Li Bian vs Ulugh Beg

Li Bian, originally Xu Zhigao, usurped the throne from the Yang family of the Wu kingdom and proclaimed himself emperor of the Southern Tang dynasty. He established his capital at Jinling (Nanjing) and initiated a period of cultural and economic prosperity.

Li Bian reduced taxes, promoted agriculture, and encouraged trade. He also patronized literature and the arts, attracting scholars to his court. His reign brought stability and relative peace to the Yangtze River region during the turbulent Five Dynasties period.

Ulugh Beg gathered scholars like Al-Kashi and Qadi Zada al-Rumi at his court in Samarkand. He funded the study of mathematics, trigonometry, and astronomy, making Samarkand a leading scientific center of the 15th century.

Ulugh Beg built a large observatory in Samarkand, equipped with a 40-meter sextant. He used it to compile the Zij-i Sultani, a star catalog of over 1,000 stars, which was the most accurate in the world for 250 years.

Ulugh Beg published the Zij-i Sultani, a star catalog and astronomical tables. It corrected errors in Ptolemy's Almagest and provided accurate positions of stars and planets, influencing later astronomers like Copernicus and Tycho Brahe.

Upon the death of his father Shah Rukh, Ulugh Beg became the ruler of the Timurid Empire, based in Samarkand. His reign was short and marked by conflict with his nephew Abd al-Latif and other rivals.

Ulugh Beg was defeated in battle by his son Abd al-Latif, who had rebelled against him. He was captured and executed on Abd al-Latif's orders, ending his reign. His death marked the decline of the Timurid Empire.