The start of the 15th century in the Ottoman Empire marked the final years of Bayezid I’s reignas Sultan.

In 1400, major tensions began to rise between the Ottoman leader and a Turko-Mongol warlord by the name of Timur. This once cold-war reached a heated climax in 1402 at the Battle of Ankara.

While on his way back through Anatolia to confront the threat of his powerful rival, Bayezid was caught off guard by Timur and his troops as they besieged the city of Ankara, withholding the only source of water for the Ottoman troops and forcing them to engage in battle. By the end of the conflict, Timur’s army prevailed while Bayezid and his sons attempted to make an escape.