December 17, 1398 · Northern India Theater
December 17, 1398
Timur invaded India ostensibly to punish the Muslim sultans of Delhi for tolerating Hindu idolatry. Before the battle, he ordered the execution of approximately 100,000 Hindu prisoners — captives taken during his march through northern India — to prevent them from rising against his rear. He then routed the Delhi Sultanate's army, whose war elephants panicked under a barrage of flaming camels and naphtha. The sack of Delhi lasted for days, leaving the city a smoking ruin that took over a century to recover.
Commanders