Ulugh Beg

22 March 1394 – 27 October 1449

Ulugh Beg (1394-1449) was a Timurid sultan, astronomer, and mathematician, grandson of the conqueror Timur. As governor and later ruler based in Samarkand he built one of the great observatories of the medieval world and compiled the Zij-i Sultani, the most accurate star catalogue of its era. He was assassinated in 1449 on the orders of his own son.

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Life events

Born in Sultaniyeh, Persia, during his grandfather Timur's campaign
22 March 1394

Ulugh Beg, whose given name was Mirza Muhammad Taraghay, was born on 22 March 1394 into the Timurid royal family.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Birth ✓
Appointed governor of Samarkand by his father Shah Rukh
1409

In 1409 the teenage Ulugh Beg was installed as governor of Samarkand, which became the intellectual center of the Timurid Empire under his rule.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Career ✓
Founded the Ulugh Beg Madrasa on the Registan in Samarkand
1417 – 1420

Between 1417 and 1420 Ulugh Beg built a great madrasa in Samarkand that attracted leading mathematicians and astronomers of the age.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Achievement ✓
Built the Ulugh Beg Observatory in Samarkand
1424 – 1429

Constructed between 1424 and 1429, the observatory housed an enormous meridian arc and was among the finest astronomical institutions of the medieval world.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Achievement ✓
Compiled the Zij-i Sultani star catalogue
c. 1437

Around 1437 Ulugh Beg and his collaborators completed a catalogue of 992 stars, the most accurate of its time, along with a remarkably precise determination of the sidereal year.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Achievement ✓
Became ruler of the Timurid Empire after the death of his father Shah Rukh
1447

On Shah Rukh's death in 1447 Ulugh Beg succeeded to the Timurid throne, though his short reign was troubled by dynastic strife.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Career ✓
Defeated in battle by his rebellious son Abd al-Latif
1449

In 1449 Ulugh Beg was defeated by his son Abd al-Latif Mirza and surrendered to him at Samarkand.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Other ✓
Assassinated near Samarkand on the orders of his son
27 October 1449

While setting out on a pilgrimage to Mecca, Ulugh Beg was beheaded on 27 October 1449 at the instigation of Abd al-Latif.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Death ✓