MILITARY AND POLITICAL ACTIVITY OF MIRANSHAH IBN TIMUR (1366-1408)

The article explores the military-political activity of Miranshah ibn Timur (1366-1408), the son of the emir Timur and the statesman of the Timurid Empire. The author considers the role of Miranshah in the government of Timur, his participation in military campaigns and the role in the dynastic crisis of 1405-1409. The study uses Persian, Arab, Armenian, European and Byzantine sources to develop a holistic understanding of the history of the figure of Miranshah. A comprehensive study of the biographies of the Timurids was practically not carried out, with the exception of several personalities (Timur, Shahrukh, Ulugbek, Babur), although such work can significantly clarify the history of the political and military structure in the state of Timur, as well as the peculiarities of the transfer of power in this empire. For modern Ukrainian historiography, this issue is poorly studied, despite its importance in the context of the medieval history of Central Asia, Iran, Iraq and the South Caucasus. The methodology of this study includes the use of historical-systemic and prosopographic methods, as well as the deduction method. In the process of research, the political, military and dynastic components of Miranshah's activity were alternately studied. The author found out that Miranshah ibn Timur was successful in numerous military campaigns of his father, Emir Timur, was an influential politician (receiving a delegation from Castile, etc.) and was a senior representative of the Timurid dynasty at the time of 1405, which gave him and his descendants a significant chance to gain power. However, the course of events of the Timurid conflict in 1405-1409 proved that Miranshah's military and political ambitions were limited to the region of Iraq, parts of Iran and Transcaucasia. Miranshah had no intentions regarding his father's imperial throne, and his sons were at war with each other and were not the only political group that defends its own interests. As a result, the more politically motivated Shahrukh ibn Timur won the feud, and Miranshah died during local battles for the patrimonial lands in 1408. Miranshah's sons (Khalil-Sultan, Abu Bakr and Umar) left the political arena of theTimurid state by the 1410s, without achieving consolidation of forces in the struggle for power in the empire.