The Sack of Delhi, 1398 Timur defeats the Sultan of Delhi, Nasiruddin Mahmud, in the winter of 1397–1398, painting dated 1595–1600. © Pictures from History—Universal Images Group/Getty Images. (more) Sack of Delhi Indian history [1398] Ask the Chatbot a Question More Actions Print Cite verifiedCite While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Select Citation Style MLA APA Chicago Manual of Style Copy Citation Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/event/Sack-of-Delhi-1398 Feedback Feedback Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Feedback Type Select a type (Required) Factual Correction Spelling/Grammar Correction Link Correction Additional Information Other Your Feedback Submit Feedback Thank you for your feedback Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

　　External Websites Ask the Chatbot a Question Written by Charles Phillips Charles Phillips is the author of more than twenty books, including The Illustrated History of the First Crusades, The World of the Medieval Knight, and The Lost History of Aztec... Charles Phillips Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Nov 18, 2024 • Article History Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask the Chatbot a Question Quick Facts Date: December 17, 1398 (Show more) Location: Delhi India (Show more) Participants: India Timurid dynasty (Show more) See all related content In 1398 the Mongol-Turkish warrior Timur, ruler of Central Asia from his capital at Samarkand, found a pretext to strike south into India. His victory over the sultan of Delhi in December 1398 confirmed the irresistible fighting qualities of his army and the awesome destructiveness that made him a legend of cruelty.

　　A devout Muslim, Timur alleged that his coreligionist Sultan Nasiruddin Mahmud of Delhi, whose realm was beset by both internal strife and conflict with neighboring states, was being too lenient toward his Hindu subjects. On this pretext he marched into the Indian subcontinent in late summer 1398, his tribal steppe horsemen plundering and massacring as they advanced, murdering the entire population of several cities in their path. By the time Timur approached Delhi, his army was so encumbered with loot and captured slaves that military efficiency was imperiled. Timur’s solution was to order his followers to kill all their slaves—possibly around 100,000 people. Thus prepared, the invaders faced Sultan Mahmud’s army outside the walls of Delhi. The sultan had a force of war elephants, creatures with which the steppe warriors were unfamiliar. Timur had his men dig elaborate field fortifications—a system of trenches and ramparts—to block the charge of the pachyderms and give his nervous followers a sense of security.

　　Britannica Quiz World Wars The course of the battle is hard to piece together from the historical record. Incendiary devices played a part, including catapults that hurled pots of inflammable liquid. By one account, Timur had camels loaded with kindling that was set on fire, releasing them to spread panic among the Indian elephants, who then trampled the sultan’s soldiers. The charge of Timur’s horsemen was certainly decisive, reportedly scattering the Indian soldiers “as hungry lions scatter a flock of sheep.”

　　Victorious in the field, Timur, who came to be known as the “World Eater,” unleashed his warriors upon Delhi in an orgy of destruction. Yet Timur, who stated that his aim in invading was “to convert [the infidels] to the true faith of Islam and purify the land itself from the filth, infidelity, and polytheism,” was convinced that his army would not be able to maintain control over India, and so he withdrew to Samarkand, first enslaving Delhi’s artisans and taking them with him. The impoverished Delhi sultanate would endure until 1526, but it would never recover its former strength.

　　Losses: No reliable figures, although some sources give the Indian death toll as 1,000,000.