THE EAST IN MEDIEVAL TIMES 307

Turkestan, Persia, and Mesopotamia, and (4) the Mongo-
lian empire of Siberia. The Turkish empire of Timur or
Tamerlane (1369—1405) was built out of these elements.

Timur brought half of Asia under his sway. He con-
quered all lands from the Great Wall of China to Moscow,
and, as we know, overrun the Punjab as well. By this time
the Turks and Mongols of the North-West had not only
turned Muslims, but become its fanatical protagonists. " My
object in the invasion of Hindustan," Timur declared, " is
to lead a campaign against the infidels, to convert them to
the True Faith according to the command of the Prophet
(on whom be the blessing of God!), to purify the land
from the defilement of misbelief and polytheism, and over-
throw the temples and idols, whereby we shall be Ghazis
and Mujdhids, champions and- soldiers of the Faith before
God." But this was merely a pretext, because Timur fought
and overthrew Muslims as well. He invaded India in 1398,
defeated the Sultan of Turkey in a terrible engagement at
Angora in 1402, received the submission of the Sultan of
Egypt, and suddenly died in 1405.

The Ottoman or Osmanli Turks had established them-
selves in Asia-Minor about 1300. Under Bajazet they had
advanced into South-Eastern Europe and overthrown the
Christian armies at Nicopolis on the Danube in 1396. The
advent of Timur had temporarily checked this Turkish ad-
vance into Europe. But under Muhammad II (the Great)
the Turkish conquests were renewed with vigour. Constan-
tinople fell before his irresistible attacks, in 1453, and the
Muslims established themselves in the Balkan peninsula
with momentous results in European history. Under Sulei-
man the Great (called by Turkish historians the 'Lord of
,his Age') the Ottoman power was raised to its zenith
(1520—1566), He advanced into Central Europe and in-