Tamerlane

“Tamerlane” follows the life of the 14th-century Turkic conqueror Timur Lenk, whose name was later anglicized as “Tamerlane.” Timer founded the Timurid Empire in what is now Afghanistan, Iran, and Central Asia. Born to a Mongolian tribe, Timur rose to prominence as a military leader and eventually, through a mix of family connection and ruthless strategy, to imperial ruler of the Chaghatay tribe. He was highly educated, speaking a range of languages including Persian and Mongolian, and shared a distant blood relationship with Genghis Khan—a legacy that he actively pursued throughout his war career. He spent the majority of his life fighting battles and expanding his empire. Timur remained a warrior and leader all his life, finally meeting his death on a battle campaign in the early 15th century. This places the poem “Tamerlane” in February of the year 1405, the days when Timur lay on his deathbed facing his accomplishments in the light of his mortality.

In 1941, Timur’s tomb was exhumed for academic study, despite fervent religious opposition. Allegedly, an inscripted curse was found inside the opened tomb: “Whomsoever opens my tomb shall unleash an invader more terrible than I.” Three days after the tomb was opened, Adolf Hitler began his Nazi campaign on the rest of Europe. This story is hotly contested and believed by many to be a fabrication, although the dates of the exhumation and the German invasion are verified by history. While this happened a generation after Poe’s time, the poet would likely have been fascinated by this powerfully macabre turn of events.

“Tamerlane” is a work of fiction and not a recounting of true historical events. Rather than seeking to explore the character and his impact on history, Poe used Tamerlane’s story to process his own sense of self and loss.