he is generally known in the West. Persia Tokhtamysh–Timur war Georgia North Caucasia India Levant Anatolia By about 1360, Timur had gained prominence as
525-602: A military leader whose troops were mostly Turkic tribesmen of the region. He took part in campaigns in Transoxiana with the Khan of the Chagatai Khanate. Allying himself both in cause and by family connection with Qazaghan , the dethroner and destroyer of Volga Bulgaria , he invaded Khorasan at the head of a thousand horsemen. This was the second military expedition that he led, and its success led to further operations, among them
600-530: A morte andrei"). Tamerlano arrives and orders Andronico to try and obtain Bajazet and Asteria's consent for Asteria to marry Tamerlano, with a reward for Andronico of the Greek throne, marriage with Irene, and freedom for Bajazet. Andronico is troubled, as he brought his love Asteria to try and soften Tamerlano, only to see Tamerlano fall in love with her. (Aria: "Bella Asteria"). Tamerlano tells Asteria of his intentions and
675-616: A refugee in Timur's court, Tokhtamysh became ruler both of the eastern Kipchak and the Golden Horde . After his accession, he quarreled with Timur over the possession of Khwarizm and Azerbaijan . However, Timur still supported him against the Russians, and in 1382, Tokhtamysh invaded the Muscovite dominion and burned Moscow . Russian Orthodox tradition states that later, in 1395, having reached
750-437: A siege of six months. His invasion was unopposed as most of the nobility surrendered without a fight, however he did encounter resistance by a force of 2,000 under Malik Jasrat at Sutlej river between Tulamba and Dipalpur . Jasrat was defeated and taken away as captive. Next he captured the fort of Bhatner which was being defended by Rajput chief Rai Dul Chand and demolished it. While on his march towards Delhi, Timur
825-933: A war with Bayezid I , sultan of the Ottoman Empire, and the Mamluk sultan of Egypt Nasir-ad-Din Faraj . Bayezid began annexing the territory of Turkmen and Muslim rulers in Anatolia . As Timur claimed sovereignty over the Turkoman rulers , they took refuge behind him. In 1400, Timur invaded Armenia and Georgia . Of the surviving population, more than 60,000 of the local people were captured as slaves, and many districts were depopulated. He also sacked Sivas in Asia Minor. Then Timur turned his attention to Syria, sacking Aleppo , and Damascus . The city's inhabitants were massacred, except for
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#1732881259976900-515: Is because he has taken poison. As he becomes more incoherent, he says goodbye to his daughter and berates Tamerlano, until Andronico and Asteria carry him out of the room. Asteria then returns to ask for death, since Tamerlano can never get what he wants from her. Both Irene and Andronico send after Asteria to try and stop her suicide, while Tamerlano is finally changed by the events he has witnessed as well as by Irene's pleas. He finally pardons Asteria, Andronico, and Bajazet. The opera concludes with
975-488: Is cognate with Genghis Khan 's birth name of Temüjin. Later Timurid dynastic histories claim that Timur was born on 8 April 1336, but most sources from his lifetime give ages that are consistent with a birthdate in the late 1320s. Multiple scholars suspect the 1336 date was designed to tie Timur to the legacy of Abu Sa'id Bahadur Khan , the last ruler of the Ilkhanate descended from Hulagu Khan , who died in that year. He
1050-497: Is no longer to marry Tamerlano, but instead Andronico. Andronico tells Irene that she can still change the outcome if she pretends to be her own messenger and takes issue with Tamerlano. She agrees to this plan, while he bemoans his current compromised situation. Tamerlano tells Andronico of Asteria's acceptance of his marriage proposal, and that the two planned weddings, of Tamerlano to Asteria and of Andronico to Irene, will happen soon. Tamerlano and Asteria sing contrasting arias at
1125-454: Is outraged at his daughter's impending marriage to Tamerlano and swears to stop this, while Andronico is furious and resolves to have his vengeance on Tamerlano before he kills himself. Asteria is secretly preparing to kill Tamerlano in the meantime. However, Bajazet manages to stall the wedding, and also avoids being humiliated by Tamerlano when he is stopped. Asteria makes a move to the dais, only for her father to stop her. She then pulls out
1200-458: Is stated as a friend of Taraghai's. In his childhood, Timur and a small band of followers raided travelers for goods, especially animals such as sheep, horses, and cattle. Around 1363, it is believed that Timur tried to steal a sheep from a shepherd but was shot by two arrows, one in his right leg and another in his right hand, where he lost two fingers. Both injuries disabled him for life. Some believe that these injuries occurred while serving as
1275-402: Is well known, and retains its favour among the most striking and agreeable of Handel's instrumental productions.. Many of Handel's operas offer perhaps more specimens of his fire and learning, but none more pleasing melodies and agreeable effects." Paul Henry Lang wrote in 1966: "here the principal role, that of Bajazet, is given to a tenor....This is the first great tenor role in opera. Handel
1350-678: Is widely regarded as one of the greatest military leaders and tacticians in history, as well as one of the most brutal and deadly. Timur is also considered a great patron of art and architecture, for he interacted with intellectuals such as Ibn Khaldun , Hafez , and Hafiz-i Abru and his reign introduced the Timurid Renaissance . Born into the Turkicized Mongol confederation of the Barlas in Transoxiana (in modern-day Uzbekistan ) in
1425-623: The Battle of the Kondurcha River , in 1391. In the second phase of the conflict, Timur took a different route against the enemy by invading the realm of Tokhtamysh via the Caucasus region. In 1395, Timur defeated Tokhtamysh in the Battle of the Terek River , concluding the struggle between the two monarchs. Tokhtamysh was unable to restore his power or prestige, and he was killed about a decade later in
1500-603: The Delhi Sultanate was one of Timur's largest and most devastating victories as at that time, Delhi was one of the richest cities in the world. The city of Delhi was sacked and reduced to ruins, with the population enslaved. After the fall of the city, uprisings by its citizens against the Turkic-Mongols began to occur, causing a retaliatory bloody massacre within the city walls. After three days of citizens uprising within Delhi, it
1575-463: The Ilkhanate to designate themselves. In that regard, he simply pursued an existing tradition in the Muslim world to designate conquerors. The title was referring to the conjunction of the two "superior planets", Saturn and Jupiter, which was held to be an auspicious sign and the mark of a new era. According to A. Azfar Moin, Sahib Qiran was a messianic title, implying that Timur might potentially be
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#17328812599761650-615: The Mongol Empire . These histories also state that Genghis Khan later established the "bond of fatherhood and sonship" by marrying Chagatai's daughter to Qarachar. Through his alleged descent from this marriage, Timur claimed kinship with the Chagatai Khans . The origins of Timur's mother, Tekina Khatun, are less clear. The Zafarnama merely states her name without giving any information regarding her background. Writing in 1403, John III , Archbishop of Sultaniyya , claimed that she
1725-462: The Muslim world . From these conquests he founded the Timurid Empire , which fragmented shortly after his death. He spoke several languages, including Chagatai , an ancestor of modern Uzbek , as well as Mongolic and Persian , in which he wrote diplomatic correspondence. Timur was the last of the great nomadic conquerors of the Eurasian Steppe , and his empire set the stage for the rise of
1800-628: The Sarbadar dynasty surrendered. Timur began his Persian campaign with Herat , capital of the Kartid dynasty . When Herat did not surrender he reduced the city to rubble and massacred most of its citizens; it remained in ruins until Shah Rukh ordered its reconstruction around 1415. Timur then sent a general to capture rebellious Kandahar . With the capture of Herat the Kartid kingdom surrendered and became vassals of Timur; it would later be annexed outright less than
1875-510: The "awaited messiah descended from the prophetic line" who would "inaugurate a new era, possibly the last one before the end of time." Otherwise he depicted himself as a spiritual descendant of Ali, thus claiming the lineage of both Genghis Khan and the Quraysh. Timur spent the next 35 years in various wars and expeditions. He not only consolidated his rule at home by the subjugation of his foes, but sought extension of territory by encroachments upon
1950-507: The 1320s, Timur gained control of the western Chagatai Khanate by 1370. From that base he led military campaigns across Western , South , and Central Asia , the Caucasus , and Southern Russia , defeating in the process the Khans of the Golden Horde , the Mamluks of Egypt and Syria , the emerging Ottoman Empire , as well as the late Delhi Sultanate of India , becoming the most powerful ruler in
2025-1083: The Barlas. Tughlugh then attempted to set his son Ilyas Khoja over Transoxania, but Timur repelled this invasion with a smaller force. In this period, Timur reduced the Chagatai khans to the position of figureheads while he ruled in their name. Also during this period, Timur and his brother-in-law Amir Husayn, who were at first fellow fugitives and wanderers, became rivals and antagonists. The relationship between them became strained after Husayn abandoned efforts to carry out Timur's orders to finish off Ilya Khoja (former governor of Mawarannah) close to Tashkent . Timur gained followers in Balkh, consisting of merchants, fellow tribesmen, Muslim clergy, aristocracy and agricultural workers, because of his kindness in sharing his belongings with them. This contrasted Timur's behavior with that of Husayn, who alienated these people, took many possessions from them via his heavy tax laws and selfishly spent
2100-489: The Jarvis Opera Hall at DePaul University, wherein great attention to historial details of the original were paid. The defeated Ottoman Emperor Bajazet is brought in chains to the court of Tamerlano . Tamerlano has ordered Andronico to remove the chains, but Bajazet is mistrustful of this action. Bajazet adds that the only reason he does not commit suicide is his love for his daughter, Asteria. (Aria: "Forte e lieto
2175-587: The Mongol Empire and the Muslim world. According to the Mongol traditions, Timur could not claim the title of khan or rule the Mongol Empire because he was not a descendant of Genghis Khan . Therefore, Timur set up a puppet Chaghatayid Khan, Suyurghatmish , as the nominal ruler of Balkh as he pretended to act as a "protector of the member of a Chinggisid line, that of Genghis Khan's eldest son, Jochi ". Timur instead used
2250-872: The Russian land from Timur on 26 August, the all-Russian celebration in honor of the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God was established. After the death of Abu Sa'id , ruler of the Ilkhanate , in 1335, there was a power vacuum in Persia. In the end, Persia was split amongst the Muzaffarids , Kartids , Eretnids , Chobanids , Injuids , Jalayirids , and Sarbadars . In 1383, Timur started his lengthy military conquest of Persia, though he already ruled over much of Persian Khorasan by 1381, after Khwaja Mas'ud, of
2325-596: The Sultanate was reduced to only a part of its former extent. This anarchy drew the attention of Timur, who in 1398 invaded Indian subcontinent during the reign of Sultan Nasir-ud-Din Mahmud Shah Tughluq . After crossing the Indus River on 30 September 1398 with a force of 90,000, he sacked Tulamba and massacred its inhabitants. He sent an advance guard under his grandson Pir Muhammad who captured Multan after
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2400-688: The area of present-day Tyumen . During the course of Timur's campaigns, his army destroyed Sarai , the capital of the Golden Horde, and Astrakhan , subsequently disrupting the Golden Horde's Silk Road . The Golden Horde no longer held power after their losses to Timur. In May 1393, Timur's army invaded the Anjudan , crippling the Ismaili village only a year after his assault on the Ismailis in Mazandaran . The village
2475-411: The army of Mallu Iqbal had war elephants armored with chain mail and poison on their tusks. As his Tatar forces were afraid of the elephants, Timur ordered his men to dig a trench in front of their positions. Timur then loaded his camels with as much wood and hay as they could carry. When the war elephants charged, Timur set the hay on fire and prodded the camels with iron sticks, causing them to charge at
2550-652: The artisans, who were deported to Samarkand. Timur invaded Baghdad in June 1401. After the capture of the city, 20,000 of its citizens were massacred. Timur ordered that every soldier should return with at least two severed human heads to show him. When they ran out of men to kill, many warriors killed prisoners captured earlier in the campaign, and when they ran out of prisoners to kill, many resorted to beheading their own wives. British historian David Nicolle , in his "The Mongol Warlords", quotes an anonymous contemporary historian who compared Timur's army to "ants and locusts covering
2625-510: The artistic and educated. This would later influence the next great Persian conqueror: Nader Shah . Timur then began a five-year campaign to the west in 1392, attacking Persian Kurdistan . In 1393, Shiraz was captured after surrendering, and the Muzaffarids became vassals of Timur, though prince Shah Mansur rebelled but was defeated, and the Muzafarids were annexed. Shortly after Georgia
2700-491: The battle Tokhtamysh and some of his army were allowed to escape. After Tokhtamysh's initial defeat, Timur invaded Muscovy to the north of Tokhtamysh's holdings. Timur's army burned Ryazan and advanced on Moscow. He was pulled away before reaching the Oka River by Tokhtamysh's renewed campaign in the south. In the first phase of the conflict with Tokhtamysh, Timur led an army of over 100,000 men north for more than 700 miles into
2775-474: The challenge by creating a myth and image of himself as a "supernatural personal power" ordained by God. Timur's most famous title was Sahib Qiran ( صَاحِبِ قِرَان , 'Lord of Conjunction'), which is rooted in astrology a title that was used before him to designate Hamza ibn Abd al-Muttalib , the paternal uncle of Muhammad and which was taken by the Mamluk Sultan Baybars and by various rulers of
2850-431: The common seraglio, and that Bajazet will have to see her being shamed. Bajazet, angry at this situation, declares that his spirit will haunt Tamerlano when he has died. (Aria:'' Empio, per farti guerra" .) Irene and Tamerlano sing of the happy life that awaits them, after Tamerlano has had his revenge. Leone then reports the arrival of Asteria and Bajazet. Bajazet is surprisingly serene now, but finally reveals that this
2925-531: The couple can only find happiness in facing together whatever may come of declaring their mutual love. Meanwhile, Irene pledges her love to Tamerlano if he returns his own love to her, while Leone hopes that ultimately love will win the day over revenge. Tamerlano prepares to humiliate his enemies, and begins by bringing Bajazet and then Asteria before him. Andronico pleads for mercy from Tamerlano. Tamerlano will not listen, and orders Asteria to become his servant, and that she must first serve him wine. Asteria puts
3000-544: The daughter of 'Sadr al-Sharia', which is believed to refer to the Hanafi scholar Ubayd Allah al-Mahbubi of Bukhara . Timur was born in Transoxiana near the city of Kesh (modern Shahrisabz , Uzbekistan ), some 80 kilometres (50 mi) south of Samarkand , part of what was then the Chagatai Khanate . His name Temur means " Iron " in the Chagatai language , his mother-tongue (cf. Uzbek Temir , Turkish Demir ). It
3075-439: The elephants for they'll crush you under their feet. Shall a petty prince such as you are contend with us? But your rodomontades (braggadocio) are not extraordinary; for a Turcoman never spake with judgement. If you don't follow our counsels you will regret it Finally, Timur invaded Anatolia and defeated Bayezid in the Battle of Ankara on 20 July 1402. Bayezid was captured in battle and subsequently died in captivity, initiating
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3150-476: The elephants, howling in pain: Timur had understood that elephants were easily panicked. Faced with the strange spectacle of camels flying straight at them with flames leaping from their backs, the elephants turned around and stampeded back toward their own lines. Timur capitalized on the subsequent disruption in the forces of Nasir-ud-Din Mahmud Shah Tughluq, securing an easy victory. Nasir-ud-Din Mahmud Shah Tughluq fled with remnants of his forces. The capture of
3225-489: The first time with his opera Rinaldo . A tremendous success, Rinaldo created a craze in London for Italian opera seria , a form focused overwhelmingly on solo arias for the star virtuoso singers. In 1719, Handel was appointed music director of an organisation called the Royal Academy of Music (unconnected with the present day London conservatoire), a company under royal charter to produce Italian operas in London. Handel
3300-559: The frontier of the Principality of Ryazan , Timur had taken Yelets and started advancing towards Moscow. Vasily I of Moscow went with an army to Kolomna and halted at the banks of the Oka River . The clergy brought the famed Theotokos of Vladimir icon from Vladimir to Moscow. Along the way people prayed kneeling: "O Mother of God, save the land of Russia!". Suddenly, Timur's armies retreated. In memory of this miraculous deliverance of
3375-637: The lands of foreign potentates. His conquests to the west and northwest led him to the lands near the Caspian Sea and to the banks of the Ural and the Volga . Conquests in the south and south-West encompassed almost every province in Persia , including Baghdad , Karbala and Northern Iraq. One of the most formidable of Timur's opponents was another Mongol ruler, a descendant of Genghis Khan named Tokhtamysh . After having been
3450-468: The more structured and lasting Islamic gunpowder empires in the 16th and 17th centuries. Timur was of both Turkic and Mongol descent, and, while probably not a direct descendant on either side, he shared a common ancestor with Genghis Khan on his father's side, though some authors have suggested his mother may have been a descendant of the Khan. He clearly sought to invoke the legacy of Genghis Khan's conquests during his lifetime. Timur envisioned
3525-456: The most from his expeditions, as it rose several times against him. Timur's campaigns have been characterized as genocidal . He was the grandfather of the Timurid sultan, astronomer and mathematician Ulugh Beg , who ruled Central Asia from 1411 to 1449, and the great-great-great-grandfather of Babur (1483–1530), founder of the Mughal Empire . Through his father, Timur claimed to be
3600-416: The offer to Andronico, which makes her angry at Andronico's seeming betrayal. Bajazet declines Tamerlano's offer, and furthermore is angry at his daughter's seeming meekness at Tamerlano's demands. (Aria: "Ciel e terra armi di sdegno"). However, once alone, Asteria says that despite Andronico's apparent treachery, her feelings for him have not changed. (Aria: "Deh, lasciatemi.") Irene arrives to learn that she
3675-467: The people, which was collected by Adil Aqa, who was also given control over Soltaniyeh. Adil was later executed because Timur suspected him of corruption. Timur then went north to begin his Georgian and Golden Horde campaigns, pausing his full-scale invasion of Persia. When he returned, he found his generals had done well in protecting the cities and lands he had conquered in Persia. Though many rebelled, and his son Miran Shah , who may have been regent ,
3750-426: The poison from her father into the cup. Irene then reveals her true identity to Tamerlano and the situation of the poisoned cup. Tamerlano then orders Asteria to decide who first to give the cup to, her father or Andronico, before she may bring it to him. Asteria is about to drink from the cup herself when Andronico hits it out of her hand, which further enrages Tamerlano. He orders Asteria's arrest and confinement in
3825-526: The remnants of the Chagatai Khanate , the Ilkhanate , and the Golden Horde , and had even attempted to restore the Yuan dynasty in China. Timur's armies were inclusively multi-ethnic and were feared throughout Asia, Africa, and Europe, sizable parts of which his campaigns laid waste. Scholars estimate that his military campaigns caused the deaths of millions of people. Of all the areas he conquered, Khwarazm suffered
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#17328812599763900-426: The restoration of the Mongol Empire and according to Gérard Chaliand , saw himself as Genghis Khan's heir. To legitimize his conquests, Timur relied on Islamic symbols and language, referring to himself as the "Sword of Islam". He was a patron of educational and religious institutions. He styled himself as a ghazi in the last years of his life. By the end of his reign, Timur had gained complete control over all
3975-426: The role of Bajazet was one of the first major tenor roles in opera, and has also commented on the place of the opera in the context of the contemporary fashion for Turkish culture ( turquerie ). The opera is scored for two recorders, two flutes, two oboes, bassoon, two horns, strings, and continuo instruments (cello, lute, harpsichord). 18th century musicologist Charles Burney wrote of Tamerlano : "the overture
4050-545: The situation. Asteria pretends to tell Andronico that she is about to marry Tamerlano, but through a misunderstanding, Andronico is left dejected at the thought. Meanwhile, Leone brings the disguised Irene to Tamerlano, where she pleads Irene's case. (Aria: "Par che mi nasca.") Tamerlano hears her with composure. When Irene and Asteria are alone, Asteria shows sympathy towards Irene and speaks of her own feelings. Irene finds hope in this revelation, while Leone "comments only on love's irresistible power for good or evil". Bajazet
4125-514: The steppe. He then rode west about 1,000 miles advancing in a front more than 10 miles wide. During this advance, Timur's army got far enough north to be in a region of very long summer days causing complaints by his Muslim soldiers about keeping a long schedule of prayers . It was then that Tokhtamysh's army was boxed in against the east bank of the Volga River in the Orenburg region and destroyed at
4200-528: The subjugation of Khwarazm and Urgench . Following Qazaghan's murder, disputes arose among the many claimants to sovereign power. Tughlugh Timur of Kashgar , the Khan of the Eastern Chagatai Khanate, another descendant of Genghis Khan, invaded, interrupting this infighting. Timur was sent to negotiate with the invader but joined with him instead and was rewarded with Transoxania. At about this time, his father died and Timur also became chief of
4275-476: The tax collectors and some of Timur's soldiers, he ordered the massacre of the city's citizens; the death toll is reckoned at between 100,000 and 200,000. An eye-witness counted more than 28 towers constructed of about 1,500 heads each. This has been described as a "systematic use of terror against towns...an integral element of Tamerlane's strategic element", which he viewed as preventing bloodshed by discouraging resistance. His massacres were selective and he spared
4350-467: The tax money building elaborate structures. Around 1370, Husayn surrendered to Timur and was later assassinated, which allowed Timur to be formally proclaimed sovereign at Balkh . He married Husayn's wife Saray Mulk Khanum , a descendant of Genghis Khan, allowing him to become imperial ruler of the Chaghatay tribe. Timur's Turco-Mongolian heritage provided opportunities and challenges as he sought to rule
4425-601: The title of Amir meaning general, and acting in the name of the Chagatai ruler of Transoxania. To reinforce this position, Timur claimed the title güregen (royal son-in-law) to a princess of Chinggisid line. As with the title of Khan, Timur similarly could not claim the supreme title of the Islamic world, Caliph , because the "office was limited to the Quraysh , the tribe of the Prophet Muhammad ". Therefore, Timur reacted to
4500-452: The twelve-year Ottoman Interregnum period. Timur's stated motivation for attacking Bayezid and the Ottoman Empire was the restoration of Seljuq authority. Timur saw the Seljuks as the rightful rulers of Anatolia as they had been granted rule by Mongol conquerors, illustrating again Timur's interest with Genghizid legitimacy. In December 1402, Timur besieged and took the city of Smyrna ,
4575-657: The walls alive. The next year the kingdom of Sistan, under the Mihrabanid dynasty , was ravaged, and its capital at Zaranj was destroyed. Timur then returned to his capital of Samarkand , where he began planning for his Georgian campaign and Golden Horde invasion. In 1386, Timur passed through Mazandaran as he had when trying to capture the Zagros. He went near the city of Soltaniyeh , which he had previously captured but instead turned north and captured Tabriz with little resistance, along with Maragha . He ordered heavy taxation of
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#17328812599764650-443: The whole countryside, plundering and ravaging." In the meantime, years of insulting letters had passed between Timur and Bayezid. Both rulers insulted each other in their own way while Timur preferred to undermine Bayezid's position as a ruler and play down the significance of his military successes. This is the excerpt from one of Timur's letters addressed to Ottoman sultan: Believe me, you are but pismire ant: don't seek to fight
4725-402: Was a member of the Barlas, a Mongolian tribe that had been turkified in many aspects. His father, Taraghai was described as a minor noble of this tribe. However, Manz believes that Timur may have later understated the social position of his father, so as to make his own successes appear more remarkable. She states that though he is not believed to have been especially powerful, Taraghai
4800-546: Was devastated so that the Golden Horde could not use it to threaten northern Iran. In the same year, Timur caught Baghdad by surprise in August by marching there in only eight days from Shiraz. Sultan Ahmad Jalayir fled to Syria, where the Mamluk Sultan Barquq protected him and killed Timur's envoys. Timur left the Sarbadar prince Khwaja Mas'ud to govern Baghdad , but he was driven out when Ahmad Jalayir returned. Ahmad
4875-437: Was entirely successful in portraying Bajazet." Tamerlano was first performed at the King's Theatre , London , on 31 October 1724, around the time of the annual performance of Nicholas Rowe 's play of Tamerlane (4–5 November). There were 12 performances and it was repeated on 13 November 1731. The opera then received a production in Hamburg with the recitative in German and the arias in Italian. The first modern production
4950-440: Was forced to annex rebellious vassal dynasties, his holdings remained. So he proceeded to capture the rest of Persia, specifically the two major southern cities of Isfahan and Shiraz . When he arrived with his army at Isfahan in 1387, the city immediately surrendered ; he treated it with relative mercy as he normally did with cities that surrendered (unlike Herat). However, after Isfahan revolted against Timur's taxes by killing
5025-449: Was growing more politically powerful in Persian Iraq . A group of locals in the region was dissatisfied with this and, Khwandamir writes, these locals assembled and brought up their complaint with Timur, possibly provoking his attack on the Ismailis there. In the late 14th century, the Tughlaq dynasty which had been ruling over Delhi Sultanate since 1320 had declined. Most of the provincial governors had asserted their independence, and
5100-454: Was in Karlsruhe on 7 September 1924. Amongst recent productions, it appeared in the repertory of the Washington National Opera in 2008 and of the Los Angeles Opera in November 2009; both productions featured tenor Plácido Domingo who also appeared as Bajazet in a production at Teatro Real , Madrid, in 2008.An authentic, fully staged production was mounted by the Haymarket Opera of Chicago in September 2024. All performances were sold out at
5175-505: Was not only to compose operas for the company but hire the star singers, supervise the orchestra and musicians, and adapt operas from Italy for London performance. Viewed as one of Handel's major works, he composed it in the space of 20 days in July 1724, in a year in which two more great operas were composed by him: Rodelinda and Giulio Cesare . Rodelinda and Tamerlano were shorter than Giulio Cesare, about thirty numbers each compared to forty-four in Giulio Cesare. Eve Meyer has noted that
5250-410: Was of lowly origin. The Mu'izz al-Ansab , written decades later, says that she was related to the Yasa'uri tribe, whose lands bordered that of the Barlas . Ibn Khaldun recounted that Timur himself described to him his mother's descent from the legendary Persian hero Manuchehr . Ibn Arabshah suggested that she was a descendant of Genghis Khan. The 18th century Books of Timur identify her as
5325-470: Was opposed by the Jat peasantry, who would loot caravans and then disappear in the forests. He had thousands of Jats killed and many taken captive. But the Sultanate at Delhi did nothing to stop his advance. The battle took place on 17 December 1398. Before the battle, Timur slaughtered some 100,000 slaves who had been captured previously in the Indian campaign. This was done out of fear that they might revolt. Sultan Nasir-ud-Din Mahmud Shah Tughluq and
5400-461: Was prepared for the attack, evidenced by its fortress and system of tunnels. Undeterred, Timur's soldiers flooded the tunnels by cutting into a channel overhead. Timur's reasons for attacking this village are not yet well understood. However, it has been suggested that his religious persuasions and view of himself as an executor of divine will may have contributed to his motivations. The Persian historian Khwandamir explains that an Ismaili presence
5475-484: Was reasonably wealthy and influential. This is shown in the Zafarnama , which states that Timur later returning to his birthplace following the death of his father in 1360, suggesting concern over his estate. Taraghai's social significance is further hinted at by Arabshah , who described him as a magnate in the court of Amir Husayn Qara'unas . In addition to this, the father of the great Amir Hamid Kereyid of Moghulistan
5550-412: Was said that the city reeked of the decomposing bodies of its citizens with their heads being erected like structures and the bodies left as food for the birds by Timur's soldiers. Timur's invasion and destruction of Delhi continued the chaos that was still consuming India, and the city would not be able to recover from the great loss it suffered for almost a century. Before the end of 1399, Timur started
5625-576: Was unpopular but got help from Qara Yusuf of the Kara Koyunlu ; he fled again in 1399, this time to the Ottomans. In the meantime, Tokhtamysh, now khan of the Golden Horde , turned against his patron and in 1385 invaded Azerbaijan . The inevitable response by Timur resulted in the Tokhtamysh–Timur war . In the initial stage of the war, Timur won a victory at the Battle of the Kondurcha River . After
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