Battle of the Terek River

The Battle of the Terek River was the last major battle of the Tokhtamysh–Timur war. It took place on 14 April 1395, at the Terek River, North Caucasus. The result was a victory for Timur.

Battle

Tokhtamysh's cavalry attacked the right flank and the center of Timur's army. Instead of forcing Timur's army back, some Golden Horde emirs went over to Timur's side. According to the Mamluk ambassadors, a bey named Aktau left the battlefield with thousands of his warriors, and this ultimately led to Tokhtamysh's defeat. Timur, along with the defected emirs, defeated the left flank of Tokhtamysh's army, forcing his army into a rout. The victorious army of Timur dispersed Tokhtamysh's army.

Aftermath

While pursuing Tokhtamysh, Timur annihilated the cities of Astrakhan, Sarai, and Azov. Tokhtamysh had fled north, and the Genoese sent messengers with gifts to Timur in exchange for safe passage, and so Caffa was left untouched as the rest of Crimea was devastated by Timur's forces in August 1395. Edigu expanded his realm and installed Temür Qutlugh as the khan of the Golden Horde around 1397.