In 1405 Sino–Iranian relations hit a nadir. Tīmūr
(1336?–1405), never one to bother with the niceties
of diplomacy, had detained and executed Chinese
ambassadors sent to his court by the Ming emperors
Hung-wu (r. 1368–98) and Yung-lo (r. 1403–24) in
1395, 1402 and 1403, had amused himself by regularly
insulting Emperor Hung-wu, publicly calling him the
“Pig Emperor”, and had finally decided to invade
China to claim it for himself and Islam.
Fortunately, for all concerned, Tīmūr drank himself
into a stupor on the night of 18 February 1405 and
expired at his base camp at Utrār where his troops
were assembling for their march to China. The
Chinese campaign was immediately abandoned as
succession suddenly became a more pressing matter.
It would continue to occupy Timurid energies until
1411 when Tīmūr's fourth son, Shāhrukh (1377–1447)
gained control of the empire.