About the book: 2014 / In the destinies of the great commanders and conquerors there will always be contradictions and secrets that can feed the doubts of descendants for centuries, excite the imagination of historians and demand everything new and new compromises. Timur, Tamerlane, the Great Khromets (1336-1405) are the clearest and perhaps the most characteristic confirmation of this. His rise to power, military campaigns and rule are the essence of contradictions. On the one hand, constant attention to the sciences and scientists, patronage of the arts, the desire for beauty, and on the other hand, cruelty, so furious that it sweeps away any thought about the ability to show mercy. What there is no doubt about is Tamerlane’s genius as a commander and military organizer. There is no need for compromise on this issue - historians are unanimous. Only a genius knows how to rally unconditionally devoted people around himself, to create a core that, like a magnet, attracts and holds people in its orbit, no matter what their roots and faith. This is how Genghis Khan, Tamerlane’s idol and role model, created his empire. Timur's army had no equal on the battlefields, although his opponents were by no means “whipping boys.” Both Khan of the Golden Horde Tokhtamysh, who ravaged Moscow, and Sultan Bayezid I the Lightning, who more than doubled the possessions of the Ottoman Empire in a few years, both fell under the blows of Tamerlane’s hordes. And the empire he created lasted for several centuries. But still the question has not been resolved. So who is he – Tamerlane? Historians have never reached a compromise. Some consider him a fiend of hell, others justify him, fitting him into the common formula of “the son of his era”... Let historians argue! And for us, Timur the Lame, like any genius, does not need excuses. He himself believed that he was acting on the orders of the Higher Powers: “The unequaled God, who is the master of fickle fate, put a bridle in my hands so that I could control the movement of the kingdoms of this world.” And, believing in his destiny, he entered into a struggle for power with a detachment of three hundred warriors and rose to the top - he became the Thunderstorm of the East and West, and did not lose a single battle. And with this he forever inscribed his name in History... “The Autobiography of Timur”, “The Heroic Tales of Genghis Khan and Aksak-Temir” and “The Code of Tamerlane” are three unique written sources telling about the life of the invincible commander whose conquests redrew the map of the world and changed the course of history for a significant part of the land. “To my children, happy conquerors of states, my descendants - the great rulers of the world,” - with these words begins the famous set of laws of Timur - “The Code of Tamerlane”. The great emir had something to tell about himself and the vast world created entirely by his own efforts, because he not only conquered and destroyed, but also built; possessed not only the courage of a warrior and the talent of a commander, but also the wisdom of a ruler. That is why he is called “the last great conqueror in history,” who managed to assemble the greatest state in the world by force of arms, hold it and pass it on to his descendants. The electronic publication includes the full text of the paper book and a selected portion of illustrative documentary material. And for true connoisseurs of gift editions, we offer a classic book. Like all publications in the “Great Commanders” series, the book is provided with detailed historical and biographical comments; The text is accompanied by hundreds of illustrations, many of which the modern reader will become familiar with for the first time. Beautiful printing, original design, the best offset paper - all this makes the books of the “Great Commanders” gift series the best gift for a man for all occasions.