of the trained and painted elephants he saw, and the tent-pavilions of jewel- and pearl-encrusted silks with tassels and banners that fluttered in the wind. The embassy spent several months in Samarkand, during which time the Castilians attended celebrations for Timur's recent victory at Ankara in July 1402 over the Turkish sultan, Bayezid I, whom he captured, relieving Western fears of Ottoman expansion in Hungary and spurring the desire for diplomatic connections on the part of Charles VI of France as well as Henry of Castile. Unable to procure a letter from Timur for their king, Henry, due to Timur's ill health (Timur's final illness), the Castilians were forced to depart Samarkand on 21 November 1404, due to Timur's impending death. See also Chronology of European exploration of Asia Timurid relations with Europe Chen Cheng (Ming Dynasty) - a Chinese envoy who visited Samarkand a few years after de Clavijo Travel literature Notes Attribution External links Historia del gran Tamorlan e itinerario y enarracion del viage, y relacion de la Embaxada que Ruy Gonçalez de Clavijo le hizo, por mandado del muy poderoso Señor Rey Don Henrique el Tercero de Castilla, y un breve discurso fecho por Gonçalo Argote de Molina, para mayor inteligencia deste libro…, original Spanish text on the site of the Biblioteca virtual Miguel de Cervantes Full text of the Embassy, trans. C.R. Markham. on Google Books; also on Internet Archive Excerpt from González de Clavijo's Embassy to Tamerlane 1403-1406 (trans. Guy le Strange, New York and London, 1928). Another excerpt from González de Clavijo's Embassy to Tamerlane 1403-1406 (trans. Guy le Strange, New York and London, 1928). "Vida y hazañas del Gran Tamorlán, con la descripción de las tierras de su imperio y señorío", by Ruy González de Clavijo (modern Spanish) Further reading Ruy González de Clavijo, La embajada a Tamorlán. Francisco López Estrada, ed. (Madrid: Castalia, 1999). Ruy González de Clavijo, Embassy to Tamerlane tr. G. Le Strange (1928). Ruy González de Clavijo, Embassy to Tamerlane, 1403-1406, translated by Guy Le Strange, with a new Introduction by Caroline Stone (Hardinge Simpole, 2009). 14th-century births 1412 deaths 15th-century travel writers Spanish travel writers Spanish explorers Explorers of Asia Historians of Iran Spanish diplomats Timur 14th-century Castilians 15th-century Castilians 15th-century Spanish writers