THE GODS OF WAR...TAMERLANE AND ALEXANDER!

THE GODS OF WAR...TAMERLANE AND ALEXANDER!
By: CliffMickelson
Perhaps one of the greatest military tacticians of all times is a man who's name is rarely heard in this modern age. But, the inovative and revolutionary military skills of this man rank him along side Hannibal Barca of Carthage and Alexander the Great of Macedonia.
His given name was "Timur" but we generally know him in the west by the name of "Tamerlane." This name became common in the English world due to a play written by the Elizabethan author and playwright Robert Marlow.
Circa 1590 or so, Marlow published the first half of a work that he entitled "Tamerlane." This was one of his master works and one that was to become a very popular centerpiece of the literary circles of the day.
At a later date, the American poet, Edgar Allen Poe, also wrote a popular piece with the same title.
Of Course, Tamerlane is an English language corruption of the appellation "Timur-il-link" which is Ughar /Turkic for Timur the lame. (Timur meaning 'Iron' in the Turkic vernacular.
Timur was lame from early in adulthood when he took an arrow in the thigh while he and his brother or a close friend, were attempting to steal livestock.
The first half of the life of Timur was unremarkable and held no hint of the promise of military genius that he later displayed.
Here in the West we tend to overlook or just briefly pass over the campaigns and warlords who made the history of the middle and far east. This is an unfortunate loss because some of the most outstanding feats of arms and examples of consummate generalmanship can be found in the ancient and mediaeval exploits of the leaders of the forces indigenous to that area.
Timur was a world class chess player and would often be found on the evenings before and after battles in his tent engrossed in a chess match with his eldest son, Shah Rok. The night following the battle of Angora, one of the Tarter Khans was able to personally capture Sultan Bayazid as he attempted to flee the field. Timur was so intent upon his chess match that when a guard attempted to approach him with the news, (which you would think was important stuff!) that he grabbed a saber and chased the poor man down. Needless to say, the fallen Bayazid, a famous conqueror in his own right, and the Padashah of the mighty Ottoman Empire, was kept waiting in chains until the chess match was over!
Two other brilliant leaders of that region and time come to mind. One is fairly well known and the other is less so. They are Heligu, a grandson of Ghengis Khan and the destroyer of Baghdad and exterminator of the Assassins of Alamut, and of course the well known Kurdish Mamluk, Sahl-a-din, or Saladin as he is more commonly known.
As per Alexander:
It was at the River Granicus that Alexander was first confronted by the forces of three of the great king's Satraps, (Governors)
They were, Aristes, the Strap of Phrygia, Arsamenes, the governor of Cilicia, and the well known Spithradates who held an appointment over Lydia and the Ionian Islands.
The three Satraps took up a position high on the opposite bank of the river and lined the bank with their cavalry instead of their infantry. This was an exceedingly stupid mistake and one that the keen eye of Alexander spotted at once. He sent his infantry forward into the river and directly at the Persian horse. As the Infantry reached the far bank, the Persian Cavalry charged. But the long sarissas of the Macedonians easily repulsed the charge with a heavy loss. At this point Alexander plunged into the water with his horse guards and forced the center of the line.
Parminio held the Persian flanks in check and the fighting swirled around the standards of Alexander and the three Satraps. At one point a Persian noble even got close enough to lop off the plume on Alexander's helmet, and another had moved behind him, and raised his saber, intent upon stabbing Alexander in the back. However, Clietus, a Macedonian officer,(who some years later was killed by Alexander in a drunken rage) Saved the young king's life by a timely spear thrust.
The Persian center gave way, two of the Satraps were slain on the field and the third, Aristes, escaped, only to commit suicide the next day rather than face the displeasure of his master.
Alexander didn't actually confront King Darius until the following year. (333 BC)
Following the victory at the River Granicus, Alexander paused to do some kingly sightseeing and to recieve the homage of the Ionian Greek cities. As he slowly moved his forces east, Darius was mustering the hosts of Asia. It would be at a place called Issus that the two greatest lords of the age would clash for the first time.
It was at Issus that Alexander repeated the tactic that he had used to save the day for his father, Philip, less than 5 years earlier. There, a furious charge by Alexander and his cavalry, routed the Athenians and the hoplites of Thebes. Issus was a carbon copy. Alexander drove straight for the king's standards. Darius fled and the battle was lost. However, the tactical deployment of the Persians had left much to be desired anyway.
At Issus, The Great king had marched along the coast of Cilicia with a huge host, conservatively numbered at nearly 600,000 men. Included in this number were over thirty-thousand Greek mercenaries alone!
As Darius moved west along the coast, Alexander remained inland and moved his forces east. Coming down off the high Anatolian plateau, the Macedonians passed through the narrow Cilician gates and came out on the coast in the rear of Darius. They then force marched west, encountering the vanguard of the Persians at Issus. Despite the vast superiority of numbers enjoyed by the Persians, Darius with his characteristic imbecility had consented to give battle on a narrow plain between the shore and the mountains. Of course this was a huge tactical error and it effectively prevented the Persian deployment of their cavalry as well as the maximum use of superior numbers of infantry.
Alexander realized that this error was his opportunity and he moved forward at once. The fighting was hot and heavy nonetheless, until the standards of Alexander were seen to approach to chariot of the Great King. At this point, Darius lost his nerve and fled, leaving his Army, his Treasure and all his several dozen wives, including his mother, Sisygambis and his queen-consort, Statira!
Needless to say, the Persian Army, upon seeing Darius beat feet, lost heart and gave way. Alexander would only encounter Darius one more time, (At Gaugamela) but that battle would have to wait a year as Alexander now turned south, intent upon the submission of the Levant and Egypt.
Alexander had taken the measure of Darius at Issus and no longer considered his defeat to be a pressing matter of strategic importance.
-CliffMickelson