On 22 April 1395, the Battle of Terek was fought between the Timurids under Timur against the Golden Horde under Tokhtamish during the Conquests of Timur.
Why did it happen?
During the fourteenth century, the Golden Horde Khanate had begun to disintegrate under internal pressures. By 1362, the Golden Horde Mongols had coalesced around two factions: the Sufi dynasty, which controlled the province of Khorezm, and the White Horde, which was controlled by Urus, a descendent of Genghis Khan’s eldest son, Jochi. In 1378, Tokhtamish succeeded Urus as Khan of the White Horde and reunited the Golden Horde in 1380 with the aid of the ruler of Samarkand, Timur. In 1388, Tokhtamish began to make border incursions against the Timurid Empire, forcing Timur to end his campaign in Persia to meet him in battle. On 18 June 1391, Timur defeated Tokhtamish at the Battle of Kandurcha but could not pursue him due to the high level of casualties sustained in the battle. Three years later, while campaigning in Georgia, Timur was attacked again by Tokhtamish’s forces. This time, Timur pursued his army and met Tokhtamish by the Terek River in April 1395, aiming to defeat his old rival once and for all.
Who was involved?
The Timurid army at Terek numbered 100,000 infantry and cavalry. The Timurid army was arrayed into seven bodies, with Timur commanding the reserves consisting of 27,000 cavalry. Timur’s sons led the rest of the army, with Mohammed Sultan commanding the infantry in the centre, flanked on the left and right wings by more cavalry under Shaykh Nur ad-Din and Sayf ad-Din Nukuz, respectively. The size of the Golden Horde army at Terek is unknown but is believed to have been around the same size as the Timurid army. Tokhtamish was in overall command with his army consisting of infantry in the centre and cavalry on the wings. The Golden Horde’s plan at Terek seems to have been to seek out and kill Timur himself, demoralize his army, and cause it to rout, thereby ending the Timurid threat to the Golden Horde.
What happened?
The battle began with the Timurid left wing coming under heavy pressure from the Golden Horde right wing, which advanced against it. In response, Timur led his 27,000-strong cavalry reserve forward to support the left wing under the cover of arrow fire. Timur managed to push back the Golden Horde’s right wing, who rallied around the main body of Tokhtamish’s army. With the support of the army’s main body, the Golden Horde’s right wing surrounded Timur’s left wing and inflicted heavy casualties. When Timur was surrounded, Shaykh Nur ad-Din rushed to his aid with 50 men and formed a living wall around Timur, protecting him from harm. At the same time, Mohammed Sultan and Sayf ad-Din Nukuz rallied their forces on the Timurid right wing and charged the Golden Horde left wing, inflicting heavy casualties and pushing it back before it fled the battle with the Timurids in pursuit. The Golden Horde centre then engaged the Timurid centre. After heavy fighting, the Golden Horde was the first to buckle after being demoralised by the loss of the left wing. When Tokhtamish fled the battlefield, the Golden Horde’s morale broke, and a rout ensued. Casualties reportedly approached 100,000 dead, with 27,000 of those being Timurid losses.
What changed as a result?
The Battle of Terek was a decisive Timurid victory. In the aftermath of the battle, Timur pursued Tokhtamish up the Volga River until the Golden Horde leader vanished into the Bulgar forests. In response, Timur switched his plans to pillaging and destroying key Golden Horde cities to ensure that Tokhtamish would never regain his former power. In addition, the Golden Horde’s capital, Sarai, was destroyed to divert the northern caravan trade routes through Central Asia southwards through Persia and Afghanistan into Timur’s own empire. As stated by Justin Marozzi, “It was a masterstroke of brutal efficacy…In the century after Temur’s [sic] death, the Golden Horde collapsed into independent kingdoms, its splendour gone forever” (Marozzi, 2005, p.200). Tokhtamish survived but was never again able to regain his former power, dying in 1406 after attempting to regain the throne of the Golden Horde from Shadi Beg.
Bibliography
Grant, R.G. Battle: A Visual Journey Through 5,000 Years of Combat. London, Dorling Kindersley, 2005.
Kings and Generals. “Rise of Timur - War against Toqtamish - MONGOL INVASIONS DOCUMENTARY.” YouTube video, 18:07. April 20, 2020. www.youtube.com/watch?v=y95sYUkQJuA
Marozzi, Justin. Tamerlane: Sword of Islam, Conqueror of the World. London, Harper Perennial, 2005.
Rickard, John. “Battle of the Terek River, 22 April 1395.” History of War. Last revised August 27, 2010. www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_terek_river.html