Battles & Campaigns · 1395
Battle of the Terek River
Terek River, Dagestan, Russia
What happened
The army of Timur (Tamerlane) fought the Golden Horde under Khan Tokhtamysh. Tokhtamysh's cavalry attacked, but some of his commanders changed sides and one left the field with thousands of warriors. Timur's army then beat Tokhtamysh's left wing, and the Horde army scattered.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It was the last major battle of the war between Timur and Tokhtamysh. Afterwards Timur destroyed the Golden Horde's capital, Sarai, and other cities.
What came next
Tokhtamysh fled north. The Golden Horde never fully recovered, and a general named Edigu became its real ruler.
Did you know?
Sarai had been so grand that the traveller Ibn Battuta called it 'one of the finest of cities, of boundless size'.
Timeline
- 14 April 1395Timur wins at the Terek.
- 1395-1396Timur destroys Sarai.