9. In the course of his many conquests, Timur and his armies killed as many as 20,000,000 people
Amir Timur, also known as Tamerlane, was a Turco-Mongol ruler and founder of the Timurid Empire in Central Asia. Born in modern-day Uzbekistan on April 9, 1336, although not a descendant of the Great Khan, Timur envisioned a restoration of the Mongol Empire akin to the greatness of Genghis Khan a century prior. Gaining control of the Chagatai Khanate in 1370, Timur embarked upon successive military campaigns across much of Asia, in addition to Russia and the Caucasus in pursuit of this dream. Defeating the Mamluks of Egypt, the rising Ottoman Empire, and the Sultanate of Dehli, Timur established himself as the preeminent ruler of the Muslim world.
Reuniting much of the composite parts of the Mongol Empire that had splintered following the death of Genghis, including the Chagatai Khanate, the Ilkhanate, and the Golden Horde, Timur came close, but ultimately failed, to restore the final member: the Yuan dynasty of China. In the course of the conflicts, Timur’s armies are estimated to have been responsible for the deaths of approximately 5% of the human population across Asia, Africa, and Europe. However, the Timurid Empire would not long survive its maker. After the death of Timur in 1405 the confederation rapidly declined throughout the 15th century; by 1500, the empire was dissolved and divided up among the Safavids, Mughals, and others.