The Battle that Delayed the Fall of Constantinople by Half a Century

Timur’s victory at Ankara was cheered by the Christian world

19th-century painting showing Bayezid captured by Timur. Image source: Wikimedia

In the autumn of 1402, a diplomat arrived to meet the infamous conqueror Timur, also known as Tamerlane. He carried presents and tribute from Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos.