Battle of Ankara, 1402 - Clash of the two biggest conquerors of their time - Bayezid vs Timur — Transcript

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1. 0:05By the late 14th century, Ottoman  armies pushed the border of Islam
2. 0:10into Europe. Disastrous defeats suffered  by the Christians at Maritsa, Kosovo,
3. 0:16and Nicopolis reverberated across the West. European rulers would not challenge the
4. 0:23Ottomans for another FIFTY years. Sultan Bayezid, returning across the
5. 0:29Bosphorus strait, had continued the expansion  into Anatolia. A formidable empire was forming,
6. 0:38stretching from the Danube to the Euphrates. Meanwhile, another powerful empire emerged in the
7. 0:46east. Timur had proclaimed himself heir to the  Ilkhanids and their right to rule over Anatolia.
8. 0:54Poised to re-establish the Mongol Empire,  he marched west into Ottoman territory.
9. 1:01The 20th of July 1402 would become  an important point in the history
10. 1:06of Anatolia and the Balkans. On THAT day, two of the greatest
11. 1:12conquerors of their time met on  the dusty plain outside Ankara.
12. 2:35In the winter months of 1396, news of the  defeat at Nicopolis spread across Europe.
13. 2:42Sultan Bayezid’s troops captured the remnants of  the Christian army and led them in chains on a
14. 2:47trek to Gallipoli. King Sigismund of Hungary  was among the few who managed to escape the
15. 2:54carnage. Fearing the long march back home,  he embarked on a journey down the Danube and
16. 3:01sailed towards Constantinople, intending to reach  Hungary by sea. His troops were LESS fortunate,
17. 3:10lingering in captivity for TWO years. They  were finally sold to a French delegation for
18. 3:17a sum equal to SEVEN HUNDRED kilograms of gold. Meanwhile, the victorious Sultan Bayezid pacified
19. 3:25the rebellious Vuk Brankovic of Serbia and  destroyed the recalcitrant Tsardom of Vidin,
20. 3:32sending its ruler to Basra  where he died in captivity.
21. 3:38By now the MASTER of the Balkan peninsula and  with the prestige of being the Sultan of Rum,
22. 3:44Bayezid had proved more than equal to  his forefathers. But these possessions
23. 3:50were divided by the Sea of Marmara  and the Dardanelles. This meant
24. 3:55that a campaign on one side usually  resulted in rebellion on the other.
25. 4:01Indeed, while Bayezid was preoccupied  with the Crusade of Nicopolis, the Bey
26. 4:07of Karaman took Ankara by force in 1396. He  captured the Ottoman Governor of Anatolia;
27. 4:15a grave insult to the court in Adrianople. Bayezid the Thunderbolt – The Retribution
28. 4:27In 1397, with the European threat gone,  Bayezid crossed into Anatolia once more.
29. 4:34The Ottoman dynasty had long defined itself as  Ghazis, meaning "Warriors of the Faith". But
30. 4:42they were often at war with their Muslim  brethren for dominance in Anatolia.
31. 4:47Bayezid's swift march reflected his moniker,  "The Thunderbolt". The Ottoman Sultan reduced
32. 4:54the Karamid forces at Konya, before  capturing and executing Ali Bey.
33. 5:01He continued the eastward push in 1398, using the  instability in the region to capture Sivas and
34. 5:08much of the Eretna beylik. In doing so, Ottoman  domination over Anatolia was established.
35. 5:17A year later, in 1399, Bayezid exploited the death  of the Mamluk Sultan Berkuk to cross the Taurus
36. 5:25mountains. Berkuk's son and heir Ferec, was only  10 years old, and unable to mount a defense. The
37. 5:34conquest of the Malatya region was an important  step, for it gave Bayezid access to the Euphrates,
38. 5:41a vital logistical waterway. Moreover, with  the Taurus mountains behind him, the road into
39. 5:48the plains of northern Syria was now open. Bayezid's aggressive policy in the east was
40. 5:55a resounding success. But it brought him into  conflict with another emerging superpower.
41. 6:03Nearly 30 years before, in 1370, then a  little-known Turco-Mongol Amir in Transoxiana,
42. 6:11Timur, established his domain with Samarkand as  the capital. He used the waning influence of the
43. 6:19Chagatai Khanate, one of the successor  states of Genghis Khan's great empire,
44. 6:24to impose his rule on much of Central Asia. Timur spent the next THIRTY YEARS on campaign.
45. 6:33Much like the Mongols did a century  before, he took the medieval world by
46. 6:39storm. In spectacular fashion Timur expanded his  empire into India, Persia and the Middle East,
47. 6:47winning countless battles and successfully  besieging the most formidable of cities.
48. 6:54His raiding expeditions took him across the  Caucasus mountains, beyond the banks of the Volga
49. 7:00River. Defeating the armies of the Mongol Golden  Horde and sacking countless cities, reaching not
50. 7:07far from Moscow itself, before turning back south,  ravaging his way towards the rich coastal cities
51. 7:15of the Crimean Peninsula. The final leg of the  expedition took him east to the Ural river,
52. 7:22before he returned to friendly territory. This was a trail of destruction TEN THOUSAND
53. 7:30kilometers long. So effective that it  permanently weakened the Golden Horde,
54. 7:36ending their grip over Russia. By the year 1400, Timur was an awe-inspiring
55. 7:44war leader, known across Asia and Europe. His  formidable army was composed of grizzled veterans
56. 7:52who rode with him across two continents. When the enemy smiles, he knows your secret.
57. 8:05Proclaiming himself heir to  the Ilkhanids and the Seljuks,
58. 8:09Timur claimed the right to rule over Anatolia.  To this end, he sought alliances in the region.
59. 8:17The heirs to the beyliks of Eretna and  Karaman, recently conquered by Bayezid,
60. 8:23accepted Timur’s offer in the hope of receiving  military aid to re-establish their rule. Other
61. 8:30Turkic nobles from conquered beyliks in western  Anatolia also flocked to Timur, fleeing Bayezid's
62. 8:37attempts to exterminate local dynasties and  establish central Ottoman authority in Anatolia.
63. 8:46Conversely, Timur’s own expansion  drove out the ruling elite of Iraq,
64. 8:51Persia, and Azerbaijan, who sought refuge at  Bayezid’s court. Most notable of these were
65. 8:59Sultan Ahmad Jalayir and Sultan Qara Yusuf. Offering protection to each other’s political
66. 9:07rivals paved the way for war. Perhaps  most significantly, the Mamluk Sultanate,
67. 9:14pressured by Timur, accepted his suzerainty,  albeit only NOMINALLY. Still, this was enough
68. 9:22to secure his southern flank. Timur could now  turn his armies squarely against the Ottomans.
69. 9:30The pretext for war came in the year 1400,  when Bayezid sent a letter to Mutahharten,
70. 9:37the Emir of the city of Erzincan, who recently  sided with Timur. Bayezid demanded obedience and
71. 9:46tribute paid. Mutahharten refused, instead showing  the letter to Timur and appealing for his help.
72. 9:55Aware that he cannot allow his vassals to be  harassed, Timur threatened Bayezid, writing:
73. 10:02“Be content with the lands you seized from the  unbelievers. But return the provinces you stole
74. 10:08from fellow Muslims, or I will be their avenger”. Bayezid returned an insult in kind, ordering the
75. 10:17beards of Timur’s envoys to be shaved, before  returning them to their master in disgrace,
76. 10:23with a message: “I will come find  you. And if you refuse to fight me,
77. 10:29I will chase you to India if I have to.” Negotiations were over!
78. 10:39In mid-August 1400, Timur advanced along the Halys  River, intending to besiege Sivas, the first step
79. 10:47in his planned invasion of Anatolia. Bayezid was preoccupied with the siege
80. 10:54of Constantinople and could not respond to the  incursion. But he prepared to muster an army and
81. 11:01had sent envoys to the Mamluk Sultan, suggesting  they join forces against the Tatar invaders.
82. 11:09Ferec was not impressed but kept the lines of  communication open with the Ottoman court.
83. 11:16When Timur’s spies informed him of the diplomatic  talks taking place between Bayezid and Ferec,
84. 11:22he sent envoys of his own to Damascus to reaffirm  his suzerainty over the Mamluks. What transpired
85. 11:30at the meeting is unknown, but it ended with  the arrest and execution of the Timurid envoys.
86. 11:39By early September, Timur captured Sivas  Castle, then proceeded to burn and destroy it,
87. 11:45killing 4,000 Ottoman sipahis in the  process. The Muslim population was spared,
88. 11:53but the Armenian Christians were put to  the sword wholesale, many burned alive.
89. 12:00Then, instead of continuing the planned  invasion of Anatolia, he turned south to
90. 12:05reassert his authority over the Mamluks. Dividing his army, the multiple columns
91. 12:12crisscrossed the Taurus mountains,  leaving destruction in their wake;
92. 12:18a NOT-SO-SUBTLE reminder of the fate that  would befall all those who oppose him.
93. 12:25Timurid forces devastated the cities of Elbistan  and Malatya before descending into Syria.
94. 12:34The city of Adiyaman fell soon  after and the fortress of Besni
95. 12:39was overrun. Next was the city of Antep. By now, the Mamluks had gathered near Aleppo,
96. 12:48under the command of Timurtash. On the 30th of October, Timur defeated
97. 12:54the Mamluk army and entered the city of Aleppo.  The citadel surrendered by the 3rd of November.
98. 13:03Continuing south, the Timurids were met with  little resistance. The local garrisons were
99. 13:10unable to cope with the large mobile army  that swept them aside as they went. Hama,
100. 13:16Homs, and Baalbek were pillaged. By November, Timur besieged Damascus.
101. 13:25Throughout November and December, Sultan Ferec’s  forces gathered to the south, in preparation to
102. 13:31relieve the city. On the 25th of December the  Mamluk army attacked the Timurid siege lines.
103. 13:40But once again, they were defeated and repulsed. The siege of Damascus continued, until it was
104. 13:48captured in January 1401. Subsequently, the city  was sacked and set ablaze. Two months later,
105. 13:57in March, Timur finally departed Damascus, taking  with him thousands of craftsmen, writers and
106. 14:04scholars, including the famous Ibn Arabshah. The punitive expedition into Syria struck fear
107. 14:14into Sultan Ferec, thus erasing any chance of an  alliance between the Mamluks and the Ottomans.
108. 14:23Bayezid remained busy at Constantinople,  sensing that he was on the verge of capturing
109. 14:28the ancient capital of the Roman emperors. Although Constantinople still received supplies
110. 14:37via the sea, the sustained pressure was  enough to force Emperor Manuel to leave
111. 14:42and spend two years touring the courts of  Europe, begging for help. This left his
112. 14:48nephew John as the regent in Constantinople. By the spring of 1401, the blockade had lasted
113. 14:57for SEVEN years, taking a significant toll on  the city. It was evident from the correspondence
114. 15:04between John and Bayezid that the regent of  Constantinople considered surrendering the city
115. 15:11to the Ottomans, wishing to end the suffering. But… Timur, by now back at his headquarters
116. 15:19in Karabakh, was not idle. Trying to weaken  Bayezid, he opened diplomatic talks with John,
117. 15:27the Regent of Constantinople and  Manuel III, the Emperor of Trebizond,
118. 15:33offering his protection against the Ottomans, in  return for them providing ships for the Timurid
119. 15:39army. Both accepted, galvanized by the offer. Whether Timur was aware of how close Bayezid was
120. 15:48to forcing the surrender of Constantinople is  not known, his promise of aid encouraged John
121. 15:56to stop all negotiations with the Ottoman Sultan. However, by the time he returned from Syria in the
122. 16:04summer of 1401, it was too late in the year  to continue the invasion into Anatolia.
123. 16:13To keep his large army active and on the move,  he launched his seventh expedition into Georgia,
124. 16:19to subdue the kingdom and secure his northern  flank. The campaign went on for several months.
125. 16:26This suited Timur, for he was all too aware  that the troops needed to be paid and fed,
126. 16:32and with an army numbering over 100,000  soldiers and non-combatants, this could
127. 16:38only be achieved through continued conquest and  plunder. Moreover, keeping his emirs close to
128. 16:46him on the march prevented them from returning  to their homelands and stirring up revolts.
129. 16:55Meanwhile, Bayezid, failing to persuade John  to surrender the keys to Constantinople,
130. 17:00left the siege unattended. He headed east to  retake Sivas and capture Erzincan. This campaign,
131. 17:10as well as Timur’s invasion of Georgia  would be completed by late autumn of 1401.
132. 17:17And as the year drew to a close, both leaders  prepared for the inevitable battle.
133. 17:281402 – The Reckoning In early 1402, Timur marched
134. 17:31his troops out of winter quarters towards  the Ottoman border. His emirs, however,
135. 17:37advised him against the campaign, arguing that  the men were weary after spending three years on
136. 17:43the march. Moreover, the emirs feared Bayezid’s  leadership on the battlefield and the resources
137. 17:50readily available to him in Anatolia. Timur remained undeterred. However,
138. 17:57he knew that Bayezid was far more formidable  than any opponent he had faced before; Timur
139. 18:04perhaps secretly viewed Bayezid as his equal. Thus, he sent word to his grandson Muhammad in
140. 18:11Samarkand, ordering him to bring fresh troops  and join him in Anatolia. According to medieval
141. 18:19accounts, over the next two months the  Timurid army swelled up to 140,000,
142. 18:26though between 30 and 50 percent of these were  likely camp followers, servants, and slaves.
143. 18:33By the spring of 1402, Bayezid massed  his own army of some 85,000 troops and
144. 18:40camp followers at Basra, in preparation  for a march east to meet the invaders.
145. 18:50Two massive columns crossed the  north-eastern Ottoman border. One
146. 18:55marched along the Trebizond border. The main body, commanded by Timur,
147. 19:01advanced through Erzurum and towards Erzincan.  Splitting his force made it possible to move
148. 19:08faster through enemy territory. The plan  was for the columns to converge on Sivas.
149. 19:16Meanwhile, Bayezid’s army slowly  converged just east of Ankara.
150. 19:23By this time the Timurids reached Sivas,  where they were met by Ottoman envoys.
151. 19:31Timur received the Ottoman delegation.  But as soon as the dialogue started,
152. 19:36he rejected their gifts, thereby confirming  he did not wish to negotiate a truce.
153. 19:43Both parties promptly insisted on their demands,
154. 19:46glorifying the strengths of their respective  armies in an effort to intimidate each other.
155. 19:52Timur listed the many contingents from across  his empire. Banners from the Asian steppe,
156. 19:59Persia, India, Georgia, and other leaders loyal  to him. Tens of thousands of feared horse archers.
157. 20:07Contingents of heavy cavalry in plate or mail.  A large contingent of elephants from India,
158. 20:14a terrifying shock weapon. Timur  was confident that this impressive
159. 20:20list would intimidate the Ottomans. But the Ottoman envoys fired back,
160. 20:27listing all the great men loyal to Bayezid.  Professional infantry at the core of his army.
161. 20:33Armored feudal Sipahi cavalry. From the Balkans,  the heavily armored Serbian cavalry, commanded
162. 20:40by Stefan Lazarevic. A substantial infantry  contingent led by the nobles from Bulgaria and
163. 20:47northern Greece. Mounted Kipchak Tatars recruited  from Crimea, along with armored Mamluk mercenary
164. 20:55cavalry. And thousands of Turkic horsemen  and infantry levied from across Anatolia.
165. 21:02Once the two parties blew off steam and  the shouting match in the tent died down,
166. 21:07it was clear that neither side would budge. If either Timur or Bayezid’s envoys were
167. 21:14impressed by the show of force on each side,  they didn’t show it. Though undoubtedly,
168. 21:20neither had ever faced a foe of this strength. From Ankara, Bayezid advanced east to meet the
169. 21:29invading menace, after receiving reports  that Timur was ravaging the area around
170. 21:35Sivas. The sultan’s advisors, however, urged that  a defensive line be formed near Ankara to receive
171. 21:43the attack, closer to their main supply lines. But it was not lost on the Ottoman Sultan that the
172. 21:50forested hilly terrain in the Sivas region would  put his majority infantry army at an advantage
173. 21:57over the predominantly mounted Timurid force. He was eager to catch his opponent in Sivas. Itwas
174. 22:06now late June, however, and the laborious march  in the summer heat took its toll on the troops.
175. 22:13About a week later, Timur suddenly moved his  forces southwest after receiving reports that
176. 22:20Bayezid was closing in, leaving a diversionary  force behind to guard the rear. He too was aware
177. 22:28that the terrain around Sivas did not favor  him and wanted to avoid confronting Bayezid
178. 22:34there. Timur marched along the banks  of the Halys River, the route he used
179. 22:39two years prior. His intention was to go  around Bayezid and strike Kayseri. There,
180. 22:46he would stop to rest his troops and gather fodder  for the horses, before continuing towards Ankara.
181. 22:55Meanwhile, Bayezid had reached Tokat, just to the  north-west of the city of Sivas. He clashed with
182. 23:02what he thought was Timur’s vanguard. Quickly  brushing aside the token force, Ottoman scouts
183. 23:09dispersed to look for signs of the enemy. Some two days later, they found tracks of
184. 23:16an army moving towards the southwest. Shocked by  the realization that the enemy was now behind him,
185. 23:24the Ottoman Sultan faced about  and went back the way he came.
186. 23:29Timur commanded some 90,000 fighting men. Another  50,000 camp followers tended to the carts,
187. 23:37pack animals and siege weapons. This heavy  reliance on a massive baggage train allowed him
188. 23:43to move his massive army quickly through enemy  territory without the need to stop to forage.
189. 23:51Bayezid, meanwhile, could muster 60,000  troops, which were accompanied by around
190. 23:5720,000 camp followers. Timur’s army was clearly
191. 24:01the larger one, but not overwhelmingly so. The Sultan from Samarkandreached Ankara with
192. 24:08little opposition and put the city to siege. Surveying the flat plain northeast of the city,
193. 24:16Timur was satisfied that THIS is  where he would fight Bayezid.
194. 24:23By the 20th of July, the Thunderbolt  reached the battlefield.
195. 24:31Both commanders were aware of each other’s  military prowess. Bayezid was concerned about
196. 24:37Timur’s expert ability in leading his mobile  nomadic cavalry and horse archers. Timur,
197. 24:44on the other hand, worried about Bayezid’s  tight control of his disciplined professional
198. 24:50infantry and astute use of heavy cavalry. Both cautious, Timur deployed with his back
199. 24:57to hilly terrain to avoid a potential ambush.  Bayezid, meanwhile, anchored his right wing
200. 25:03on a ridge and his left wing to the Chubuk  stream, to protect against flanking attacks.
201. 25:11In the center stood the Azep infantry,  behind a screen of archers. Behind them
202. 25:17were several thousand elite Janissary  troops and Kapikulu Sipahi heavy cavalry,
203. 25:24Bayezid’s most trusted troops. The Sultan took command in the center,
204. 25:29together with his sons Isa, Mustafa, and Musa, as  well as his grand vizier Chandarlizade Ali Pasha.
205. 25:39On the right wing Bayezid positioned the 5,000  strong Serbian contingent, commanded by his
206. 25:46trusted vassal and brother-in-law, Prince  Stefan Lazarevic. The Serbian heavy cavalry,
207. 25:52clad in black armor, were the heaviest units  on the field, famous throughout Europe for
208. 25:58their proficiency in battle. Supporting  them was the veteran Serbian infantry.
209. 26:05Behind them were the Albanian  mercenaries and volunteers.
210. 26:11Kara Timurtas Pasha commanded an Anatolian cavalry  force alongside Lazarevic’s Serbians, taking their
211. 26:18place between them and the central front line. On the Ottoman left wing, the Sultan’s son and
212. 26:25heir Suleyman commanded the cavalry and infantry  recruited from the Balkans, mainly from the
213. 26:32recently conquered Bulgaria, along with several  contingents from the Turkic beyliks of Anatolia.
214. 26:40Behind them were the Kipchak  Tatar mercenaries from Crimea.
215. 26:45Finally, Bayezid’s son Mehmet commanded the  infantry reserve, which was bolstered with
216. 26:51a force of Turkoman Qara Qoyunlu cavalry. Crucial to the Sultan’s plan was the subtle
217. 26:58ridge that ran along his battle line. His plan  was to use this defendable elevation to offset
218. 27:05the numerical superiority of the enemy. On the other side of the battlefield,
219. 27:12the Timurid vanguard was comprised of 32 Indian  war elephants, which were supplied with early
220. 27:19explosive devices, fueled by naphtha, a form  of hideously damaging napalm. Combined with
221. 27:27archers shooting from the boxes atop their backs,  one can only imagine the psychological effect
222. 27:33these gigantic monsters and the injuries they  could inflict had on Bayezid’s western troops.
223. 27:41Timur next placed a vast screen of  horse archers across his battle line,
224. 27:45a standard tactic of nomadic armies. A camp was  set up behind each wing, tasked with resupplying
225. 27:53these riders with arrows, fresh horses,  and other provisions during the battle.
226. 28:00Timur’s son Miran Shah commanded the right wing,  composed of Chagatai horse archers, as well as
227. 28:07armored cavalry from India, Georgia, and some  Mamluk mercenaries. To the left of them was a mix
228. 28:15of cavalry from Central Asia and Persia. In the center Timur took charge of the
229. 28:21elite armored cavalry, along with  mounted units from Samarkand and
230. 28:27contingents of the Serbedari infantry. On the left wing, Timur’s son Shah Rukh
231. 28:34commanded a large contingent of Chagatai  cavalry, joined by Anatolian beys. Supporting
232. 28:41them on their right were a mix of Armenian and  Turkoman cavalry and footmen, as well as other
233. 28:47units recruited from across the Middle East. Finally, Timur’s grandson and heir Muhammed
234. 28:54Mirza was placed in charge of  the reserve cavalry force.
235. 29:00The battle began about 10am with the  general advance of Timur’s army. The
236. 29:07horse archers rode ahead, while the rest of  the army lagged behind, allowing time for the
237. 29:14mounted archers to soften the Ottoman line  or bait them into charging into the open.
238. 29:21The initial plan was to put pressure on Suleyman,  where the ground was flatter and the Ottoman
239. 29:27position more vulnerable to envelopment. Timur’s nomadic riders on the right were
240. 29:34the first to unleash a storm of arrows.  Unnerved and taking losses, the Balkan
241. 29:40troops nevertheless withstood the volleys. Shortly after, Shah Rukh’s archers concentrated
242. 29:47their volleys on Lazarevic’s contingent.  Most of the arrow fire was focused on the
243. 29:53Serbian prince’s banner, but the projectiles were  ineffective against the heavily armored troops.
244. 30:01In the center, confronted with waves of  volleys unleashed by the Chagatai riders,
245. 30:07the Ottoman foot archers withdrew onto the high  ground behind the infantry and continued to
246. 30:14respond with volleys of their own. Like thousands of hornets, Timurid
247. 30:20archers swarmed in front of the static  Ottoman line, looking for a weak spot.
248. 30:26Riders rushed in, firing off their  bows at nearly point-blank range,
249. 30:31before circling back, only to be replaced  by a new wave of swift moving archers.
250. 30:39After a while cmotion began in the Ottoman  Azep ranks. For the Timurid archers, this
251. 30:45was like sharks smelling blood. From experience  they knew that this part of the enemy line was
252. 30:52feeling the pressure of the constant barrage. On cue, all Timurid riders focused their arrows on
253. 31:00the wavering Azep infantry, trying to either force  them to flee or bait them into charging forward.
254. 31:08But Bayezid COMMANDED the men to hold  the line, despite the casualties,
255. 31:14demonstrating his strong leadership. He knew that  by now the nomadic riders were low on arrows and
256. 31:22that the first wave was nearly over. Indeed, not long after, Timur’s horse
257. 31:29archers retreated, their quivers empty.  They rode back towards the camps in the
258. 31:35rear to replenish their ammo and get fresh  horses, passing through the incoming wave of
259. 31:42Timurid cavalry that switched from a trot  to full gallop towards the enemy line.
260. 31:50Ottoman archers loosed their arrows when the  central Timurid formation came into range.
261. 31:56Moments later, Timur’s cavalry  crashed into the Ottoman left.
262. 32:03In the center, the momentum of the  charge pushed back the Azep infantry,
263. 32:08inflicting severe casualties. Bayezid ordered the  archers to focus all of their support on the Azep
264. 32:15sector by lobbing arrows into the enemy line. The Sultan sent in the Janissaries to stabilize
265. 32:23the center. Due to the ferocity of the  Timurid charge he had no choice but to
266. 32:29commit his best infantry earlier than planned. Meanwhile, On the right, the Anatolians under
267. 32:38Timurtas held their formation, but the more  experienced Persian infantry drove them back.
268. 32:46The Serbian heavy cavalry, meanwhile,  countercharged the elite contingent of
269. 32:51Middle Eastern and Anatolian formations . Serbian swords and lances tore through their
270. 32:58formation, penetrating armor  and dismounting riders.
271. 33:04In the center, while the Azeps  continued to struggle for cohesion,
272. 33:09the disciplined Janissaries held strong,  inflicting heavy losses on the Timurids.
273. 33:16Fearing that his center could break,  Timurresponded by reinforcing the attack.
274. 33:22Back on the right, by now the Serbian  heavy cavalry pushed down the gentle hill,
275. 33:28driving the enemy back across the plain. Unsupported they risked being dangerously
276. 33:36separated from the rest of the Ottoman line. Bayezid recognized the advance on the right and
277. 33:43sent an urgent message to Stefan to restrain his  men from advancing any further and pull back.
278. 33:51the center, the unrelenting Janissaries had worn  down the Timurids and forced them back. Timur and
279. 34:00his captains made sure to control the fighting  withdrawal, so it didn’t turn into a rout.
280. 34:06The Janissaries eventually broke off and did  not pursue, using the time to rest, regroup,
281. 34:13and replace broken weapons and shields. Timur, meanwhile, seeing that his attacks
282. 34:18on the left and center were  repulsed, ordered the men back,
283. 34:22as a new wave of archers was on its way.  Bayezid likewise ordered the men to reform,
284. 34:30steeling them for the next phase of the battle. Not wanting to give any respite to the enemy,
285. 34:38Timur pulled back the line to make room for  the renewed attack by his mounted archers.
286. 34:45Now with fresh horses and replenished quivers,  the agile riders weaved their way through the
287. 34:51retreating cavalry to begin another round  of missile attacks on the Ottomans.
288. 34:58Their main target in the center was, again,  the Azep infantry, who were yet to fully regain
289. 35:04their composure after the first wave. But this time, Ottoman archers, being on
290. 35:11foot and on elevated ground, were able to fire  more accurately than their mounted counterparts,
291. 35:18their deadly volleys felling many Timurid riders. On the other side of the battlefield, Timur
292. 35:25assigned two units from the rear to reinforce the  vanguard in preparation for the next assault.
293. 35:32In addition, he ordered his son  Miran Shah to shift some of the
294. 35:36Persian cavalry to the left wing, realizing  that more force will be needed against the
295. 35:42Serbian contingent in the next wave. Meanwhile, the swarm of activity continued
296. 35:50in front of the Ottoman line, as the steppe  riders continued to chip away at Bayezid’s men.
297. 35:57While losses mounted, the Ottoman  discipline held, the men valiantly
298. 36:02withstanding the barrage of arrows. Having reshuffled his lines, Timur
299. 36:08launched the second attack. His horse  archers once again gradually swerved
300. 36:15around and began withdrawing to the rear to  mount fresh horses and restock on arrows.
301. 36:23Bayezid could see the stronger concentration of  troops in the Timurid center. Worried about the
302. 36:29endurance of the Azep infantry, he moved ALL of  his archers behind them to provide additional
303. 36:36close-range support. Additional Janissary units  were sent forward to strengthen the center.
304. 36:44From the Ottoman rear, Mehmet sent  reinforcements to the Ottoman right wing,
305. 36:49anticipating that this time the Serbian contingent  will be struck with much greater force.
306. 36:56In addition, Bayezid tasked the Albanian mercenary  cavalry to aid Stefan in the ridge sector.
307. 37:05Timur, wanting to further increase  pressure, ordered Shah Rukh to fully
308. 37:09commit the left wing, and moved two  reserve units to bolster his numbers.
309. 37:15Fully committing Shah Rukh at the last moment  was a brilliant move, as it gave Bayezid little
310. 37:21time to react. Timur was one step ahead. Meanwhile, the Ottomans received the attack
311. 37:30on their right. In the chaos the lines mixed. The overwhelming numbers Timur committed against
312. 37:37the Serbian contingent were expected to  pin down the heavily armored knights,
313. 37:43while the cavalry on the right wing broke  through to roll up the Ottoman line.
314. 37:49Timur’s fresh units on the far left managed to  gain ground and fight their way across the ridge.
315. 37:55But opposing them, Stefan and his veterans were  unyielding, despite being outnumbered almost two
316. 38:02to one. After about 30 minutes of fighting, the  Ottoman right had stopped the enemy once again.
317. 38:11It was now around noon. Two hours  had passed since the fighting began.
318. 38:17In the center, the reinforced Timurid  vanguard pinned down the Ottomans,
319. 38:22the weight of the attack mostly focused on the  Azep infantry. However, this time supported
320. 38:29by the Janissaries and concentrated volleys  of the foot archers, the Azep line held.
321. 38:37But on the Ottoman left wing, the situation looked  grim. The Anatolian infantry and cavalry under
322. 38:43Suleyman buckled against Miranshah’s’s men. Bayezid reacted quickly,
323. 38:50sending forward the Tatar mercenaries. But instead of aiding the Anatolians,
324. 38:57the Tatars switched sides and joined Timur’s  troops in decimating the Ottoman left.
325. 39:05The reason for their defection remains unclear.  As mercenaries, perhaps they thought that joining
326. 39:11Timur would be more rewarding. Another possibility  is they decided to join their nomadic brethren.
327. 39:19Caught between the Tatars and the  Timurids in a merciless crossfire,
328. 39:23many Ottoman troops under Suleyman’s command  fled, trying to get away from the slaughter.
329. 39:30Bayezid urgently sent the armored sipahi  cavalry under his son Mehmed to prevent
330. 39:35his left wing from disintegrating. Struck from behind, the lightly armored
331. 39:42Kipchaks were no match against the sipahis.  Unable to wiggle away, they were cut to pieces
332. 39:49in close quarters. Nevertheless, the  Anatolians were still hard pressed.
333. 39:56Observing the situation and the implosion  of the Ottoman left wing, Timur sent forward
334. 40:01additional units to press the advantage. However, by around 1pm it seemed that Bayezid
335. 40:10succeeded in stabilizing this sector with Mehmed’s  reserves, despite the increasing pressure.
336. 40:18But then, a calamity for the Ottomans! Among Timur’s reinforcements, banners of Karaman,
337. 40:26Aydin, and Menteshe flapped in the wind.  THESE were the Turkic lords, previously
338. 40:33defeated by Bayezid during his expansion in  Anatolia, some of whom fled to join Timur.
339. 40:41Now serving the Ottomans they could see the  standards of their former brethren within
340. 40:47Timurid ranks. And some of these who had been  fighting under the command Kara Timurtas Pasha
341. 40:53on the center right also switched sides! Worse, by now the nomadic horse archers had
342. 41:01returned, lobbing arrows at the  Ottomans as they rode past.
343. 41:06Bayezid and Mehmet both urgently sent  more troops to shore up their wings.
344. 41:14By now, Suleyman had lost control of the Ottoman  left! With his personal retinue he fought his
345. 41:20way out and began retreating from the field. Seeing his son’s banner abandoning the front line,
346. 41:28Bayezid sent word to the Serbian  Prince Stefan on the opposite wing,
347. 41:32requesting his presence on the left to  shore up the ranks and instill discipline.
348. 41:39Timur’s elite Mamluks rushed into the gap left  in the Serbian line by the departing Stefan.
349. 41:46But the breakthrough was stopped by  the veteran Serbian infantry.
350. 41:52However, parts of the Ottoman right began  to waver after enduring hours of fighting,
351. 41:57defections, and a constant barrage of arrows. Crossing the battlefield to join the fighting on
352. 42:05the left, Stefan sent a messenger to the  Sultan, urging him to conduct a fighting
353. 42:10retreat or at least leave the command in the  hands of his sons and withdraw to safety.
354. 42:17But in Bayezid’s mind, fleeing was unacceptable!  He was not just some mediocre Emir. He was the
355. 42:25Ottoman Sultan who had doubled the  territory of the Empire inherited
356. 42:30from his forefathers. Undefeated in battle! Glancing once more to his left, Bayezid could
357. 42:39see that the wing there had stabilized. Taking a deep breath and steeling himself,
358. 42:45the Ottoman Sultan jerked his steed  AND LED the remaining sipahis forward!
359. 42:53Joining the Janissaries in the center, Bayezid’s  presence lifted the spirits of the men.
360. 43:01Despite the punishment they’ve endured  for much of the afternoon, the elite
361. 43:05Janissary infantry frenziedly hacked their way  forward, driving back the Timurid center!
362. 43:13Meanwhile, on the Ottoman left, Prince Stefan  joined the fighting with a handful of lieutenants
363. 43:18that were still alive, galvanizing the troops! Exchanging blow after blow, it was the Timurid
364. 43:26troops who succumbed to the pressure. Seeing that the battle was turning against him,
365. 43:32Timur sent in the last of his reserves. Some  were to join Miranshah to help finish off the
366. 43:39Ottoman left wing. The rest were tasked with  joining the attack against the Ottoman right
367. 43:45and attempt once more to break the resolve  of the Serbian contingent, now that their
368. 43:50leader Prince Stefan was absent. Timur also sent-in many of the horse
369. 43:56archers who had run out of arrows  to join the desperate struggle.
370. 44:01Finally, Timur UNLEASHED his 32 elephants! Even through the din of battle, the rumbling
371. 44:09of the ground could be felt as the Indian  riders spurred on the massive animals.
372. 44:16In one of the last orders of the day, the Sultan  from Samarkand ordered the units in the center
373. 44:22to clear a path for the Indian riders. Towering over 3 meters and weighing more
374. 44:29than 4 tons, the shadows of the 32 massive beasts  would be the last sight of many in their path.
375. 44:38With iron determination, the Janissaries  refused to yield as the giant beasts
376. 44:44ripped right through them! Gaping holes were left in the
377. 44:47Ottoman central formations, as scores of men  were trampled by the rampaging elephants.
378. 44:56Most of the frightened animals finally  collapsed in the midst of the Ottoman soldiers,
379. 45:00succumbing to the injuries they sustained  from hundreds of sword blows. A few of the
380. 45:06elephants that survived, punching through the  Ottoman line, proceeded to flee the field.
381. 45:13Though the carnage by Timur’s elephants had  stopped, the damage inflicted was irreparable.
382. 45:20Worse, the Ottoman army was by now fully  committed. With no reinforcements left
383. 45:26to bolster the left wing and fill the  shattered units in the center, they were
384. 45:32overwhelmed across the entire battle line. Timur knew that NOW was the time! He ordered
385. 45:40a general advance. EVERY MAN still able  to hold a weapon was brought forward!
386. 45:48The Ottoman line was firmly on the back foot. Within the hour, large sections of the Ottoman
387. 45:55line broke and fled. Most of the  men on the left wing routed.
388. 46:02Exhausted, some men simply gave up and collapsed  to the ground. Others found the strength to flee
389. 46:09the carnage. Others still, remained in the fight. Prince Stefan again urged the Sultan to retreat.
390. 46:17But Bayezid refused! This time his  resolve to stay and fight was perhaps to
391. 46:23allow his sons to escape to safety. Prince Stefan formed an escort and
392. 46:29fought his way out. The Sultan’s sons, Mehmet,  Suleyman, and Isa managed to retreat. But Musa
393. 46:36and Mustafa were captured during the fighting. As the Ottoman army was reduced, contingents still
394. 46:45offering resistance were cornered and surrounded. In a dramatic last stand, Bayezid stood valiantly
395. 46:52on the hill of Cataltepe with his Janissaries,  who fought and died next to their Sultan.
396. 47:00They repelled waves of attacks until late in the  afternoon, before finally being ground down.
397. 47:08Late in the day, a breakout was attempted. Bayezid  and his select retinue tried fighting their way
398. 47:15eastward. But to no avail. Timur had won the day.
399. 47:22His army suffered around 15,000 dead and  wounded. In stark contrast, some 30,000
400. 47:29Ottoman troops lay dead on the field, HALF of  the army that fought in the battle Ankara.
401. 47:37The terrifying death toll was evident across  the dusty plain of Chubuk. The most disastrous,
402. 47:44however, was the capture of  the Ottoman Sultan Bayezid.
403. 47:51With the crushing victory at Ankara and  the capture of the Ottoman Sultan, Timur
404. 47:56was now the undisputed master of Anatolia. Pushing west, he conquered one of the last
405. 48:03Crusader enclaves in Asia, the Knights  of St. John’s fortress at Smyrna.
406. 48:09Timur restored the Turkic emirates,  most notably Karaman, incorporating
407. 48:14them into his sphere of influence. In a show of dominance, he sent a
408. 48:19message to Bayezid’s son and heir, Suleyman  Chelebi, GRANTING him the Balkan provinces.
409. 48:28But Timur could not linger in Anatolia for long.  He had to keep his army on the move and he soon
410. 48:34marched back the way he came. By now an old man  in his sixties, Timur breathed his final breath
411. 48:42in 1405, during a campaign directed at China.  The empire he built did not survive for long.
412. 48:52Ironically, the Ottoman Empire he dismantled at  Ankara DID survive. After a period of civil wars,
413. 49:01capable new Sultans emerged. Within a few decades the Ottoman
414. 49:06Empire would re-emerge as the pre-eminent  power in Europe and the Middle East.