What if Timur had not become sick and did not die on his way toward China? - Historum

Mephistopheles · August 19th, 2012, 09:57 AM

Near the end of his life Timur allied with the remnants of the Yuan Dynasty and started eastward on a campaign against the Ming Dynasty. Timur intended to conquer China but died en route after contracting plague. What if Timur had stayed healthy and continued on toward China?

Vezir · August 19th, 2012, 06:50 PM

Timurs possible succes or possible defeat would not change the history much. China had a great population and culture at that time as it has today. Huns and Mongols defeated China many times but they were forced to withdraw at last because of the Chinesse people`s resistant against foreign culture. Also even if Timur conquered all of the China then died, his sons would make a throne war as they did in real history so Chinesse people could easily manage to kick Empire of Timur from their land.

In the end : China cant lose against Timur.

Dreamhunter · August 20th, 2012, 05:48 AM

Fair enough. But one musn't forget also that 'China' was/is not just one single monolithic nation, let alone just one tribe. It was/is an artificial mixture of hundreds of different tribes and scores of different nations.

If someone like Timur had conquered it, then carved it up to be inherited by his many sons and grandsons, and if the carve-up had been sustained for a long enough period, it's not at all impossible that China would have reverted back to its pre-Shi Huang-de multitude of disparate kingdoms, and stayed that way.

Lazyman · August 20th, 2012, 06:03 AM

OP needs to elaborate more on the scenario .

Mephistopheles · August 20th, 2012, 06:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lazyman

OP needs to elaborate more on the scenario .

How so?

BrowniesRule · August 20th, 2012, 07:16 AM

Timur received many embassies from China, and he had to maintain a puppet king for legitimacy purposes. If he had any grand plan to take over China he wouldn't have symbolically bowed down to Chinese royalty. If he didn't die he would probably have brought back shiny booty, like everywhere else.

Lazyman · August 20th, 2012, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrowniesRule

Timur received many embassies from China, and he had to maintain a puppet king for legitimacy purposes. If he had any grand plan to take over China he wouldn't have symbolically bowed down to Chinese royalty. If he didn't die he would probably have brought back shiny booty, like everywhere else.

This . Just more people dead .

**mingming** · August 20th, 2012, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dreamhunter

Fair enough. But one musn't forget also that 'China' was/is not just one single monolithic nation, let alone just one tribe. It was/is an artificial mixture of hundreds of different tribes and scores of different nations.

If someone like Timur had conquered it, then carved it up to be inherited by his many sons and grandsons, and if the carve-up had been sustained for a long enough period, it's not at all impossible that China would have reverted back to its pre-Shi Huang-de multitude of disparate kingdoms, and stayed that way.

This is not true. The Ming was primarily a Han state, just like the Song before it. If Timur took over the Ming, he would be facing resistance from the Chinese not unlike those faced by the Yuan. In the end, a Chinese will end up overthrowing his regime and establishing a new dynasty.