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VOLUME
Vol.05 Issue08 2025
PAGE NO.
16-20
10.37547/ajsshr/Volume05Issue08-03
24
Iron Discipline and Personnel Policy in The Army of
Amir Temur
Eshmurodov Bakhodir Tursunkulovich
Master's student in the field of Historiography, source studies and methods of historical research, Tashkent State University of Oriental
Studies, Uzbekistan
Received:
13 June 2025;
Accepted:
09 July 2025;
Published:
11 August 2025
Abstract:
This article discusses the military discipline and personnel policy of the great commander Amir Temur,
who left a distinct mark on world history, which played an important role in forming the most powerful army of
his time and building a large centralized state. Meanwhile, from a historiographical point of view, scientific
literature written by Uzbek historians during the years of independence on this topic has been studied,
supplemented by sources and information from foreign researchers, and problematic aspects have been
explained. The article also pays special attention to aspects related to the mobilization system in the Sahibkiran
army.
Scientific research by Uzbek historians and orientalists emphasizes that the army of Amir Temur was dominated
by the ideas of mutual respect between commanders and subordinates, the rule of law and tolerance in military
units. According to scientific research that analyzed the information from the first sources, Sahibkiran managed
to implement almost flawlessly the important components of military management, such as the staffing of military
units and the selection of fighters, as well as the establishment of strict discipline in the army.
It should be noted that the article uses such well-
known sources as the “Tuzuki Temuriy” (Temur's Statutes),
“Zafarname” by Persian historians Ali Yazdi and Nizomiddin Shami, “Ajayib al
-
Makdur fi tarihi Taymur” by the Arab
historian Ibn Arabshah, which cover in detail the history of the period of Sahibkiran and the Timurids, as well as
research by modern Uzbek and Russian orientalists.
Keywords
: Amir Temur, Sahibkiran, army, military discipline, crime and punishment, personnel policy,
mobilization, “Tuzuki Temuriy”, onboshi, yuzboshi, mingboshi, tumanboshi, beklarbegi, tovachi
.
Introduction:
A properly implemented personnel
policy and the observance of internal discipline by the
personnel are the main elements that ensure that not
only the army, but also any institution, fully meets the
requirements of the developing world.
In this regard, the President of the Republic of
Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev noted the relevance of:
“education of students who are devoted to the people
of Uzbekistan, who have a firm outlook on life and an
active civic position, relying on the rich history and
culture of our people, the priceless heritage of our
great ancestors, primarily Amir Temur, and the heroism
of our modern compatriots who gave themselves for
the freedom and prosperity of the Motherland” .
Therefore, studying, researching and analyzing the iron
discipline and personnel policy established in the
Sahibkiran army, as well as studying the little-covered
or undiscovered aspects of the topic, is useful in
maintaining effective internal order and conducting
personnel policy in teams that have not lost their
essence even in the present era.
METHODS
In the research process, general scientific methods
such as analysis and synthesis, comparative and
historical analysis were used.
Based on the analysis of sources and literature, the
military discipline and personnel policy established in
Amir Temur's army, as well as the mobilization system,
are considered.
RESULTS
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American Journal Of Social Sciences And Humanity Research (ISSN: 2771-2141)
Scientific studies by Uzbek historians and orientalists
emphasize that in the army of Amir Temur, mutual
respect between commander and subordinate, the rule
of law and tolerance in military units were the primary
ideas.
According to the scientific research that analyzed the
data from the sources, Sahibkiran was able to
implement
almost
flawlessly
the
important
components of military management, such as the
formation of military units and the selection of fighters,
and the establishment of strong discipline in the army.
In particular, as noted in the book "The Military Art of
Sahibkiran Amir Temur", written jointly with scientists
of the Academy of the Armed Forces of Uzbekistan and
historians, Amir Temur, like his predecessors,
understood well that in order to govern the country,
ensure its peace and protect it from attacks from
surrounding territories, it is necessary to have a
militarily trained, seasoned and a disciplined army.
The duties and rights pertaining to each commander
and soldier of the army are clearly defined in the
“Tuzuki Temuriy”, which are known as the military
regulations of the invincible hero. For example, in the
"Rules for the Formation of Sipahis (Military Units) of
More Than Forty Thousand Horsemen" it is mentioned
that "If my army has more than forty thousand
horsemen, beklarbegi, emir, mingboshi (commander of
a thousand), yuzboshi (commander of a hundred),
onboshi (commander of ten), brave fighters and other
sipahi must be under my victorious banner and wait for
my command. I have ordered that if I send a command
(battle order) to the emir of any army, let him act in
accordance with it and do nothing contrary to it. "If any
of the beklarbegi or emirs acts contrary to the decree,
they must put him to death and appoint in his place a
deputy worthy of being an emir".
This shows that Amir Temur, even in the most
dangerous battles, called for discipline in the army and
severely punished those who did not obey his orders.
The competence of military leaders included the
punishment of subordinates who did not want to obey
them, refused to perform their duties and violated
discipline, as well as their expulsion and replacement
with other soldiers. Amir Temur did not approve of
physical punishment, adhering to the belief that “a
leader whose power does not go beyond the whip and
club is unworthy of his position”, and prohibited such
punishments.
According to Sharofiddin Ali Yazdi, murchil - in the
established order, each onboshi, yuzboshi, mingboshi
and tumanboshi acted in battle formation with their
units and subdivisions, strictly observing the discipline
corresponding to the rank, position and budala -
position in the formation. Violators of the order were
severely punished by the Supreme Commander-in-
Chief.
In the state of Sahibkiran, the issues of crimes and
punishments of sipahis were strictly regulated.
According to Z. Inagomjanova, shaving the beard of
sipahis, powdering their faces and walking around the
city were considered punishments equivalent to the
death penalty. Amir Temur said that if the wealth,
condition and pleasures of a soldier devoted to his
master and faithfully serving him increased day by day,
then the opp
osite happened: “Any soldier who forgets
about his service, rights and duties and turns away from
work (labor) during service, such a soldier should be
turned away. Any soldier who seeks excuses during
service, asks for permission during battle and clashes,
intends to run away and postpones today's work until
tomorrow, such soldiers are not worthy of even
mentioning their names. Such people should be given
to the Lord of the worlds”
.
During the reign of Sahibkiran, the methods of moral
punishment also yielded good results. In particular,
treason was considered the most serious crime. In this
regard, as the researcher H. Mamatov claims, based on
the “Tuzuki Temuriy”, if a servant conspired with the
enemy and betrayed his master, such a servant was
handed over to the enemy. If any of the sipahi or emirs
conspired with the enemy and joined his ranks, they
were expelled from the country, they were not given a
place in the country. Amir Timur pursued a policy based
on the principles of law, justice and humanity in
assigning punishments to those who committed
injustice and lawlessness, which allowed him to
suppress such negative actions on the part of other
members of society.
According to the data of the Timurid era historian H.
Dadaboev, presented in his scienti
fic work “The
Military Art of Amir Temur”, in its structure, Amir
Temur’s army was divided into the traditional for the
Turkic-Mongol peoples tens, hundreds (centurions),
thousands and tumans (tens of thousands), and they
were led by onboshi, yuzboshi, mingboshi and
tumanboshi.
The great commander managed to create a perfect
system of appointment to military positions and
promotion in the form of a hierarchical ladder, as
evidenced by the “Tuzuki Temuriy”. They say: “I
ordered that when ten people who served as real
warriors and were seasoned in battles gather, the one
of them who turns out to be more courageous and
brave, with the consent and approval of the other nine,
be elected by them as their leader and named their
onboshi.
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American Journal Of Social Sciences And Humanity Research (ISSN: 2771-2141)
If ten commanders gather, let them appoint as their
emir the most experienced of their ranks, who has
accumulated skill in battle and gained fame for his
bravery, and call him their centurion. If ten
commanders gather, let them choose as their leader a
wise, courageous and brave emir, and call him their
thousand-man, and give him honor as an emir of a
thousand.
If any of the subordinates die or run away, then the
onboshi should appoint a new man in his place. In such
circumstances, let the yuzboshi appoint onboshi, and
let the mingboshi appoint yuzboshi. If any of them die,
run away, or are reappointed, let them inform me of
the reason
”.
Thus, the onboshi had the right to recruit warriors to
replace those who died or fled. The yuzboshi approved
onboshi for the ten under their command, and the
mingboshi approved the yuzboshi. Information about
all personnel changes was reported personally to Amir
Temur.
Of course, a system of rewarding military personnel for
bravery in battle was also established. In this regard,
Amir Temur applied the following order: who showed
himself in fencing for the first time among the brave
fighters was appointed a onboshi, the second time - a
yuzboshi, and the third time - a mingboshi.
Amir Temur personally selected and trained
commanders. The correct selection of onboshi,
yuzboshi, mingboshi and tumanboshi determined the
military success of the army. Amir Temur paid special
attention to experienced warriors. Experienced
warriors who participated in many major battles and
considered military actions their main occupation were
gathered in one place before the campaign. They were
included in the lists of recipients of state salaries.
Temurbek appointed to the post of commander-in-
chief only those who had mastered the secrets of
military art to perfection, knew how to disperse the
ranks of the enemy, acted boldly and quickly in difficult
situations, did not give in to any obstacles and knew
how to promptly eliminate possible unrest in the army.
According to the Arab historian Ibn Arabshah, after
conquering Asia Minor, Amir Timur began to capture
mountain fortresses in Georgia. In this area, there was
a fortress that could be reached via a drawbridge,
located in an extremely inconvenient place. No matter
how hard Sahibkiran tried, the army could not take it.
In the end, he despaired, gave up the idea of taking the
fortress, but did not dare to leave. In Timur's army,
there were two brave warriors who competed with
each other in heroism. One of the warriors was called
Pirmuhammad. He came to the fortress at night, waited
for the gates to open and the bridge to be lowered, and
when the bridge was lowered, he entered into a fight
with the defenders of the fortress. Before help arrived,
Pirmuhammad was wounded in eighteen places in an
unequal battle with the Georgians. Hearing the ringing
of swords, Sahibkiran's warriors quickly approached
and captured the fortress. When Amir Temur learned
of this incident, he provided him with medical
assistance and promoted him to the rank of
commander.
In Sahibkiran's army, by his decree, four of the most
prominent military leaders were appointed to the
positions of beklarbegi, that is, military leaders of the
first category. One of the military leaders was
appointed to the position of amir ul-umaro -
commander-in-chief, and reported directly to the
Supreme Commander-in-Chief - Amir Temur .
Military historians emphasize that, depending on the
situation, when performing a particular operational-
strategic task, several tumans could form an
association called “Qoshin” (operational
-strategic), and
several “Qoshin” could form a strategic associati
on
called “Qoshinot”.
Twelve commanders (emirs) were appointed to lead
the troops. The first emir was the commander of a
detachment consisting of 1,000 warriors, the second
emir headed the second detachment of 2,000 warriors.
The third emir commanded the third detachment of
3,000 warriors. In this order, the twelfth emir
commanded a detachment of 6,000 to 12,000 warriors.
According to the established order, one emir was
appointed as the deputy (deputy) of another, for
example, the first emir was the deputy of the second
emir, the second emir was the deputy of the third emir,
and in this order the eleventh emir was appointed as
the deputy of the twelfth emir. The twelfth emir was
appointed as the deputy of Amir ul-Umar, and Amir ul-
Umar was the deputy of the Supreme Commander-in-
Chief - Amir Temur. If something happened to one of
the emirs, his place was taken by the deputy.
Thus, they established that the next in rank
immediately takes the place of a beheaded or killed in
battle commander or other military official, that is,
each person has a deputy ready to perform his duties
in various situations.
The twelve-degree amirs, subordinate to Amir Temur,
were elected primarily from twelve tribes (Barlos,
Tarkhan, Argin, Jalir, Tulkichi, Duldoy, Mongol, Suldus,
Tugoy, Kipchak, Orlot, Tatar) out of forty tribes subject
to him. In particular, in “Tuzuki Temuriy” on this issue
it is said:
“Whoever of the twelve emirs defeats an enemy army
or captures a country under enemy control should be
rewarded. If he is an emir of the first degree, he should
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American Journal Of Social Sciences And Humanity Research (ISSN: 2771-2141)
be given the rank of second emir, if he is an emir of the
second degree, he should be given the rank of third
emir, if he is an emir of the third rank, he should be
given the rank of emir of the fourth degree. In this
order, it should continue until the emir of the eleventh
rank. If he is an emir of the eleventh rank, he should be
made an emir of the twelfth rank and given a banner,
standard and drum. Thus, the emir of the first rank
should be given one banner, the second two banners,
the third three banners, the fourth four banners and a
drum, and they should be encouraged to receive the
tumantug and chartug (two types of banners or a
pointed spear denoting the rank of an emir)
”.
Amir Temur paid special attention to the worthy
encouragement of the activities of the emirs and
rewarded the emir who conquered the country or
defeated the enemy army with three things: first, he
gave him an honorary speech, a banner and a drum and
called him a hero; second, he recognized him as a
partner in the state and empire and admitted him to
the meetings of the council; third, he was given a
border region, and the local emirs were subordinate to
him.
Scientific literature and historical sources provide
extensive information about the state and military
administration of Sahibkiran, the military discipline
established in his army, personnel policy and
mobilization. Of course, Amir Temur created and
improved the strongest and most combat-ready army
of his time. He amazed the commanders of his time
with his skillful improvement of the composition and
battle order of the army, as well as the methods of
conducting battles, taking into account the
shortcomings of previous military operations.
According to H. Dadabaev, before the military
campaign, Temurbek convened a military council - a
meeting of government officials, ministers, military
leaders, beks and emirs. At the same time, a special
order was given - tunkal on the collection of troops
from various regions and areas of the state, as well as
from subordinate states, which was quickly delivered
to the necessary places by a senior official, the adjutant
of the commander-in-chief - tavachi. In addition to
recruiting soldiers, the commander was also
responsible for supervising the disposition of army
units in camp or on the march, their formation in battle
order - yasol and movement from one place to another.
According to the Tunkal, the rulers of regions, districts
or cities, commanders of fortresses and fortifications
(garrison commandants) had to arrive promptly and
without delay, without noise and in an organized
manner at the assembly point - myod and, according to
the list compiled by Sahibkiran - son with their warriors,
the necessary weapons, food, clothing, horses and
forage, and occupy the place assigned to them - buljar
.
It is known that it is not economically profitable for any
state to maintain an army in peacetime in the quantity
that allows it to be effectively combat-ready, as in
wartime. Historical data show that with the beginning
of a war, the number of armies increased tenfold or
more.
The increase in the number of troops is carried out on
the basis of mobilization. During the reign of Amir
Temur, mobilization took a different form, when before
the war the ranks of the troops were replenished with
civilians, volunteer detachments were formed, the
number of soldiers and horses in the troops increased,
the volume of production of weapons and equipment
increased, the amount of taxes collected from the
population increased, and the collection of material
resources necessary for the war increased.
Another source says that Amir Temur's large army
consisted not only of warriors recruited from the
people, but also of mercenary warriors from small
tribes of that time, who voluntarily joined the army,
knowing that it was honorable to fight in Temur's army
and that a lot of money could be earned from it.
Amir Temur maintained a regular army, that is, warriors
in constant readiness, in a precisely defined number,
and formed detachments and divisions with specific
tasks, battle formations and goals. According to
sources, the number of Temurbek's army exceeded 200
000 people. Given the inability of the emir and other
military leaders to gather such a large army, he
introduced the position of tovachi to quickly solve this
problem.
For example, as the famous Uzbek source scholar,
academician B. Akhmedov, reports in his work "Amir
Temur", in 1398 Timur's grandson Pirmuhammed, who
ruled Balkh, Kabul, Ghazni and Kandahar, began a
campaign to India with his emirs and beks, defeated the
Afghan tribes in the Suleiman Mountains, crossed the
Sindh River and captured the city of Uch (located in the
Punjab Valley of Pakistan, on the left bank of the Sutlej
River, 25 km to the east of it), and then continued the
campaign and besieged the city of Multan (Pakistan).
Having heard this news through the ambassador, Amir
Temur, realizing that he could not leave Pirmuhammed
alone with a huge country and a dangerous enemy,
announced mobilization through tavachi. And Termez
sent official emirs and ordered to build a bridge across
Jaykhun, attaching ships to each other like a chain, and
later the troops of Amir Temur passed over this bridge
and gathered in Kabul.
There are disagreements regarding the size of Amir
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American Journal Of Social Sciences And Humanity Research (ISSN: 2771-2141)
Temur's army during his campaign in India. Information
about this is presented in the decrees of Timurbek as
follows: "The total number of my army, assembled for
the campaign in India, reached ninety-two thousand
horsemen.
Here, the opinion of the modern Russian military
historian L. Bobrov deserves special attention. In his
opinion, Amir Temur managed to use the nomadic and
sedentary population of Maverannahr and neighboring
regions, which constituted the country's mobilization
potential, in the ranks of his army as effectively as
possible. In particular, infantry detachments of archers
(later crossbowmen) were formed from warriors
selected
from
the
sedentary
population
of
Maverannahr and Khorasan and trained to fight under
cover of a chapar (a large easel shield). In turn, the
nomadic tribes loyal to Temurbek regularly supplied
numerous and well-armed cavalry detachments.
Skillful combat formation and use of the mobilized
army by Sahibkiran, who was considered a brilliant
commander of his time, was the key to victories.
DISCUSSION
From the above it follows that Uzbek and foreign
historians have conducted sufficient scientific research
into the mechanism of military discipline and
punishment in the army of Amir Temur. However, the
personnel policy and mobilization system in his army
are among the insufficiently studied topics. In
particular, these include studies devoted to the
activities of the tavachi, the selection of infantry and
cavalry from different nationalities and faiths, nomadic
and sedentary populations, the training of pontoon
mercenaries, Greek flamethrowers, musical instrument
makers, siege weapon masters and artillerymen from
among the mercenary class, artisans and other
specialists.
CONCLUSION
It is advisable to educate the youth in the spirit of
military patriotism and improve the system of training
the personnel reserve for the Armed Forces of the
Republic of Uzbekistan and the civil service by
continuing the in-depth study of iron discipline and
personnel policy in the army of Amir Temur. The study
in combination with the present time of internal
discipline, personnel policy and the mobilization
system laid down by our great ancestor in the spirit of
justice in a multinational state can become the basis for
future achievements.
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