The Mulfuzat Timury or Autobiographical Memoirs of the Moghul Emperor Timur: Written in the Jagtay Turky Language

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The Mulfuzat Timury, or Autobiographical Memoirs of the Moghul Emperor Timur, is the personal account of Timur, the Central Asian conqueror, written in the Jagatay Turkic language. Translated by Charles Stewart, this work provides valuable insights into Timur's life, his military campaigns, political strategies, and personal reflections. The memoirs reveal his leadership style, aspirations, and views on governance, justice, and warfare. Through his detailed narratives, Timur also describes the challenges he faced in unifying his empire and his approach to both diplomacy and brutality. The work offers a unique glimpse into the mindset of one of history's most influential conquerors.

Timur (Tamerlane) (1320-1405) was a Turco-Mongol conqueror who founded the Timurid Empire, spanning Afghanistan, Iran, and Central Asia. He became the first ruler of the Timurid dynasty, known for his military conquests, empire-building, and cultural patronage.

Charles Stewart (1764-1837) was a British orientalist and professor in India, known for his translations and editing of important Oriental works. His notable contributions include translating The Mulfuzat Timury, The Tezkereh al Vakiat, and The History of Bengal.

THE fame of Timur, erroneously called Tamerlane, although long known to some persons in Europe, was more generally communicated to the Public in the year 1722, by the labours of the indefatigable Orientalist, Petis de la Croix, who translated from the Persian language the History of that Monarch, denominated Zuffer Nameh, or Book of Victory, by Sherif Addyn Aly of Yezd.

In the year 1723, the French edition was turned into English by Mr. John Darby, who dedicated his work to His Royal Highness Frederic Prince of Wales, but these histories commence only with the twenty-fifth year of Timur's age. Iben Arab Shah's Arabic History of Timur, called the Ajaib al Mukhlukāt, Wonders of the Creation, was translated into Latin by Golius in 1636, and again by Manger in 1767 and 1772, but, being more of a coarse satire on that Prince than his real history, it is little worthy of credit, and has consequently fallen into disrepute.

In the year 1783, Professor White of Oxford, published a Persian Edition of the Institutes of Timur, with an English translation by Major. William Davy of the Honourable East India Company's Service, which was deservedly much admired, and as it was the cause of producing the Translation of the following Memoirs, I shall take the liberty here-after of subjoining a portion of its Preface.

In the year 1787, the late Professor Langlés of Paris, published a French translation of the Institutes, under the title of ""Instituts Politiques et Militaires de Tamerlane proprement appellé ""Timour, ecrits par luimeme en Mogol, et traduits en François sur ""la version Persane d'Abou Taleb al Hosseini, avec la Vie de ce ""Conquerant, &c. &c.""

William Erskine, Esq. in his Preface to the Memoirs of Baber, published in 1826, (in praise of which work too much cannot be said) informs us, that he had seen at Bombay, a complete Persian translation of the Autographic Memoirs of Timour, the original of which had been found in the library of Jaafer Pasha of Yemen, and that it appears by Astley's Collection of Voyages, that a person of that name was Pasha of Yemen in 1610. This is of importance, as it nearly fixes the date of the Persian Translation, which is confirmed by the dedication of the work to the Emperor Shah Jehan of Hindustan.

Having thus premised, I proceed to give a description of the Manu-script brought from India by Major Davy, which I have undertaken to translate: it is an Octavo volume, written in the common Persian hand, and as it has never been bound, was probably copied for that gentleman in Calcutta, it is enclosed in an old cover, on which is written in Major Davy's hand; ""This Manuscript, which is a fragment of Timur's, is very valuable, therefore preserve it with care. N. B. It is to be put in the little black writing box.""

The Manuscript contains four hundred and fifty-seven pages; after the Persian Translator's Preface, it commences with the Institutes, which nearly agree with the printed edition; these are succeeded by the De-signs and Enterprizes of the printed copy, after which follows the Book of Omens, mentioned in the 8th page of Dr. White's Preface, and which I might probably also have omitted in my translation, did I not fear the reproach of having left part of my work undone.

The History commences at the 188th page, with the birth of Timur, A. H. 736, (A. D. 1336,) and is continued in the form of annals till A. H. 777, being the forty-first year of his age, omitting the last thirty years of his life.

THE extensive region, formerly called Scythia, and now generally denominated Tartary, has been inhabited from a very early period by Nomade nations, who wandered with their flocks and herds from one part of the continent to another, frequently migrating from the shores of the Eastern Ocean, to the midst of Europe, where they were known by the appellation of Goths or Getes, Vandals, Huns, Turks, Tartars, &c. These nations were subdivided into various tribes and hordes, consisting of from five thousand to seventy thousand families, who took their names from some celebrated chieftain, and were subject to their respective leaders under the title of Khans (Kings); but when a num-ber of these nations were united under one leader, he assumed the title of Khākān, (Emperor).+ In the tenth century, a person named Tumenah Khan, whose descent has been traced by the Oriental historians from Noah, commanded a horde of Moghuls then dwelling to the north-west of China, this person had twin sons, Kubel Khan and Kajuly Behader, whom he prevailed on to sign an agreement, that the dignity of Khan should continue in the posterity of the former, and that of Sepah Salar, Commander-in-Chief, in the descendants of the latter.

From the first of these sons was descended, in the fourth degree, Zingis, called by the Persians, Jengyz Khăn, born A. D. 1154, and from the second in the eighth degree, the hero of the following Memoirs, who was born in the district of Kesh, province of Maveralnaher, A. D. 1336.

Jengyz or Zingis died in A. D. 1227, having divided his vast domi-nions between his four sons, called Jūjy or Tuchy, Jagtay, Auktay, and Tuly; to the first of these was assigned the extensive kingdom of Kip-chak or Great Tartary; to the second, Turkestän and Maveralnaher, (Transoxiana); to the third, Mughulistan and Northern China; to the fourth, Persia, and that part of India, west of the river Indus. Their descendants reigned over these countries till the time of Timur, who subdued them all; but as neither Jengyz or Timur assumed the title of Khākān, (Emperor) there probably existed a more ancient and ho-nourable family than either of them. An ancestor of Timur, named Kerachar Nuyān, was married to a daughter of Jagtay Khan, second son of Zingis, by which means the two families became doubly connected; in consequence of which, Timur bore the title of Gurgan, son-in-law of the Khan; it also signifies a great Prince. The continuation of the family history will be given by himself.

P. S. I fear that the number of proper names which occur in this work will tire my readers, but such is the style of Oriental history; the reason assigned for it is, that it may serve as a record of the actions of each chief, and should the author omit any persons, he might be called to account by the heirs. Mirza Abu Talib, who wrote his Travels through Europe, in 1803, apologized to his countrymen for the number of bar-barous names he was obliged to relate to them, so that the complaint is mutual.

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