Tamerlane's Elephant Stampede at the Battle of Delhi

Tamerlane: The Conqueror Who Tried to Rebuild the Mongol Legacy — Fexingo History · Jun 4, 2026 · 7m · transcript

In December 1398, Tamerlane's army met the Delhi Sultanate outside the city walls. The sultan, Nasir-ud-Din Mahmud Shah Tughluq, had a secret weapon: a war elephant corps armored with chainmail, their tusks tipped with poisoned blades, carrying archers and crossbowmen in howdahs. Tamerlane had never faced elephants before. In this episode, Lucas and Luna walk through the Battle of Delhi—how Timur's cavalry panicked at the sight of the beasts, how he improvised a counter-strategy using hobbled camels and fire, and how the stampede that followed decided the battle. They also discuss…