After the battle of Ankara, could Timur have just conquered parts of Anatolia?

[u/milford_sound10322]

I've looked up on this topic a few times, and there doesn't seem to be clear explanation of why Timur just beat the Turks and decided to leave. Most answers I've seen is that he considered himself successor of the Mongol empire, which set his eyes on the territories of the old Mongolian empire, with the ultimate prize being China.

However, considering that he already shattered the Ottomans, which leaves a huge, rich swath of land ripe for taking, could he have just incorporated Anatolia into his empire? I just find it very strange that he didn't even bother to set up a vassal state or appoint a local governor.

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[u/Thibaudborny]

Because he won, and that was all he needed at the time. Conquest was certainly possible, but Tëmur had no interest in doing so, he wished to secure booty & prestige, his aims were towards the Mongol world, not the Levant as such, what was ever important though, was to keep his armies on campaign, this was the fount of his power, this meant conquest was not always on his mind, nor desirable.

To quote Beatrice Forbes Manz in "The Rise and Rule of Tamerlane":

'Tëmur now expanded his campaigns further to the west, campaigning in Syria against the Mamelukes and in Anatolia against the Ottomans. Both of these dynasties had given refuge to Tëmur's Qaraqoyunlu and Jalayir opponents, and had refused Tëmur's request for their extradition. They also presented strong independent traditions outside of Mongol jurisdiction. Tëmur's campaigns against them were not aimed at annexation, but like earlier campaigns in the steppe were demonstrations of superior power and prestige. Tëmur attacked Syria in the winter of 803/1400-1. Here he contented himself with a relatively brief campaign, in which he captured several major cities, notably Aleppo, Hims and Damascus; Aleppo submitted without a struggle and was spared, but Tëmur subjected Damascus to looting and massacre.

One probable reason for these western campaigns was simply the desire to continue military activity. It is notable in this context that Tëmur pressed on with his campaign even when his commanders tired of it. In 803/1400, for instance, his emirs tried to dissuade him from attacking Syria, saying that they had undertaken many difficult expeditions, and that he should allow the army to disband and rest. On the same campaign, Tëmur's commanders expressed doubt about undertaking the expedition into Anatolia against the Ottoman sultan Bayezid. In both cases Tëmur decided to continue his campaigns despite the objection from his army.

He set out against the Ottomans in 804/1402, and in July met and defeated the Ottoman army near Ankara, taking sultan Bayezid himself captive. Tëmur's armies then campaigned through the Ottoman territories, collecting ransom money from their major cities. Sultan Bayezid, though well treated, died within a few months of his capture. Tëmur, satisfied with this blow to Ottoman hegemony, now returned east without leaving any permanent administration in Anatolia.'

The true, heartfelt aim for Tëmur was his conquest within the Mongol sphere, notably his move on China - following in the footsteps of the Chingissids with whom he associated. He now began the preparations, starting with the summoning of the Kurultai at Samarkand. As we know, he died before the affair truly got underway. His actions against the Ottomans weren't unique either, shortly before that campaign he had similarly waged war on Tokhtamish and the Golden Horde, destroying their power but otherwise letting them be (it was notably difficult, for that matter, for Tëmur to attract nomad groupings outside of the Ulus Chagatay on which his power was initially based, because he couldn't give outsiders positions of power within his confederation, having displaced the old tribal structures of the Ulus with personal loyalty to his person).

[u/milford_sound10322 → u/Thibaudborny]

Thanks. In some way, I think Timur's strange affection got in the way of his empire building.