Ottoman Sultan. After his succession to the Sultanate in 1389, he enjoyed many military successes, besieged the Byzantine Emperor at Constantinople for a decade, and defeated a crusader army. Then in 1402, Timur (Tamerlane), the legendary ruler of the Central Asian empire centered on Samarkand, tricked him by marching around his forces and poisoned his water sources to the rear, so that the Ottoman soldiers entered battle in poor condition and were defeated. Bayezit, previously known as the "Thunderbolt," was captured, treated with courtesy by Timur, but had to watch helplessly as his women and possessions were divided among his foes. He died shortly thereafter, a poignant reminder of the fickleness of fate and the impermanence of pomp, power and conquest.