Tamerlane was the last of the 'world conquerors': his armies looted and killed from the shores of the Mediterranean to the frontier of China. Nomad horsemen from the Steppes had been the terror of Europe and Asia for centuries, but with Tamerlane's death in 1405, an epoch of history came to an end. This book takes a look at our global past.

The rise, fall and endurance of empires - and the causes behind them - remain one of the most fascinating puzzles in world history.