For his inevitable confrontation with Tamerlane, whose forces probably numbered at the most about 80,000 men plus 26 or 32 elephants, the Ottomans under Bayezid allegedly mustered 120-150,000 or more men, including some Black Tartars, and 5,000 Serbs according to Doukas. Bayezid had orginally taken up position on high ground near Ankara, but Tamerlane, hearing of this, left the road on which he had been marching and took off cross-country, with the Ottomans, who thought he was in flight, abandoning their camp and marching after him. After leading the Turks on an 8-day goose-chase Tamerlane arrived back on the plain before Ankara and plundered the undefended Ottoman camp, then drew up for battle with one flank on a river that ran behind his position and the other on a fortified height (i. e. the original Ottoman position). The Ottomans themselves, tired from their march (during which they had lost perhaps 5,000 men through thirst), were now obliged to do battle without first having a chance to rest. They drew up with Rumelians on the left, Anatolians on the right. Janissaries and ’azabs in the centre, with Tartar and Serb cavalry behind the left and right wings respectively, the household cavalry behind the Janissaries, and more sipahis in reserve.
The Ottomans advanced in a crescent formation at 10.00 a. m. to a great noise of drums and cymbals while the Timurids awaited their onset in silence. On the right, led by Bayezid’s son Suleiman, the Ottoman attack was met by a concentrated barrage of arrows and naptha (Tamerlane’s front line reputedly throwing balls of Greek Fire amongst the archers covering the Turkish advance), and the Timurid right wing charged the disordered Ottomans. As Bayezid’s own right wing, comprised largely of recently subjugated Anatolian amirates, gave ground (many of the Anatolian Turcomans deserting to Tamerlane — Doukas specifically mentions the troops of Aydin, Saruhan, Menteshe and Germiyan), the Timurid left counter-attacked in 3 waves, breaking through the Turkish skirmishers and overwhelming their cavalry, who they pursued out of sight. Tamerlane now despatched the elite Samarkand division and a unit of his own guards to take advantage of this breakthrough, and these made contact with the Serbs, who were eventually obliged to withdraw, which left only Bayezid’s infantry centre still intact, against which Tamerlane now advanced with his own centre, comprised of his elephants and 80 regiments (binliks?). The Ottoman centre was swiftly overwhelmed, those infantry and sipahis who stood their ground being killed or captured. Bayezid himself made a stand with 1,000 horsemen according to Schiltberger (or 10,000 Janissaries according to Doukas), until these too were cut down, upon which he attempted to flee, only to be captured. Monstrelet and the Dominican Friar both agree that the Turks lost 40,000 men, while the Timurids are said to have lost 10,000. Bayezid never regained his freedom, dying only a few months later.
World History
