Titans of History

Edward had been happily married to Queen Philippa, with whom he had many children. But he now embarked on an affair with Alice Perrers, who was soon notorious for her greed and corruption in partnership with the unscrupulous Lord Latimer. The court was now in decline. Edward suffered strokes and the Black Prince returned from Aquitaine and his unsuccessful Castilian enterprises incapacitated by illness. John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster, who also became entangled in the Castilian intrigues—hoping to become king of Castile—took control of government as Edward III’s next ranking son. After Queen Philippa died, Alice Perrers became more brazen and wealthy.

By 1376, the glorious reign, blessed with so many victories, had turned sour. The Black Prince died—the most famous knight in Europe. Edward was sick and John of Gaunt’s attempts to defend his father and the crown were clumsy. In 1376 and 1377 the “Good Parliament” effectively demanded the dismissal of Alice Perrers and the trial of Lord Latimer. Edward III and John of Gaunt were tainted with scandal and humiliation.

In 1377, Edward finally died after a reign of fifty years, succeeded by his ill-starred grandson Richard II, son of the Black Prince. Nonetheless, Edward had proved a brilliant monarch and military commander, with a winning personal charm and glamour, remarkable courage, luck in war and politics and a feel for theater and pageantry. The Black Prince was less politically astute—but no less glamorous. The English rarely dub their kings great, but if any deserve this soubriquet, it is Edward the Great.

TAMERLANE

1336–1405

He loved bold and valiant soldiers, by whose aid he opened the locks of terror, tore men to pieces like lions, and overturned mountains

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Arab writer Ahmad ibn Arabshah, describing Tamerlane

Tamerlane was a statesman and military commander of astonishing brilliance and brutal ferocity who built an empire stretching from India to Russia and the Mediterranean Sea. Never defeated in battle, he ranks alongside Genghis Khan and Alexander the Great as one of the great conquerors of all time, leaving in his wake both pyramids of human skulls and the aesthetic beauty of his capital Samarkand.

Timur—meaning iron in Turkic—was born in Kesh, south of Samarkand, in 1336. His father was a minor chief of the Barlas tribe, settled in Transoxiana (roughly present-day Uzbekistan), at the heart of the crumbling Mongol empire, which was breaking apart into warring factions ruled by descendants of Genghis Khan, chief among them the Jagatai, the il-Khanid dynasty and the so-called Golden Horde. The situation within the Jagatai khanate—of which the Barlas were a part—was further complicated by tensions between predominantly nomadic tribes and those wanting a settled life of peace and trade. Tribal infighting was consequently common, and participating in a raid as a young man, Timur—described by contemporaries as strong, with a large head and long beard of a reddish hue—sustained wounds that left him partially paralyzed down one side and with a distinctive limp, hence the nickname Timur the lame, later abbreviated to Tamerlane. He nonetheless became a skilled horseman and superior soldier, quickly building up a substantial following. According to the Arab writer Arabshah, he was “steadfast in mind and robust in body, brave and fearless, firm as rock … faultless in strategy.” Intellectually he was equally adept, speaking at least two languages, Persian and Turkic, and having a keen interest in history, philosophy, religion and architecture, as well as being an enthusiastic chess player.

In 1361, Timur was put in charge of the area round Samarkand, having sworn allegiance to Tughluq, who had taken over the Jagatai khanate. When Tughluq died soon afterward, Timur cemented his position by forming a coalition with Hussein, another tribal chief, whose power base was in Balkh. The two carved up much of the surrounding area as their armies swept aside rival tribes, but simmering tensions in their relationship—previously kept in check by family ties—erupted after the death of Timur’s first wife, Hussein’s sister. Timur—who had won popular support by generously rewarding loyalty—turned on and defeated his former ally, only to release him shortly afterward, overwhelmed at the sight of his old friend in shackles. Such leniency, however, was short-lived. Timur subsequently had two of Hussein’s sons executed, taking four of his wives for his own, and hunting down his prominent supporters throughout the region, beheading them and sharing their wives and children among his men like gifts.