Customer Reviews

The Age of Tamerlane (Men-at-Arms)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

An enjoyable book which covers a little-known subject. It is mainly a study of the Timurid rulers who controlled an area which today comprises of Afghanistan and Central Asia.. These rulers were continually at war with their neighbours who like them were the heirs of the earlier Mongol Empire founded by Genghis Khan. I found it interesting because of its insight of the personality of Timur (Tamerlane) who was on the one hand a cruel despot and on the other a clever ruler. The text itself is full of information on the Timurid armies and those of their enemies, the Turcomans and Uzbeks. The colour plates are particulrly beautiful as they show warriors in armour inspired both by the Islamic and Chinese traditions. Of particular interest are drawings of Timurid horsemen and their mounts in intricate lamellar armour.Most of these are inspired from miniatures drawn from various sources such as Persian and Ottoman Turkey.Timur's Empire stood between the The Islamic world and the Chinese Empire and therefore was inspired by both in the area of warfare and equipment.

I've been reading reviews of Osprey titles and nodding my head in agreement. Basically, Osprey's readers want the quality of a 30 dollar title in a twelve dollar title. I think the answer may be found in the larger trade paperbacks Osprey is now printing. That being said, there is still good introductory information in the Men-at-Arms series. Off my soapbox now...This volume deals with the Timurid state that thrived and wilted in Aisa from the late 14th to late 15th centuries. Basically a combination of Mongol cavalry and Turkic infantry, Chinese siege techniques and...medieval War elephants! with good discipline and a penchant for plunder. They faced Byzantines, Mamluks, Ottoman Turks, Armenians, Georgians, Mongols, etc. Dr. Nicolle once again tackles an obscure subject, relying on archeological and textual support for his theses. As he admits in this book and others, there's still a lot open to interpretation. He even questions some of Angus McBride's illustrations. Osprey titles are a good starting point to do deeper research. My nitpicking: photos are often too small to see what Dr. Nicolle is trying to demonstrate, and the time period covered is great ( less so in this title than in others ).The reader is referred to the title dealing with the Ottoman empire from 1300 to 1774 for information on the Timurids' main enemy. Highpoints: Angus McBride's paintings, the illustration of Turco-Mongol bows and their usage. Too bad there is no war elephant plate...

This is the best source of information I would recommend to anybody without spending alot of money. While I did and do have the Cambridge titles as well as orginial Turkish and Perisan manuscripts, this is one source I can give to read to the western population without going into too much detail. The Pictures as good and the history is true. A 5/5 for this One.

An excellent overview of the arms, armour, tactics, organization and leaders from a period of history throughly ignored in the west. Our lack of knoweldge here is probably due two reasons. First, Tamerlane barely touched the Christian west, prefering instead to pick on the asian and middle eastern Muslim peoples, therefore having little effect on the modern west directly. Second, Tamerlane was a comqueror, not an empire builder. He simply annhilated his foes and left. His destruction of the Ottomans meant little as he allowed them to regroup and later regain their power.

David Nicolle's books often seem to focus heavily on archaeological evidence. In this case it is probably a neccesity. There is much focus on surviving examples helmets, armour and weapons. My knowledge of the eastern types of armour was strengthened from reading this book.

One fact that struck me after taking in the whole of Timur's campaigns is how ridiculous it sounds for critics to blame Christianity and Europe, usually the Crusades, for the sad state of the Muslim world. Take a look at the destruction Timur brought the Muslim lands. Major cities and cultural centers were sacked repeatedly. Untold numbers were slaughtered. This is most likely what set Islam back. Comparing the crusades to Tamerlane' conquests is like comparing a flea bite to nuke.

I am not Angus McBrides biggest fan, but I enjoyed his work here. The plates of Timur in his early years as well as the cover plate are outstanding. Wargamers and miniature painters will love this book.

Buy if you have any interest in the period.

Osprey and the team of David Nicolle/Angus McBride have again produced another quality title on a subject not usually considered mainstream. Tamerlane or more correctly, Timur-i-Lenk, was a fascinating subject. His Timurid dynasty formed a geographic and chronological link between the Mongol Empire and then the rise of the Mughals in India. Timur by himself was worth reading about, especially given that he operated in both what became modern Iraq and Afghanistan.

The book has the usual format for an Osprey title with background on Timur, his time and his conquests, then a more focused discussion on his military and his tactics. David Nicolle does not allow the text to fall into the droll prose of a reference book, although it is no page turner - not that I would expect that from an Osprey title such as this anyway.

There was a very good description of the organisation of Timur's army. David Nicolle also discusses what heritage impacted on Timur's army; being not just Mongol; as it had many similarities with Turkic and Persian Armies. Timur's brief Empire was probably a good example of an empire where East met Middle East and how they interacted. As such, David Nicolle emphasised that Timur's rise was assisted by his control of the fabled Silk Route.

It would be remiss to review an Osprey title and not comment on the artwork. The late Angus McBride again produced some stunning artworks. He showed that the Timurids were not just steppe archers but also heavy cavalry. The inclusion of plates showing Timur's enemies gave depth to what would otherwise be a one-sided story; without an enemy there can be no fighting, nor fame seeking. The plates also included a more peaceful setting of Timur enjoying watching a dancing girl before he commenced a hunt. Each plate hadan explanation at the end of the book and each noted the source of the idea for the plate. There were also a number of line drawings in the text to provide more details about armour and weapons.

A minor criticism is that the edition I read was published in 2004 yet the 'further reading' did not appear to reflect a 2004 printing, the books were no more modern than the 1980s. In that section the book The Rise and Rule of Tamerlaneby Manz was listed as forthcoming but was published in 1989 according to its Amazon page. This is nitpicking, but it would have been nice to see an updated list.

If you want to now about Timur and his army then this book is for you. Another quality Osprey title.

A great Osprey title on one of the most famous (or infamou?) warriors of medieval Central Asia, this book is also supplemented by beautiful artwork by the talented Angus McBride.

Some great illustrations with a so so text about one of the real Monsters of History. Tamerlane was not a man you wanted lurking around in your area of operations if you could help it.