Armenia and the Crusades Tenth to Twelth Centuries - The Chronicle of Matthew of Edessa

I

The Chronicle

of Matthew of Edessa

Translated from the Original Annenian with a Commentary and Introduction by

Ara Edmond Dostourian Foreword by Krikor H. Maksoudian

National Association for Armenian Studies and Research ARMENIAN HERITAGE SERIES

University Press of America Lanham· New York . London

Copyright © 1993 by the

National Association for Armenian Studies and Research University Press of America~ Inc. 4720 Boston Wny Lanlmm, Murylund 20706 3 Henrietta Street London WC2E 8LU Englund All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America British Cataloging in Publication Information Available Copublished by arrangement with the National Association for Armeninn Studies and Research

Library of Congress Cataloging-In-Publication Dntu

Mntthew. of Edessa, 12th cent. [Putmowt' iwn. English] Armenia and the Cl1Isades : tenth to twelfth centuries : the Chronicle of Matthew of Edessa I translated from the originul Armenian with a commentm-y and introduction by Am Edmond Dostourian ; foreword by Krikor H. Maksoudian. p. cm. - (Armenian heritage series) By Matthew of Edessu. continued by Grigor Erets'. Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Armenia-History-Turkie Mongol domination. 1045-1592. 2. Armenia-History-Bugratuni dynasty. 885-1045. 3. Islamic Empire-History-750-1258. I. Dostouriun. Aru Edmnnd. II. Grifor. Erets', 12th cent. III. Title. IV. Series. DS186.M3713 1993 956.6'2013-dc20 92-39679 eIP ISBN 0-8191-8953-7 (cloth: alk. puper)

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The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Infonnation Sciences-Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materiuls. ANSI Z39.48-1984.

Dedication To my mother Zepure (nee Panikian) of Bardizag (Constantinople!Istanbul), who nurtured me in the culture of my forebears and in the proper use of the Armenian language; To my father Levon of Yaraisar-Shghni (SepasdiaJ Sivas), who inculcated in me a love for and devotion to the native soil of my ancestral homeland; To Mary (Mariam) Merjian (nee Ashjian), a loyal daughter of Edessa (UrhalUrfa), who inspired me in the writing of this tome.

... Table of Contents Foreword by Krikor H. Maksoudian

ix

Preface

xi

Acknowledgments

xv

Introduction

1

Text, Part I

19

Text, Part II

83

Text, Part III

181

Text, Continuation

241

Notes, Part I

283

Notes, Part II

307

Notes, Part III

335

Notes, Continuation

351

Glossary

361

Maps: Historic Armenia During the Medieval Period Cilicia, Syria, and Palestine, 10-12th Centuries

363 364

Select Bibliography

365

Index

367

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Foreword The Chronicle of Matthew of Edessa and that of his continuator, Gregory the Priest, are indispensable sources on the period from the mid-tenth to the mid-twelfth centuries. The renowned Seljuk specialist Claude Cahen puts Matthew in the same class with Michael the Syrian and Anna Comnena, calling him an "illustrious writer" of Christian faith: The Chronicle serves as a primary source not only for Armenian, but also for Byzantine, Crusader, Syriac, and Islamic history, including otherwise unknown facts and documents. Since the beginning of the nineteenth century, western scholars have frequently cited Matthew's work, using partial French translations of excerpts by Chahan de Cirbied (1811 and 1812) and particularly by E. Dulaurier (1850). In 1858 Dulaurier published the entire text, but left out certain sections. The works of both of these authors appeared before the editio princeps (Jerusalem, 1869), which was based on two manuscripts, and the complete edition of Vagharshapat (Etchmiadzin, 1898), based on five manuscripts and the readings of the Jerusalem text. After more than thirteen decades, the French translation, long out of print and out of date, remains the only translation available to the western reader. The scholarly works that appeared in the past one hundred and thirty years and the important advances in Byzantine, Armenian, Crusader, Syriac, and Islamic studies make the notes of Dulaurier's work obsolete. The accuracy of the translation also leaves much to be desired. The need for a new translation of Matthew's Chronicle was felt for a long time, and Dostourian has come forward to fill that gap. Unlike Dulaurier, he has used the Vagharshapat (Etchmiadzin) text, which contains much better readings, and has refrained from leaving out any sections. Moreover, being a native speaker of Armenian and a former seminarian, he has a much better command of Matthew's language, which is the classical idiom mixed with words and ·Claude Cahen, "Historiography of the Seljuqid Period," Historians of the Middle East, Bernard Lewis and P. M. Holt, eds. (London, 1962),78.

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MATTHEW OF EDESSA

expressions characteristic of the twelfth century spoken Armenian. Dostourian also had the good fortune of having at his disposal linguistic works on Middle Armenian, the vernacular in Matthew's time, and the scholarship of the past century and a half. The scholar of Armenian, Byzantine, or Middle Eastern history may expect more copious notes on Matthew's Chronicle than what Dostourian has provided. He has restricted his comments mostly to explain the text to the western reader with no background in Armenian, Byzantine, or Middle Eastern history. An attempt other than that would have meant a voluminous work, which would have taken several decades to complete. Thus, the value of the present volume lies particularly in the translation of the Chronicle. Very Rev. Dr. Krikor H. Maksoudian

Zohrab Information Center Diocese of the Armenian Church New York, New York September 1991

Preface The Chronicle of Matthew of Edessa is considered by scholars to be a primary source of major importance for the history of the Near East during the period of the early Crusades (tenth to twelfth centuries). The present work is the first translation of the Chronicle from the original Classical Annenian into English. Three other translations have been published: French, Turkish, and Modern Armenian. Only the present work and the Modern Armenian translation are based on the most complete and accurate text available. Therefore, this English translation of the Chronicle should be of great benefit to those scholars working in the field of medieval Near Eastern history who are not familiar with the original language. The number of extant manuscripts of Matthew's chronicle is not large. Moreover several of these manuscripts are incomplete. The oldest surviving manuscripts date from the late sixteenth/early seventeenth centuries, while the most recent were copied in the nineteenth century. A number of libraries in the world have manuscripts of the Armenian historian's work, either complete or fragmentary: The Matenadaran (Manuscript Library) located in the Republic of Armenia the library of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the Bibliotheque Nationale of Paris, the library of the Mekhitarist Fathers of Venice, the library of the Mekhitarist Fathers of Vienna, the Armenian Hostel in Rome, the Bodleian Library at Oxford, and the British Museum in London. The first published text of Matthew's chronicle was the Fr~nch edition prepared by E. Dulaurier (Matthew of Edessa, Chromque, Paris, 1858). This edition, based on the three manuscripts found in the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris, contains several gaps (see, for example, Part I, section 48, note 4; Part II, section 54, not~ 2; Continuation, section 7, note 3), which were due no doubt to defiCIencies in the available manuscripts. The French historian appended an introduction and copious notes to the translation. The first published text of Matthew's chronicle in its original Armenian language appeared in Jerusalem in 1869 (~atthew of Edessa, Patmut'iwn [History), Jerusalem, 1869). The edItor (whose

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MATTHEW OF EDESSA

name is not given) states in the preface that the two manuscripts on which he based the text are full of inaccuracies, and therefore he had to rely on the Dulaurier text in several cases. This edition is inaccurate in some passages and contains many gaps. The only other published text of the Chronicle in the original Armenian was issued in Vagharshapat (Etchmiadzin), Armenia, in 1898 (Matthew of Edessa, Zhamanakagrut'iwn [ChronicleJ, edited by M. Melik-Adamian and N. Ter-Mik'ayelian). This text is based on six manuscripts found in the library of the Holy See at Etchmiadzin (since incorporated into the Matenadaran in Armenia). According to the editors, the best manuscript was chosen as the basis for the text while variant readings from the others were incorporated in the 'footnotes. The Jerusalem text was examined, and its variants and differences were cited in the footnotes. At the present time there are two translations of Matthew's chronicle in addition to Dulaurier's. A Turkish translation by H. D. Andreasyan (Vekaye Ndmesi [952-1136J ve Papaz Grigor'un Zeyli [1136-1162J, Ankara, 1962) is based wholly on that of Dulaurier and inclu~es D~lau~er's notes along with some additional notes by the TurkIsh hIstorIan M. H. Yinanch. A translation into Modern Armenian has been prepared by H, Bart'ikyan (Matthew of Edessa Zham~nakagrut'iwn, Yerevan, 1973) and is based on the Etchmiadzi~ text CIted abo:~. This A~enian scholar has taken great pains to render the ongmal text mto polished Modern Eastern Armenian. Moreover he has prepared an extensive introduction together with notes and co~menta~. Understandably this translation is oriented to an ArmenIan-speakmg audience, The ~tchmiadzin text published in 1898 has been used in the prepa~atlOn of ~he present translation. Armenian terms have been translIterated according to the L'b f Congress t Omto f English ' 1 rary 0 sys e~. . the varIants which have been incorporated into the Etchmladzm text, only those which appreciably alter the meaning of a p;ssage have been noted in the footnotes. The introduction notes an comment~~ have been prepared for the educated layman.' rathe; ~ha~/he spec:;.hst and are designed to elucidate various parts of the t~X geograp IC place ,na~es, historical personages, etc.), as well as t~ompare the Chromcle s narrative of events to those provided by

~Oit:~ Ct~~d::!~~l ~:!~~~n:h:~~~:~:;c~~~~ t~~t~e:~:~lltor isa e er un erstandmg both of the cont

historical context in which it was Written~nts of the text and the

PREFACE

xiii

The present translation has been prepared with two audiences in mind: those scholars in the field who need to rely on a straightforward and accurate translation of Matthew's chronicle and the general public interested in the narrative as well as the history of the period, The translation does not pretend to be based on a definitive critical text, as no such text exists; however, the text used is the most accurate and complete available. Great care has been taken to give a clear and precise rendering into English without losing the flavor of the Chronicle's original language and style.

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Acknowledgements The present work would not have been possible without the help and inspiration of a number of people. It was my mentor and advisor, Professor Peter Charanis of Rutgers University, who proposed the idea of my translating Matthew of Edessa's chronicle as a dissertation topic for a doctorate in Byzantine history. From the inception of the work in the fall of 1962 to my completion of the degree in 1972, Professor Charanis patiently encouraged and gently prodded me, for which I am ever grateful. I only regret that he did not live long enough to see the publication he initiated and so inspired. Professor Ernest McDonnell, also of Rutgers University, made some helpful comments and suggestions on the final form of the dissertation. I am indebted to Professor Isidore Twersky of Harvard University, through whom I obtained a teaching and research associateship at Harvard for the year 1968-1969, which enabled me to write the major portion of my dissertation. Professor Robert Thomson, Mesrob Mashtots Professor of Annenian Studies at Harvard, gave me invaluable assistance in my translation work. I am. also indebted to Professor Thomson for his helpful comments and suggestions on the introduction, commentary, and notes. The Board Chairman of the National Association for Annenian Studies and Research (NAASR) , Manoog S. Young, as well as the Board of Directors, graciously consented to take on the responsibility of publishing this work, for which I am very appreciative. I have special thanks for Dr. Barbara J. Merguerian, NAASR's Director of Information and Publications, who painstakingly edited, prepared, and proofread the manuscript and made many helpful suggestions. I would like to express my gratitute to Professor Hagop Nersoyan of the University of Dayton and to the Very Reverend Dr. Krikor H. Maksoudian of the Diocese of the Armenian Church for their very helpful comments and suggestions. Lastly, my thanks to Janice Chase of Carrollton, Georgia, for typing the final manuscript. Ara Edmond Dostourian

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Introduction Very little is known about the life of Matthew of Edessa except for the meager information contained in his chronicle. The dates of his birth and death cannot be ascertained, although it is doubtful that the Armenian chronicler lived beyond the year 1136, when his work ends. The Armenian historian M. Ch'amich' suggests that Matthew died in the siege of Edessa by the Turkish ruler Zengi in 1144 but gives no basis for this assertion. Most probably Matthew spent the latter days of his life in Kesoun and was in that town when the Danishmendid ruler Amr-Ghazl laid siege to it in 1136. Matthew's native city was Edessa. According to his own testimony he was a monk, l and he probably resided in one of the monasteries in the vicinity of the city. He was a priest of lower rank and not a vardapet (doctor). However, as can be discerned by his writing, he was energetic and dedicated in the task which he undertook, the compilation of his chronicle. 2 Like most of his contemporaries, Matthew perceived reality through religious eyes-that is, he believed that all events occur through the foreknowledge and intervention of God. The Chronicle, by its very nature, lacks homogeneity. The first part, describing the events of the years 952 to 1051 A.D., is based on the sources of others; the second, 1051 to 1101, on eyewitnesses living in Matthew's time; and the third, 1101 to 1136, on Matthew's own observations along with those of some others. A certain Gregory the Priest continued the chronicle to the year 1162. According to the lMatthew might have been the superior of a monastery rather than an ordinary monk. The Armenian text uses vanakan and vanats' erets', which could mean "monk," or "monk of a monastery," or "superior of a monastery." 2See Part II, section 1; Part III, sections 1, 2,3.

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MATTHEW OF EDESSA

INTRODUCTION

speculations of the French historian E. Dulaurier, Gregory was a pupil of Matthew and probably had some influence with the residents and commander of Kesoun, the town in which he lived. Matthew wrote his chronicle at the turn of the twelfth century, a turbulent period in the history of the Near East. The once powerful 'Abbasld empire had pretty much disintegrated. Arab and Turkish dynasties parceled out and ruled areas which were once part of a united Muslim empire. The Seljuk Turks were firmly ensconced in Persia and Iraq and were steadily encroaching upon the Anatolian possessions of the Byzantine empire. The Latin West was beginning to take a keen interest in the Near East and had already gained a foothold in the Levant by bringing under its control a narrow strip of the territory on the eastern littoral of the Mediterranean. The Armenians, who very recently had been in the process of establishing a number of independent states in eastern Anatolia, had been thwarted by Seljuk invasions and Byzantine intrigue and therefore had begun to shift their activities to upper Mesopotamia and Cilicia. Georgia was in the process of gaining a prominent position in Caucasian affairs through the efforts of a new dynamic dynasty. Matthew's chronicle deals with the interplay of these various forces' it opens with the Byzantine empire's resurgence in the mid-tenth century, goes on to describe the Seljuk advance in the eleventh and ends with the arrival of the Latin Crusaders in the late eleventh and early twelfth centuries. In the process the struggle of the Armenians to maintain their independence is narrated, as well as the interplay of these Oriental Christians with the Byzantines Arabs Turks Syrians, Latins, and Georgians. '" In dealing with Matthew as a histOrian, one should discuss not only his handling of sources and approach to historical writing but also the. Armenian chronicler's language and style, weltanschadung, and attitude towards other peoples. As a medieval chronicler of average sophistication, Matthew lacks a distinctive style. Rather, both as to grammar and vocabulary, he writes in the language of the people. There is a significant chasm between his style and that of clas~ica~ ~enia~ a';1thors. Matthew's writing takes on a dynamic qUalIty In Its descnptlOn of events and people. His prose is weighted with .the figurative language so common to Near Easterners. The flouns~ does not, however, diminish its power. Moreover the Chromcle abounds in vivid descriptions of events which Matthew con~iders significant and which he wishes to impress upon the minds of hIS readers; examples are the presentation of the first appearance

of the Turks in Armenia (Part I, section 47), the account of the sack of the opulent city of Artsn (Part I, section 92), the narration of the fall of Ani to the Seljuks (Part II, section 22), and the description of the death of a Georgian warrior at the hands of an Armenian hero (Part I, section 10). Another element in Matthew's chronicle which needs to be mentioned here is the folk epic, one of the traditional genres of classical Armenian literature. Two very good examples of the Armenian chronicler's use of this genre are the accounts of the battle of Khach'ik and his sons with the Muslims (Part I, section 82) and the conflict between T'ornik and Philaretus (Part II, sections 60 and 61). In analyzing Matthew's basic philosophy, there is a tendency to oversimplify the Armenian chronicler's viewpoints and attitudes. Indeed some scholars have characterized Matthew as simple-minded, intensely nationalistic, deeply suspicious, and hateful of foreigners, as well as superstitious and credulous. There can be no doubt that some of these attitudes can be found in his work. However, Matthew is too complex an individual to be presented in such oversimplified terms. His motives for writing the Chronicle are simple and clear: to provide instruction concerning the manner of God's intervention in history, either to punish humans for their wickedness or to reward them for their righteousness. To use the author's own words:

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It is because of all this that I, Matthew of Edessa, a monk,

spared no efforts and left this work as a record for those who enjoy studying chronicles so that, when they begin to inquire into past events, they may be able more easily to learn about the times and the epochs. These persons shall also learn about the terrible misfortunes which occurred in those times and, once again bringing these things to mind, shall remember the divine wrath which we received from God the righteous judge as a penalty for our sins. Because of these many calamities-namely the destruction of the Christians and the reprimands which our Lord God brought upon us by means of an infidel nation-we did not wish that such threats and warnings of God be forgotten by us. Now it is essential to heed the admonition of our God ceaselessly and at all times. (Part II, section 1). Writing within the prophetic framework of the Old Testament, Matthew warns his readers throughout his work that destruction came upon Israel when her people strayed from the path of righteousness. Numerous examples are given of divine wrath falling upon the Christians because of their recalcitrance: God punished the Christians because of their sins, using the Turks as an instrument of his

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wrath (Part II, section 49); a famine is brought upon the people of Edessa because they sinfully killed their leader T'oros (Part II, section 130); God punishes the Greeks because of their treachery against the Franks (Part III, section 5). Although a theological motive permeates the work, Matthew strives to present historical events as accurately as possible.3 Like most medieval chroniclers Matthew is steeped in religious thinking which is sometimes noncritical. In this respect he is no different from the contemporary Byzantine, Syrian, or Latin chroniclers. In keeping with the medieval world view, Matthew interprets all natural phenomena either as omens of impending danger or as miracles showing the glory and might of God. Examples of this religious orientation can be seen in the description of the failure of the lamps in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher to burn due to heretical thinking on the part of the Byzantine Christians (Part I, section 43); the miracle of the blocking of a river by the Armenian catholicos Peter (Part I, section 50); the incident of the preservation of the Syriac Gospels after having been cast into a fire many times (Part II, section 2); the "red snow" which brings famine and death in its wake (Fart II, section 10); the incident in which lightening strikes the fortress of Vahka, presaging the death of the Armenian prince Constantine (Part II, section 128); and the appearance of a comet foretelling that a great ruler will reign over a vast empire (Part III, section 32). Matthew has been styled as a super patriot, a passionate adherent of the Armenian church, and a denouncer of all things foreign, whether pertaining to an alien religious tradition or an alien cultural background. This view of Matthew does not bear up under close scrutiny. In the first place, to call him a super patriot or chauvinist is to attribute to him a nineteenth century concept of nationalism which was foreign to the Middle Ages. Instead of allegiance to a state, peoples' loyalties were based on an attachment to a local area or to a religious community. It cannot be denied that Matthew has strong feelings for the cultural and religious heritage to which he belongs, but the same can be said of most of the writers and thinkers of the time. Can anyone deny that Bar Hebraeus, Michael the Syrian, Anna Comnena, Michael Psellus, and William of Tyre are partisan writers? And while a number of the Byzantine and Arab historians do not evince as intense a feeling for their religious

3See Part III, section 3.

INTRODUCTION

5

and cultural tradition as do the aforementioned writers, it must not be forgotten that these individuals came from t~e more cosm?politan background of universal states encompassmg many dl~ferent nationalities and cultural traditions, in contrast to peoples like the Armenians and Syrians who had to battle against overwhelming odds in order to keep their respective traditions intact. Thus Matthew is no more or no less partisan than many of his contemp~raries. In fact in many instances the Armenian chronicler puts aside his partisanship and portrays individuals in a fair and accurate manner, to the point of praising and eulogizing his enemies. Matthew condemns his own people when, in his opinion, they have acted in a criminal fashion. He is quick to judge the actions of the famous people of his time: the Byzantine emperor Tzimisces is condemned for the means he used to obtain the imperial throne, as well as for some aspects of his personal life (Part I, sections 8 and 18)' an Armenian nobleman, Sargis, is denounced because of his perfidiousness towards his own people and because ?e instilled, in the Byzantine emperor, Constantine Monomachus, the Idea of forcmg, the king of Ani, Gagik, to give up the Armenian throne (Part I, sectIOns 74 and 84)' the Byzantine general Philaretus is condemned as a betrayer of his own people and as a superficial Christ.ian ~ecause ?e took control of Edessa and killed a number of Armemans In the CIty (Part II, sections 60 and 77); the Armenians of Edessa are severely criticized for killing their commander T'oros, who was of the Byzantine Orthodox faith rather than a communicant of the Armenian church (Part II, section 118). It is interesting to note that the individuals in each of the above illustrations, except for Sargis, have also been praised by the Armenian chronicler when the occasion has arisen: Tzimisces is eulogized for his good relations with the Armenians and for his attempts to capture Jerusalem on behalf of the Christians (Part I, sections 17 ff.); Philaretus is giv~n credit for avenging the killing of the Armenian commander of Antioch (Part II, section 66). Matthew has been portrayed as a passionate adherent of the Armenian church who despised the other Christian traditions, especially the Byzantine. The fact is that he has a clear understanding of Christian unity and brotherhood. Wh~le he vo~ce.s deep c,oncern for the sufferings and afflictions of Armeman ChnstIans, thIS does not prevent him from sympathizing with the plight of the other Eastern Christians (Greeks, Syrians, and Georgians) as well as the

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MATTHEW OF EDESSA

INTRODUCTION

Latins, during the onslaughts of the Muslims (Part I, section 30; Part II, sections 2, 110, 111; Part III, section 8). Matthew has come under special criticism for his alleged spiteful attitude towards the Byzantine church. An analysis of his statements on that subject does not bear this out. It is true that he hurls invectives at the Byzantine church, but only when that church, in his opinion, strays from the Orthodox faith (Part I, section 43) or tries to compel his people to follow the Byzantine tradition (Part II, sections 14, 30, 57). On the other hand, he has a very high regard for his own church and considers, its faith to be pure and orthodox (Part II, sections 30 ff). Under these circumstances, can Matthew be labeled any more of a religious fanatic than his Byzantine coreligionists? Matthew is generally consistent in his attitude towards the alien peoples with whom the Armenians were in contact during this period. He is very critical of those he considers to have worked against the interests of both his own people and those of the other Christians inhabiting the area. He eulogizes and praises all individuals, including Muslims, who act benevolently towards the Christians. In spite of his deep devotion to the Armenian church, Matthew does not allow his loyalty to interfere with his allegiance to the universal church of Christ (including Greeks, Latins, Syrians, and Copts). Of all the neighboring peoples, he seems to be most concerned about the Greeks. In essence the relationship between the Greeks and Armenians was more than a neighborly one during this period. The Byzantine empire's very existence and preservation depended in large part on the coopera.tion between the two peoples. It is no wonder that Matthew condemns policies that created disharmonies between the two Christian peoples but praises efforts to strengthen their relationship and cooperation. Thus, when the Byzantine rulers attempt, successfully in the end, to annihilate the Armenian states in eastern Anatolia, they are condemned in no uncertain terms (Part I, sections 84, 92; Part II, section 13). Moreover, whoever threatens the empire and its unity is likewise condemned, whether it be an individual rebel or an outside invader (Part I, sections 28 " 81' Part II, , sectIOns 57, 90). On the other hand, Matthew appears to contradict his profession of loyalty to the empire when he severely castigates the Greeks for their treacherous attitude towards the Latin Crusaders (Part III, sections 4, 5). Perhaps Matthew here is follOwing the Latin sources which maintain that the Greeks were treacherous in their dealings with the Crusaders, rather than the Byzantine sources which state the opposite view (cf. Part III, section 4, note 4).

The Armenian chronicler's attitude towards the Latins is much more ambiguous than his attitude towards the Greeks. In dealing with the Latins, Matthew appears confused about their motivations. When the Latins first appear, he has nothing but praise for them and expresses the hope that they will deliver the Christians from the Muslim yoke (Part II, sections 109, 110,111, 117, 118). However, he gradually becomes disillusioned and begins to blame them for the ruin and destruction of all the Christians of the East (Part III, sections 30, 40, 47). Yet in other instances he has nothing but praise for the Latins (Part III, sections 55, 58), asserting that unlike the Greeks these Western Christians stood by the Armenians to the very end. Matthew's attitude towards the Muslim Arabs and Turks is unique. Although he has no love or sympathy for the Islamic religion (Part II, section 15; Part III, section 86), his views concerning the Arabs and Turks are open-minded. A tendency to sympathize with the Arabs rather than Turks may be explained by the fact that the Turks were the chief ravagers of Armenia. Nevertheless, although he roundly condemns the Turks for the destruction of his homeland and singles out their leaders for their wicked and bloodthirsty nature (Part II, sections 28, 48; Part III, sections 54, 76), the Armenian chronicler has nothing but praise and gratitude for a number of Turkish commanders and rulers, chief among them Malik-Shah (Part II, sections 54, 56, 58, 86, 92, 103; Part III, sections 21, 36). Such praise is showered upon these Turks by Matthew because of their benevolent attitude towards his people and the other Christians. On the other hand, Matthew's view of the Syrians and Georgians is less sharply delineated. Although the references are scanty, in most cases he sympathizes with their struggle to maintain their respective religious and cultural traditions. Moreover, he is especially grateful to the Georgians for protecting the Armenians at a time when their country was disintegrating due to the onslaughts of the Turks (Part III, sections 94, 104). In summary one can say that Matthew's attitude towards the various peoples with whom the Armenians came into contact during this period does not display a consistent viewpoint in reference to each group. In fact his assessment fluctuates in accordance with the thoughts and actions of the peoples in question. However, if there is a consistent aspect in Matthew's attitude towards the neighboring peoples, it lies in his unreserved commitment to the welfare of the Byzantine empire, the Armenians, and the other Eastern Christians.

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MATTHEW OF EDESSA

INTRODUCTION

It is not easy to deal with the question of Matthew of Edessa's sources or the manner in which he utilizes them. There is practically no information available concerning the sources which he uses, except the following statement made by the author himself:

the period. Thomas dealt with the history of the Artsruni dynasty from early times through the appearance of the Seljuk Turks in Vaspurakan in the early eleventh century. Stephen Asoghik (eleventh century) wrote a world history which in its third part deals with the history of Armenia and the neighboring states from the reign of Ashot I to that of Gagik I (885~1020). Aristakes of Lastivert (eleventh century) has aptly been called the "Armenian Jeremiah" for his account of the events in Armenia from 1001 to 1072, in which he lamented the impending destruction of his native land by the Seljuk Turks. Aristakes devoted a good portion of his history to the Seljuk penetration of eastern Anatolia through the battle of Mantskert (Manzikert, 1071); he is less successful in analyzing facts and events, tending to attribute them to divine providence. Four thirteenth~century Armenian historians have produced useful accounts of some of the events included in Matthew's chronicle. Stephen Orbelian, a scion of the famous Orbelian family, wrote a history of Siwnik', one of the provinces of Greater Armenia. This work includes a history of the Orbelian dynasty which ruled the region for centuries, as well as a description of the area's topography and geography. Vardan Vardapet (Areveltsi), in his history of Annenia and the surrounding regions, provides an especially valuable account of the period of the tenth to thirteenth centuries, with emphasis on the relations between the Armenians and the neighboring peoples (Byzantines, Arabs, Seljuk Turks, Crusaders, Mongols, etc.). 5mbat Sparapet (the Constable), a scion of the Hetumids of Cilician Armenia, wrote a chronicle of the events in Cilicia and the neighboring regions in the period 951~1272, which was continued to 1336 by others. The work presents a comprehensive view of the political and socioeconomic relations of the Cilician state with the neighboring states and peoples. Kirakos of Gandzak (Ganja) wrote a history of Armenia in two parts: the first part a short presentation of events in Armenia from St. Gregory the Enlightener (fourth century) to the Mongol invasions (thirteenth century) and the second, more valuable, section on the Mongol invasions of Armenia (1241~ 1266) and their political, social, and economic effects on the land, its people, and the surrounding areas. 5

As for us, with our limited knowledge and intelligence we have investi~ated these events with as much lucidity as possible, consultmg a number of histories that were written in various places and transmitted to us as records by their authors. We have collated all the material contained in these histories with the greatest care. Moreover, we have obtained facts from respectable people, who were knowledgeable in the events and calamities in question and, being free of error were well versed in history and chronology. We also have h~d interviews and interrogations with old people who were well informed of the events of past years. (Part III, section 3). Matthew gives no information on either the histories or the people he consulted. However, by comparing the Chronicle with the contempo~ rary and non-contemporary sources dealing with the area in question, we can obtain some indication of the way in which he utilized his material. Matthew's work covers a period of over two hundred years. There is no homogeneity to the Chronicle, for the first part (952~1051) is based on non-contemporary sources, while the last two parts (1051~ 1101 and 1101~1136) are based on contemporary sources as well as the author's conversations with various individuals and his own 4 experiences. There are a good number of contemporary and non~ conte~porary s.our~es dealing with the events covered by the Arm~man c~romcler s wor~. These include Armenian, Greek, Syriac, ArabIC, Latm, and GeorgIan sources. A brief treatment of these historical works and their relative merits hopefully will provide the context for a discussion and analysis of the manner in which Matthew dealt with the sources at his disposal. The Armenian historians dealing with the events covered by ~atthew are numerous. Thomas Artsruni (tenth century) wrote a hIstory of the Artsruni dynasty which ruled the Armenian state of Vaspurakan in the ninth, tenth, and eleventh centuries. Many of the events this writer related are corroborated by the Arab historians of . :'Th~ continuation of Matthew's chronicle to 1162 by Gregory the Priest l~ hkewlse based on contemporary sources and the latter's own observatIons.

5It is believed that Matthew died soon after his nanation ends, in 1136; therefore he could not have utilized these Armenian historians. It has been suggested that some of his information on the tenth and early eleventh centuries was based on the lost Chronicle of one John of Sanahin.

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INTRODUCTION

There are a number of Byzantine historians and chroniclers, some of them contemporaries of Matthew, who shed light on the events covered in the Chronicle. Theophanes Continuatus, an anonymous chronicler of the tenth century, wrote a work continuing the history of the eighth century author Theophanes into the period from 813 to 961. Leo Diaconus (tenth century), who accompanied Basil II on his Bulgarian campaigns, wrote a history dealing with the events of 959 to 975 (the wars of Nicephorus Phocas and John Tzimisces against the Arabs, Bulgarians, and Russians). His work is based on his own observations and those of other eyewitnesses. The history of Michael Psellus (eleventh century), whose political standing at the imperial court enabled him to present an intimate picture of the events of the time, continues Leo's work and covers the years 976 to 1077. Michael Attaleiates (eleventh century) wrote a history of the events of 10341079, thus paralleling the later years covered in PseUus's work. John Scylitzes (eleventh century) compiled a chronicle of the period from 811 to 1079 which is of greatest value for the events of the eleventh century. Nicephorus Bryennius (eleventh-twelfth centuries) wrote a history dealing with the events covered in the latter part of Psellus's work (1070-1079). His attempts to immortalize the deeds of his father-in-law, the emperor Alexius, are none too successful. Anna Comnena (eleventh-twelfth centuries) wrote a work called the "Alexiad" which covers the years 1069-1118, in great part the reign of her father, the emperor Alexius, in which she extols the virtues of her father and presents his achievements in the best light possible. . George Cedrenus (eleventh-twelfth centuries) compiled a world hIstOry based on Theophanes and other chroniclers; for the period after 811 he uses Scylitzes and brings his narration to the year 1057. John Cinnamus (twelfth century), who was imperial secretary to the emperor Manuel I Comnenus, wrote a history of the period 11181176, continuing the "Alexiad" of Anna Comnena. John Zonaras (twel~th century): who was commander of the imperial bodyguard, complIed a chromcle from the creation of the world to 1118. Michael Glyca~ (twelfth. century), a historian, theologian, and poet, wrote a chromcle covenng the same period as Zonaras. Nicetas Choniates ~twel~th-thirteenth centuries) wrote a chronicle dealing with the InVaSIOns of the empire during the Third and Fourth Crusades (11891204).6

Three Syrian chroniclers have narrated events recorded by Matthew in his work. The author of the Anonymous Chronicle deals with the history of Edessa and its environs during the fIrst half of the twelfth century; the abundance of intimate detail and the familiarity of the author with the topography of Edessa indicate that he must have been contemporary to the events he describes and probably an eyewitness to some. Michael the Syrian (twelfth century), who wrote a world history from the creation to 1196, provides the most complete compilation the Syrians have left; the great abundance of information in the history compensates for the author's defects in historical methodology and analysis. The Syrian chronicler's comments on the Greeks, Turks, and Latins are deeply colored by his profound concern for the preservation of his people and their Christian faith. Bar Hebraeus (thirteenth century), a Syrian scholar noted for his encyclopedic learning in science and philosophy, wrote a history of the Near East from the creation to his time. His work contains important information on the Armenians and other peoples of the Caucasus. 7 There are numerous Arabic authors who have written about events covered in Matthew's chronicle. Yahya of Antioch, a Coptic Christian (eleventh century), wrote a very valuable chronicle dealing with Byzantine-Muslim relations in upper Mesopotamia in the ninth century. Ibn-al-Athir (twelfth-thirteenth centuries) wrote a history of the world from the creation to his time. His work is especially important for the history of upper Mesopotamia during his lifetime. Abu-l-Feda (thirteenth century), who was a historian of the Ayyubid dynasty, wrote a history of the world, basically a compilation of other authors. Two less noteworthy writers of the twelfth-thirteenth centuries are Kamal-ad-Din and Ibn-al-Qalanisi, chroniclers of Aleppo and Damascus, respectively. Their works deal with the histories of their respective cities, as well as events in northern Syria, during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.8 To the Eastern sources should be added certain Latin historians. Fulcher of Chartres (eleventh-twelfth centuries), who accompanied Baldwin I, is considered to be the most dependable historian of the First Crusade. An intelligent and keen observer, he was meticulous

6It is doubtful that Matthew knew or used any of these Byzantine sources.

11

7The works of Michael and Bar Hebraeus were written later and could not have served as sources for Matthew. 8Matthew could not possibly have utilized the Arabic sources (except perhaps for Yahya of Antioch), for the Armenian chronicler is believed to have died soon after his narrative ends, in 1136.

12

MATTHEW OF EDESSA

in his chronology and endowed with an unusual talent for describing events. Another historian of the First Crusade, Albert of Aix (eleventh-twelfth centuries), falls far short of his contemporary Fulcher, besides being quite hostile to the native Christians. Perhaps the outstanding Latin historian of the Crusades is William of Tyre (twelfth century), who wrote a history of the Latin Levant from 1099 to 1184. He was a native of the East and knew Greek and Arabic, in addition to being a fine Latin stylist.9 There are two groups of Georgian historical sources: those outside the Georgian Annals and those contained in the Georgian Annals. Some of these Annals deal with events covered by Matthew's chronicle, especially those incidents pe~aining to Georgian-Armenian and Georgian-Turkish relations. A portion of the Georgian Annals has been translated into Armenian and is known under the name of the Armenian Chronicle. In comparing Matthews narration with the Armenian Greek Syrian, :Arab, Latin, and Georgian chroniclers of the same p~riod, w~ can amve at only tentative conclusions about the similarities and differences between his narrative and the accounts of the other sourc?s. The~~ con:lusions in no way indicate the specific sources u.se~ In compIhng hIS work. Matthews narration of events is most sl~lliar to the ~rincipal S~iac and Armenian sources, especially MIchael th~ Synan, Asoghik, and Aristakes (Part I, section 8 and note 3, sectIOn 16 and note 7, section 56 and note 2' Part II section ~ a~d ~ote 3, section 74 and note 7, section 85 a~d note '2), thus In,dlcatmg th~t the Armenian chronicler was familiar to some extent Wlt~ the Synan and Armenian writers who dealt with the events whICh h~ also related. On the other hand, Matthew does not always agre~ With the Greek sources, especially in the recording of minor det~lls (Part I, section 91 and note 5; Part II, section 64 and note 3, ~ect~l~n 91'tahntdhnoGte 1). This might indicate that he was not too lami . instances, . lar h' WI d " e reek sources, except perh aps'm certam as m IS escnptIOn of one of the Pecheneg attacks on Constantinople n hisat evtent fatr rfemhoved from him (Part II, section 90 and note 3) or . ' rea men 0 t e emperor Basil's Bul' sections 37 and 46). When it is a qUestio!:~~~e c=:'~~~~e; 9Again, Matthew could not po 'bI h .. ~he Armenian chronicler had com~let~d ye utIhze.d William's history, for It has been suggested that some of his . ~ n~~tIon by 1136. However, based on Fulcher of Chartres' Ge8 ta Francorum. m orma ion on the Crusades was

h

INTRODUCTION

13

tends to agree with or follow the Latin sources rather than the Greek or Syriac (Part III, section 4 and note 4; section 18 and note 2, section 105 and note 2). What this indicates is difficult to say, except that the Armenian chronicler might have relied on some Latin sources for events pertaining to the Franks, especially outside upper Mesopotamia. 10 There is no evidence that Matthew had any firsthand information on Caucasian events, specifically those pertaining to Georgia and its relations with the neighboring Muslims. Perhaps his narration of these events (Part III, sections 83 and 84, section 98 and note 2) was based on Armenian sources, although this must remain a matter of conjecture. A further point to be noted here is that the Armenian chronicler relates a number of events pertaining to the decease of various Byzantine, Muslim, and Frankish rulers, giving details on the manner of their deaths which differ substantially from those of other sourcesll (Part II, section 132 and note 1; Part III, section 95 and note 6, section 102 and note 4). It is evident that Matthew is rather inconsistent in his handling of sources. In spite of his contention that he thoroughly investigated, weighed, and analyzed his materials (Part II, section 1), the Armenian chronicler has not always been correct in his chronological and factual presentation (Part I, section 1 and note 6, section 2 and note 6, section 3 and note 4, section 5 and note 4, section 16 and note 3, section 23 and note 2, section 35 and note 2, section 36 and note 1, section 44 and note 3; Part II, section 5 and note 7, section 51 and note 1, section 68 and note I, section 69 and note 1). Nevertheless, in other instances he has accurately described the events he relates. In keeping with the mentality of a medieval chronicler, Matthew tends to be credulous and exaggerates a great deal (Part I, section 9 and note 3, section 18, section 48; Part II, section 109), but such shortcomings are offset by a not infrequent judicious presentation of events and individuals. Since medieval chronicles are basically simple catalogues of events in chronological order, very little or no emphasis is placed on lOOn events pertaining to the Franks in upper Mesopotamia, it is quite evident that Matthew relied on his own observations, eyewitnesses, and others of that region. As to the specific Latin sources on which the Armenian chronicler might have relied, there seems to be no definite indication. 1IActually all the sources differ on the details concerning the manner in which these rulers died. It is indeed surprising that there should be so much disagreement on the details.

14

MATTHEW OF EDESSA

interpretation and analysis; yet many chroniclers, including Matthew, have in some instances attempted to interpret events and analyze individual motivations. In the case of the Armenian chronicler, such interpretations and analyses has been minimal and rather perfunctory. For example, no cause has been given for the first Turkish invasion of Armenia (Part I, section 48); the Armenian kings promise to hand over Ani to the emperor Basil (Part I, section 50 and note 2); the Armenian catholicos Peter's departure from his see (Part I, section 66, and note 1); the decision of Gagik to wear mourner's garments (Part II, section 23); or the empress Eudocia's desire to have Diogenes installed on the imperial throne (Part II, section 51). Although Matthew shows little evidence of a thorough analysis of events in his work, he does in some instances reflect a solid grasp of the materials and sources he is utilizing. He is particularly thorough in presenting and explaining the critical situation of the Byzantine empire in 1080 (Part II, section 73). Matthew appears to be the only source to give a reason for the withdrawal of the Franks from Edessa in 1110-1111 (Part III, section 47 and note 1). Only Matthew is specific as to the motivation behind Maudud's assassination in Damascus (Part Ill, section 63 and note 3). His analysis of Baldwin's election as King of Jerusalem in 1118 is particularly incisive (Part III, section 75). Such a treatment of materials as this shows that the Armenian chronicler was able occasionally to subject his information to some measure of critical analysis that would not be expected in a strictly chronological catalogue. On this basis his remark on the ' . U t I'l'lzat·Ion 0 f sources 12 occasionally does ring true .Turning to the question of whether it is possible to discern any unIque or specific contribution which Matthew of Edessa has made to the histOriography of the period, two definitive and one guarded sta~ements can be made. Unquestionably his work contains material ~hlCh ~ther sources lack. Likewise a fresh, personal interpretation IS prOVIded. However, in reference to his correcting and amplifying other sources, the verdict is a qualified one. . In numerous instances Matthew presents material and informabon not con~ai~ed in the other sources: for example, the letter the emperor TZlmlsces sent to the Armenian king Ashot13 (Part I, 12See Part III, section 3. 13rfhe French historian E Dulauri r £ r d this letter was originally written' , gOd reasons, maintains that archives at Ani', later it was trans1lnt aAnnnwa~ kept in the Bagratid In 0 enlan. a edr~et

Gk

INTRODUCTION

15

sections 19 and 20) or the defense of Armenian Christianity made by the Armenian king Gagik before the emperor Romanus (Part II, sections ~1-41). ;rhe work is especially valuable for the copious firsthand informatIon presented on Edessa and the neighboring areas of upper Mesopotamia. Matthew's information on areas outside his immediate section of the country is in many cases correct, perhaps indicating that he had access to reliable non-Armenian sources. 14 Matthew's chronicle is sprinkled with fresh insights and details; a mere perusal of the commentary will easily confirm this. Matthew's viewpoint enriches the historiography of the period and area in question, for his chronicle truly reflects the frustrations and aspirations of his people. Since the seventh century the Armenians had played a very important role in the Byzantine empire, especially in the defense of its territories against outside invaders. If the Armenians had continued to play this essential role, perhaps the empire ultimately would not have succumbed to the Turks. Yet this was not the case, for in the eleventh century the assumption of direct rule over the Armenian kingdoms by the Byzantine emperors led to such a deterioration of relations between the Armenians and the Greeks that the Seljuks found easy entry into Anatolia, the heartland of the empire. Not surprisingly Matthew considers the Greeks as the basic cause for the deterioration of relations between the two peoples. The Annenian chronicler views the Franks initially as the instrument for the deliverance of his people from the Turkish yoke. He is soon disappointed in this hope when he discovers that the Franks, far from helping the Armenians, are intent on pursuing their own interests, even to the point of causing harm to these eastern Christians. The contributions Matthew makes in the correction or elaboration of the contemporary and non-contemporary sources are not as clearcut as in the two aforementioned cases (Greeks and Franks). With a major emphasis on his native area of upper Mesopotamia, Matthew relates events occurring in three other areas: eastern Anatolia and the Balkans, the Caucasus, and southern Syria and Palestine. These areas are dealt with in great detail by the Armenian chronicler; in fact the coverage of these areas is no less than that of upper Mesopotamia. Thus Matthew must have had access to non-Armenian sources in order to have written about these areas. I5 Perhaps he consulted eyewitnesses and other individuals.

~ ! I ~

I4What these sources are cannot be ascertained. 150ne can only speculate on the identity of these sources.

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16

MATTHEW OF EDESSA

In several instances Matthew mentions details and facts about events in these areas which either do not agree with the other sources or are not contained in them (Part II, section 90 and note 3, section 91 and note 1; Part III, section 18 and note 2, section 20). In these cases the Annenian chronicler either was misinformed about this material or had access to sources and individuals which the others did not. A fairly strong case can be made for the latter view in those instances in which Matthew provides a rather detailed and lengthy narration of an event, for how could he go into so much detail (unless of course he was misinformed or simply contrived the narrative)? Thus one can conclude that, if the correctness of the details presented by him concerning the events outside upper Mesopotamia (details which are at variance with the other sources) are verifiable, then Matthew can be considered to have made an important contribution in regard to correcting and amplifying the non-Armenian sources of the period. In summarizing Matthew's place in the historiography of the medieval Near East, it can be said that the Armenian chronicler holds a unique position among the writers of the period. This is partly due to the location of Matthew's native city of Edessa, at the crossroads of a region traversed, conquered, or settled by the large number of the peoples who have helped to shape the history of the area. Another explanation is Matthew's Armenian background, which places him and his people in a special relationship to each of these peoples: the administration and maintenance of the Byzantine empire rested on the cooperation of Greek and Armenian; the Armenian church owed a great debt to Syrian Christianity, which linked the destinies of the two peoples in the struggle to maintain their common Orthodox (Monophysite) faith; both positive and negative relations between Arab and Armenian went back to the domination of the Umayyad and 'Abbasid empires; the Turk had recently invaded eastern Anatolia and thus threatened the very existence of the Armenian people; Latin and Armenian came in close contact with one another in Cilicia and northern Syria in a relationship marked by both cooperation and conflict; and Georgian and Armenian had been living in close proximity in the highlands of eastern Anatolia and the Caucasus for nearly two millennia and had interpenetrated one another's cultures. N one of the other contemporary historians or chroniclers has Matt~ew's ability to view the interaction of the various peoples of the area III such a comprehensive and integrative manner.

TEXT'

A History written by Matthew the Distinguished Priest of the Edessenes, concerning the Bagratid Kings and Many Others, beginning at the date 400 (951 A.D.) and ending in the year 611 (1162 A.D.).l

Part P 1. In those days, in the year 401 of the Armenian era [952-953],3 there was a severe famine in many places. In the southern regions, in the land of the Muslims,4 there was much suffering, above all in Mesopotamia. Due to the severity of the famine there was anguish and turmoil in many places, and especially in the renowned metropolitan see of Edessa/ which the Armenian king Tigran had founded. 6 The famine stayed in that country for seven years, and the slaughter caused by that famine was very great. In the country of the Muslims there was much mortality, and many Christians died because of the dreadfulness of the famine. After two years locusts, numerous as the sands of the sea, came over that region and devastated the land. The famine increased greatly. Many went mad, and attacking one another mercilessly and savagely, devoured each other. The princes and nobles fed upon seeds and berries, and many animals died. Many villages and regions became uninhabited, and nothing else has been built to the present day. 2. In the year 407 of the Annenian era [958-959] the nation of the Arabs 1 collected troops in Edessa and throughout the region of the Edessenes, and with a tremendous army crossed over the great Euphrates River and went against the fortified town2 which is called Samosata. The RomanS general who was called the paracoemomenus,4 a mighty and brave man, went forth in battle against them. [The two armies]5 clashed with one another at the gates of the town, and on that day the Muslims struck down the Roman forces and caused a great slaughter near the gates of the town. Mter a few days the town of Samosata, which is near the town of Edessa, was captured. 6

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I

21

MATTHEW OF EnESSA

PART I

3. In the year 408 of the Armenian era [959-960] the Roman emperor Romanus 1 collected troops and came against the Muslims. Crossing the vast Mediterranean2 Sea with ships, he passed over to the large island called Crete. In a severe battle he captured it from the forces of Egypt, 3 for the nation of the Arabs had possessed all the islands and all the coastal regions for four hundred years. 4 In this same year the Annenian forces slaughtered ~amdan, the Muslim genera1.5

recognition of the majesty of the Armenian kingdom. Mter this the Albanian king Philip, his lordship the catholicos John, and the bishops and troops who had come with the king and the patriarch were sent back with costly gifts and expressions of friendship to the country of the Albanians; this country [at one time] was the see of the holy apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew,5 who also were the first patriarchs of Greater Armenia.

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4. In the year 410 of the Armenian era [961-962] the Arabs captured Anazarba1 and Aleppo from the ruler of Egypt and caused much slaughter, more of the Christians than of their own nation. 2

5. In this same year the general of the Armenians gathered together the marzpetakan regiments, l comprising forty-five thousand brave men, separate from the royal regiments. All the princes of Armenia gathered before the holy patriarch2 Anania3 so that they might anoint Gagik, the son of Ashot, to the kingship as his former ancestors had been anointed; for he had not as yet occupied the royal throne of Annenia and the crown had not been placed upon his head. 4 6. Prevailing upon his most praiseworthy lordship John, the catholicos of the country of the Albanians, l they summoned him and with him forty bishops. With solemn majesty they summoned Philip, the king of the Albanians, a pious and saintly man, the son of Goghazgak, the son ofVach'agan, [former] kings of the country of the Albanians. On that day there was a fonnidable and large assembly in the city of Ani, which at this time was the capital of the Armenians. In this year Gagik, the son of Ashot, was anointed king as his ancestors had been anointed and occupied the throne of the former kings of the Annenian nation. There was great rejoicing throughout all Armenia, for the people witnessed the reestablishment of the royal t~one of ~~nia as it had existed among their ancestors. EspeCIally they rejOIced over the bravery of Gagik, because he was valiant and also a warrior. On this day he conducted a review of his troops comprising one hundred thousand select men, [all of them] welleqUIpped, renowned in combat, and very valiant; for like lion cubs and young eagles they could muster up strength for battle. When all the surro~nding peoples and all the kings of the nations, [i.e.] the Abkhazes, Greeks, Babylonians,S and Persians,4heard this, they sent largess and expressions of friendship together with expensive gifts in

7. Mter two months had gone by, the Roman emperor Romanus died and left two sons, Basil and Constantine, sons of the senior Romanus. In the year 412 [963-964] Nicephorus 1 became emperor over the Greek nation. He was a kind, saintly, and pious man, filled with every virtue and uprightness, victorious and brave in all battles, compassionate to all the Christian faithful, a visitor to widows and captives, and a protector of orphans and poor people. He gathered together a tremendous army of troops and, crossing over the vast Mediterranean Sea, came against the Muslims2 and was ready for a heated combat. First he moved against Cilicia and with a great victory captured the renowned city of Tarsus. Passing on he captured Adana, Mamistra, and the famous Anazarba, bringing frightful and heavy slaughter upon the Muslims up to the very gates of the city of Antioch. Then the emperor Nicephorus turned back very victorious, and with innumerable captives and much booty he came and entered the imperial city, Constantinople. He kept the sons of Romanus, Basil and Constantine, near him in the palace with great honor and in magnificent splendor. 8. In the year 418 of the Armenian era [969-970] there was a certain man convicted to die who was on the island used as a prison; his name was Tzimisces. 1 The wicked and abominable empress2 secretly sent for him, and as if by order of the emperor removed him from the island and brought him to Constantinople without the emperor's knowledge. Secretly she made a pact with him to kill the emperor Nicephorus, and she promised to be his wife and to install him on the imperial throne. He agreed to do the bidding of the wicked empress. The saintly emperor Nicephorus was seated on his throne in the evening and was reading the Holy Scriptures by lighted candles. The empress came and embraced the emperor and [at the same time] tightened the strap holding the sword which was near him. Then, rising up, she went to her accomplice in crime and with her own hands gave him the deadly sword to be used for the shedding

MATTHEW OF EDESSA

PART I

of the blood of the upright emperor. Going forth, Tzimisces secretly rushed into the emperor's chamber. The emperor, seeing him, said: "Crazed dog, what do you want here?" Bravely rising up, the emperor pulled at his sword and saw that it was very strongly held [by the strap]. At that moment Tzimisces fell upon him and ruthlessly and savagely butchered the very benevolent emperor, cutting him into three parts. The slain emperor, covered with his own blood, gave up his life to Christ through a bitter death. They saw that the emperor was clothed in a goat's hair shirt next to his skin, which shirt was hidden by the purple, and that the spilled blood shone upon the faces of the assassins of this man of God. His body was buried in a stately tomb near those of the [other] saintly emperors. 3 Thus the wicked Tzimisces occupied the throne of the Greek empire, and he reigned over and held Constantinople and brought under his rule all the confines of the Roman empire. He took away from the wicked empress the sons of the emperor Romanus [and sent them] to Vasakawan in the district of Handzit'.4 Basil and Constantine were brought to Spramik, the mother of the illustrious Mkhit'ar, so that the empress might not give them poison and thus kill them. Because of this unjust death [of Nicephorus], the emperor Tzimisces was in deep grief, plagued by a guilty conscience.

thirty thousand dahekans 6 to the Monastery of the Holy Cross from the gold of the Arabs, which he had brought from the city of Baghdad and which had been given to him by the caliph. Moreover, Ashot had a chest made for the holy relic and had it decorated with precious stones and pearls. Mter this he himself came to the royal capital, Ani, accompanied by many troops. When John heard of the coming of his brother Ashot, he commanded that the battle trumpet be sounded, but he himself sat on his throne and did not move, for he was unskilled in battle. The city of Ani having been roused, forty thousand foot soldiers and twenty thousand horsemen went forth in battle against Ashot. Then a certain prince from the forces of the Georgian king came to King John on a mission, for the mother of John and Ashot, Queen Katramide, was the daughter of the Georgian king, George. 7 This Georgian prince said to King John: "0 King John, command that Ashot merely be pointed out to me, and I shall take him prisoner and bring him before you in chains." For that prince was a brave man and invincible in battle. King John said to him: "Behold, Ashot is a mighty man; how will you be able to bring him before me?" The Georgian prince said: "I shall capture him alive on his horse." John then said to him: "Do not scorn the lion cub until you see it." When the two armies came face to face, a prince from the Abkhazes, crying out in a shrill voice like an eagle, provoked Ashot and said: "Whoever Ashot may be, let him come forth." When Ashot heard this he became ferocious like a leopard, and, bothS having incited one another, they raced towards each other. The Georgian prince threw a spear at Ashot. In turn Ashot, quick as lightening, ducked and then struck him on his helmet with a steel sword and cleaved his mail-clad body down to the feet; the Georgian fell to the ground with his entrails [exposed]. On that day a severe battle occurred, and the enemy was turned in flight towards the city until the fleeing [troops] were unable to enter the city, but instead fell into the Akhurian River. Thus Ashot turned back very victorious. After a few days the Bagratids, the Pahlavids,9 and all the other noble families from the race of Hayk10 serving in the army decided to bring about peace between John and Ashot. So the holy patriarch Peterll and all the princes came before Ashot and, taking a solemn oath, made him king of all Armenia, that is of the country outside [of Ani]. John was made king within the city of Ani, [and it was agreed that] if John died Ashot would become king of all Armenia. Thus peace was reestablished in all of Armenia.

22

9. At the beginning of the year 420 of the Armenian era [971-972] King Gagik died peacefully. Then there developed an antagonism and great conflict between the two sons of King Gagik, between John 1 and Ashot. John was older than Ashot and wise and very intelligent, but unsteady and sluggish in body, weak in battle, and uneducated. On th~ other hand, Ashot was the younger, but courageous, brave and ml?hty, and invincible and victorious in battle. Nevertheless, John seIzed the throne of the Armenian kingdom while Ashot roamed ab~ut with his troops, ravaged many places, and harassed the city of Am. He went to Senek'erim,2 the king of Vaspurakan and son of Abusahl, who was the son of Ashot, the son of Derenik the son of Gagik, Artsruni by lineage, [all of these being] descendants of the Assyrian king Adrammelech.8 10. Obtaining troops from Senek'erim, Ashot went over to Gurgen the prince of Andzewats'ik', 1 and moving forth with his troops h~ came and reached the Mountain of Varag2 and entered the Monastery of the Holy Cross.s He prostrated himself before the cross which bore God' and the icon of the Holy Theotokos/' and he gave a donation of

23

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MATTHEW OF EDESSA

11. In this period Abas1resided in Kars2, having royal sovereignty there- by order of his lord, the Armenian king GalTik 3 and also 4, I I:I~ , G. urgen ru ed over the country of the Albanians, for they were of the hneage of Armenian kings and were subject to the house of Shirak..5 As for King Ashot, he was never able to enter the city of Ani until the day of his death [i.e., his funeral]. 12. In this period a certain Apirat, who was an illustrious Armenian prince and also a son of Hasan, fearing King John because of the alliance he had previously made with Ashot rebelled and fled from him and went to the city of Dvin, l to the Persian general Abfi'l~ Uswar,2 and with him twelve thousand horsemen. Abu'l-Dswar honored him for many days. At that time certain slanderers app~oached the emir and said: "Such a man, invincible, mighty, and wIth many troops, has come to you and shall bring destruction upon you and the whole country of the Muslims." Then Abu'l-Dswar, becoming ven~eful in his heart, unknown to the other troops, summoned Aplrat on the pretext of having a friendly conversation with him and secretly did away with this brave man, one mighty and renowned in all of Armenia.

13. A certain prince, Sari by name, who was the general of the illustrious prince Apirat, taking Apirat's wife and children and cavalry forces, went to the city of Ani. King John very strongly regretted the unjust death of Apirat, the Armenian prince. The ~enian king gave lands and high positions to Apirat's sons, AplJahap, Vasak, and Sari, and to all their troops. 14. In this period the ruler of the Delumk'l collected troops and unexpectedly came a~d. reached the Armenian district of Nig, 2 near the stronghold of BJll1. Vasak, the commander-in-chief of the Armenians, with his beloved son Gregory and with other illustrious noblemen, was making merry [in his castlel. Vasak looked at the stony road, and 10, a man was coming in haste up the road on foot. Upon seeing him, Vasak said: "This man is a bearer of bad news." The man arrived at the gates of the fortress of Bjni and, raising an outcry, said: "The whole district ofNig has been enslaved." At this the brave general Vasak roared like a lion and, rising up, put on a coat of mail; seven noblemen did likewise, and as they arrived other cavalry forces [did so alsol. The noblemen fanned behind Vasak. The brave and illustrious Philip rushed [to his sidel and with him George

PART I

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Ch'ortuanel and certain others. These were brave men and invincible in battle. Vasak was unable to be patient of heart until the troops gathered together, for there were as many as five thousand men under him. Boastful of his strength, he went forth like a lion with five hundred men into the district of Nig and entrusted his home of Bjni to his son Gregory. When Vasak arrived at a monastery, he and all his troops took communion and sincerely confessed their sins to Jesus Christ. On the road, coming up to a village, they saw that the infidels had completely destroyed it, and that these Muslims had surrounded the church and were ruthlessly slaughtering the faithful who were inside. When brave Vasak saw this, he roared like a lion and fell upon the infidel forces. Three hundred of their men were slaughtered, and the remaining fugitives took refuge with the main infidel force. Then moving forth, the main bulk of the Armenian army came against the infidel forces; when the Armenians saw the Muslim army to be very numerous and without measure, anticipating death together, they began to take courage in battle; like wolves among goats or like eagles in a flock of young birds they courageously went into battle, wounding many and felling their bodies to the ground. Then there arose a champion from the infidel forces, a dark Ethiopian and a brave man, who was called "Ewt'n Gayl,"3 because whatever seven wolves were able to accomplish among sheep and among their flock, this man was able to accomplish that much more among troops in a battle. Lo the Ethiopian, from whose coat of mail sparks flew, came forth like a thundering cloud and, crying out, sought after Vasak by name. Then brave Emran looked and saw him, for he was advancing like a fuming mountain and, turning to Vasak, he said: "Here is an invincible and brave man, the like of whom has never been born on earth." Vasak said: "0 lion~hearted and brave Emran, why are you frightened at his sight? Lo, I shall go forth against him and give to him the gift that David gave Goliath, the blasphemer of God."4 At that moment the ferocious Ethiopian advanced, hurling his lance at brave Vasak so that he might hang him on the end of that weapon. But being quick, Vasak ducked and with a steel sword struck the crest of his [attacker's] helmet and cleaved in two the brave Ethiopian, whose members lay sprawled on the ground. Thus the Armenians were given courage in the battle and in the impossible task. As the combat grew intense and the sword wounds multiplied, brave Emran disappeared; for the nobility strayed from one another due to the extensive and difficult battle, and thus were unable to see

26

MATTHEW OF EDESSA

the deaths of their compatriots. 15. Then brave Vasak, being left alone, turned about and going forth like a ferocious lion, passed through the midst of the izilldels, for he was exhausted by the hard battle. He ran and went up the mountain called Serkeweloyl and rested under the protection of its r~cks, [safe] from the many harassments of the battle; then, some VIllag?rs2 who had fled saw him. One of them, who was like the killer of ?a~n, came fort~ and found him sleeping, [exhausted] from his afflIctIOns. [The VIllager] struck him hard and threw him from a high rock. In this manner brave Vasak the Pahlavid died. 16. The follOwing event took place in the year 421 of the Armenian

er~ [972-973~. The Roman general, the domesticus 1 called Melias/ gomg ~orth.W1th many troops, came against the Muslims and defeated

them In dlff~rent places with the help of Christ. He came and reac~e~ t~e CIty of Melitene, and harassing it with much suffering by de~nvIng It of food and water, compelled the place to submit to him. 3 Gomg forth from t~ere, he came ~nd with great rejoicing descended upon th~ to.wn ?f Tigranakert, whICh is also named Amida,4 situated on the Tigns RIver. The Muslim forces rose up in battle against the Roman troops, ~nd a severe battle was fought near the area outside the town of AmIda. The Muslim forces turned in flight before the Roman troops and, many of them having been slaughtered, entered the town. The Roman troops encamped by the banks of the river at 5 a pla~e. called A~sal, two bowshots from the town. Mter a few d~ys the. dlvlne-~ebukIng wrath of God came forth from the heavens, and a VIol~nt wmd rose up to such an extent that the land shook from the seventy of the sound; because of the force of the wind, the dust of the lan~ flew.upwards and spread over the Christian troops. The dust, haVIng thICkened, covered man and beast and caused all the baggage to. fall into the river. Covered by the dust, man and beast were b~l~ded; and. all eyes, having been shut by the dust caused by the dIVine-rebukIng wrath of God, were cut off from the light. All the Rom~n tr~ops were surrounded and were unable to find a way out of the sltuat~on. When the infidel forces saw the execution of God's w~ath agamst the Christians and knew that the God of battle was ~th them, they struck at the Christian troops and, ruthlessly slaying WIth the sword, slaughtered them mercilessly. There were as many as fifty thousand men, but few were able to flee from the edge of the sword; thus the greater part of the troops were slaughtered. The

PART I

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Muslims took prisoner the domesticus and other prominent Roman officers. When the infidel chiefs saw the demise of the Roman troops, being frightened, they became very alarmed and said: "All this blood of the Romans which we have shed will not benefit us, for the Romans will come and destroy the Muslims. Come, let us become friends and make an alliance with the Roman commander and his officers and let us obtain an oath from them and let them go in peace to thei; country." While they were reflecting upon this, news of the assassination of Nicephorus, the Roman emperor, reached them. Then the infidel chiefs sent the forty Christian officers to the caliph,6 to the city of Baghdad, and all of them died there. 7 The dom~st~cus wrote a letter to Constantinople and expressed doleful maledIctIons to the [new] emperor,s saying the following: "We have not b~en judged worthy to enter into the blessed ground of the grave .acc0r?mg to the custom of the Christians, but rather we have become inhentors of the accursed ground and grave of evildoers. We do not know you who occupy the throne of the Roman empire. Yet our death and the blood shed at the gates of the town of Amida-indeed our death on alien soil-Christ our God will hold you responsible for on the Day of Judgement if you do not wreak vengeance on the town of Amida." When this letter reached the emperor Tzimisces in Constantinople and he learned about all this, he became provoked with great anger and filled' with an all-encompassing rage. In the same year he collected troops from the West. 9 Going forth heavily armed, he was like an ignited fire10 and made war on the Muslims, intending to penetrate into Armenia. 17. In that period all the Annenians of royal lineage, lnoblemen and princes, and all the eminen~ personage~ of th~ ~ast gathered before the Armenian king Ashot the Bagratld: PhIlIp, the ruler of Kapan;8 Gurgen,4 the king of the Albanians; Abas,5 the lord of Kars; Senek'erim 6 the lord of Vaspurakan; Gurgen, the lord of Andzewats'ik,7. and ~lso the whole house of Sasan.s This army, comprising as man; as eighty thousand men, encamped in the region of Hark'.9 Messengers of the Roman emperor came to this gathering and sawall of Armenia in readiness, gathered in one place, and they went and related it to the emperor Tzimisces. Of the Armenian princes, Leon the philosopher and Stat T'omets'i went with the Roman messengers, and with them other bishops and vardapets;lo these personages established friendship and peace between the Roman emperor and the Armenian king Ashot. Then the emperor Tzimisces moved forth

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28

MATTHEW OF EDESSA

with a formidable army and reached the Armenian district of Taron 11 descending to Mush before the fortress of Aydzik'.12 On the fir~t night the Roman troops endured much harassment from the infantry forces of Sasan. The Armenian princes and vardapets came to the Roman emperor and presented to him the letter of Vahan, the Armenian catholicos. 13 The emperor received the letter and those who brought it with great honor. He confirmed the treaty of friendship with the Armenians and asked for troops from Ashot to come to his aid. Ashot gave the emperor armed troops of the Armenian nation, as many as ten thousand warriors. The emperor also asked for food and provisions. Ashot gave him everything he desired. In turn the emperor sent the Armenian vardapet Ghewond and the bishops and princes [who had come to him] back to Ashot, laden with splendid gifts. 18. Tzimisces, also called Kyr John/ victoriously and full of rage made war against the Muslims and filled the whole land2 with slaughter and blood. He razed to the ground many towns and impregnable fortresses, three hundred of them, right up to the confines of the city of Baghdad. But he did not ravage Edessa because of the monks who lived on a neighboring mountain and within the confines of its territory; these numbered as many as twelve. thousand. He went forth and, full of rage, reached the town of AmIda. The lord of the town was a woman who was a sister of ~amdan, the Muslim emir.3 In former times the emperor had sinfully fornicated with her and because of that he was unable to capture Amida, The woman, getting on top of the ramparts of the town, said to t~e em~eror:. "You come against a woman in battle, don't you conSIder this an msult to yourselfl" The emperor said: "I have sworn to destroy the ramparts of this town so that its people might be freed." The woman of the town said: "Go down and destroy the bridge which is over the Tigris River, and by that you will have fulfilled your oath." The emperor did this and, taking much treasure of gold and silver, left Amida because of its woman and because Tzimisces was from the region of Khozan,4from the place which today is called Ch'mshkatsakk', 5 and the woman was from the same area,6 for in that period the Muslims ruled many areas. Then the Greek emperor moved forth and went through the country of the Muslims shedding blood right up to the confines of the city of Baghdad' movin~ about the interior. of ~he country, he marched towards th~ city of Jerusalem. At thIS tIme the emperor Tzimisces wrote a letter to

PART I

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Ashot the Armenian in the following manner. 19. "Ashot, shahnshah 1 of the illustrious Armenians and my spiritual son. Listen and understand how many wondrous things God has done for us and the astonishing victories [he has given us]. It is impossible to comprehend the graciousness of God and the aweinspiring benevolence which the Lord has created for his inheritance. In this year under the aegis of our imperial majesty we have chosen to inform your eminence, 0 Ashot Bagratuni, our son. We are making known to you these things as one who is a Christian and both faithful and beloved to our imperial majesty, so that you might rejoice in and glorify the awe-inspiring greatness of Christ our God and might know how much God has aided the Christians at all times; for because of that assistance we made tributary to our imperial majesty all the eastern lands of the Persians. 2 Also [you will learn] how we removed the relics of the holy patriarch James3 from Nisibis, a town controlled by the Muslims, obtained tribute due us from them, took away captives, and finally departed. Because of the arrogance and pride of the AmIr al-Mu'minin,4 the ruler of the Mricans5 whom the Arabs call the Maghrib [Arabs],6 this man came against us with numerous forces and for a while put our troops in danger. However, we defeated them with the great strength and assistance of God, and, humiliated, they turned back like our other enemies. Then we moved into the interior portions of their country and devastated many regions with the sword. Mter this we swiftly departed and set up winter quarters and paid all our cavalry forces. "In the month of April we directed ourselves towards Phoenicia and Palestine and advanced into these areas; moreover, we pursued the abominable Mricans who had come to the region of Syria. Rising up with all our troops and going forth, we came to Antioch and passed through all the [former] regions of our empire; taking innumerable captives and imposing tribute, we brought these areas to submission and then reached the city of Horns. The inhabitants of the region, who were tributary to us, came forth and received us with munificence. We reached Baalbek/ which is also called Heliopolis, that is, the Town of the Sun, eminent, awe-inspiring, heavily fortified, and opulent. The townspeople came against us in battle, but our innumerable troops harassed them and slaughtered them with the edge of the sword. Mter a few days we laid siege to the Town of the Sun, and our troops took many captives, both children and girls; moreover, they seized treasures of gold and silver and also many

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30

MATTHEW OF EDESSA

animals. Going forth from there, we advanced to the great city of Damascus and were intent on laying siege to it. However, the governor of the city was an old and sagacious man, and he sent to our imperial majesty and with many gifts beseeched us that the inhabitants. of th~ city not be taken into captivity and not be put into servItude hke those of Baalbek, also asking that we not devastate his region like theirs. The townspeople brought many costly gifts: many h~rses, splendid mules, beautiful harnesses of gold and silver, and trIbute gotten from the Arabs in the amount of forty thousand dahekans of gold. They obtained officers from us and gave us a written statement to the effect that they would perpetually be serv~nts of our imperial majesty from generation to generation. We apP?mted. as commander of Damascus a certain person called T'urk', an IllustrIous man of Baghdad who entered our service with five hundred horsemen and came to believe in Christ. He had formerly served our imperial majesty. The Damascenes made a sworn pact that they would ceaselessly give tribute to us and would honor our imperial majesty and also would fight against our enemies. Because of all this we did not besiege their city. "Going forth from there, we went to the Sea of Galilee where our Lord Jesus Christ had performed a miracle with one h~ndred and fi~tY-~hree fish. We were intent on laying siege to the town of Tib~nas also, but the townspeople came in submission to our imperial majesty and brought us many gifts like the Damascenes had done and also tribute in the amount of thirty thousand dahekans not counting many other valuable presents. They requested that o~e of our commanders be put over them and gave us an affirmation of loyalty as had the Damascenes, promising to be subject to us perpetually and to give us tribute ceaselessly. On that basis we left them free of enslavement and did not plunder them because the region was the native land of the holy apostles. We felt the same way about Nazareth where the Theotokos, the Holy Virgin Mary; heard .the good tidings from the angel. We also went to Mount Tabo; and chmbed up to that place where Christ our God was transfigured While we remained in the place, people came to us from Ramla and Jerusalem to beseech our imperial majesty, looking for compassion from us. ~hey asked that a commander be appointed over them and bec~me tnbutary to ~s, swearing to serve us; all of these things whIch they asked we mdeed did. s We also were intent on delivering the ~oly sepulcher of Christ our God from the bondage of the Mushms. We established military commanders in all the areas which

PART I

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had submitted and become tributary to our imperial majesty; these were Baisan (called Decapolis),9 Genesareth,10 and Acre (also called Ptolemais), and by a written statement they undertook to give tribute ceaselessly from year to year and to serve us. We went up to Caesarea which is on the coast of the great Mediterranean Sea, and they also' submitted and came under our rule. If the abominable Africans had not fled to the coastal fortresses where they had taken refuge because they feared us, by the assistance of God we would have stood in prayer at the holy places of God. "When we heard that the coastal inhabitants had fled, we then brought to submission the upper part of the country,l1 subj ecting it to the rule of the Romans and establishing a commander there. We brought under our control [many towns], besieging and assaulting those which did not submit; having captured them, we went by the coastal route which leads directly to the famous, renowned, and heavily fortified town of Berytus, which today is called Beirut. Assaulting it, we captured the town after a violent struggle and we took prisoner one thousand Africans, including Na.~ir, [the general ofJ the Amir al-Mu'minin, and other very distinguished chiefs. In that town we placed a commander and from there we intended to pass on to Sidon. But when the Sidonites heard of this, they sent to us the elders of their town. They came in great fear and beseeched our imperial majesty, asking that they be made tributary to us and sen:e us perpetually. We listened to their supplications and fulfilled theIr desires taking tribute from them and appointing a commander over • them. ,Going forth from there we went to Jubail, 12 an anCIent and impregnable fortress; assaulting it, we captured the place an~ led its inhabitants into captivity. Laden with much booty and captIves, we passed through all the coastal towns on a rough and narrow road over which other cavalry troops had never passed, indeed a slim, confined, and poor road. Along this route we found attractive to~s, which were well-populated, and impregnable fortresses over which the Muslims were guardians. We laid siege to all these and razed them to the ground, carrying off the inhabitants into captivity. "Before we reached Tripoli, we sent a cavalry force of the thematic and garrison troops13 into the defile called K'areres,14 because we heard that the abominable Africans were ensconced in that place. We commanded that an ambush be set up and thus we turned the defile into a death trap for the Africans; [needless to say] our troops did as we commanded. So two thousand of the enemy came out of hiding and advanced against our troops, who either killed great numbers of

PART MATTHEW OF EDESSA

32 them or took them prisoner, bringing them before our imper~al majesty. In the same manner, whenever our troops met .up ";lth fugitives, they captured them. We completely destroye~ Its vmeyards, olive groves, and orchards, and we ravaged and rum.ed all of its districts. The Mricans who were there dared to go forth m battle against us. We attacked them and slaughtered all of them to the last manY; After this we captured the great town of Chuel, which is called Jabala,16 also Valania,17 and Saone/8 and even the renowned Burzuya19 itself. Thus there remained nothing up to Ramla and Caesarea, neither sea nor land, which had not submitted to our imperial majesty through the strength of the Uncreated God; for we 20 subjected to our imperial majesty all the lands right up to Babylon and made their inhabitants our servants. In this way our imperial majesty moved about this country for seven years at the head of a large army. We devastated the towns and districts, and even the Amir al-Mu'minin21 did not dare go forth against us from Babylon or send cavalry to the aid of his troops. If there had not been excessive heat and a route devoid of water to those places which are near that city-which even your majesty knows [to be a fact]-our imperial majesty would have advanced right up to Babylon; in any case we chased the Amir al-Mu'minin22 to Egypt and we were completely victorious through the grace of God who gave us our crown. 23 20. "Thus all Phoenicia, Palestine, and Syria have been freed from the bondage of the Muslims and have acceded to the rule of the Romans. l Also the great Mount Lebanon has submitted to our rule' all the Muslims who were found there, [comprising] a very great number, we have taken captive and handed over to our cavalry forces. We have governed Syria humanely and benevolently; we have removed as many as twenty thousand persons from there and resettled them in J abala. You can clearly see that God gave a victory s~ch as has never occurred before. In that town of Jabala we dIscovered the holy sandals of Christ our God, in which he had roamed ab?ut wh?n he was on earth. We also discovered the picture : our SavlOr, whlCh had been pierced through in times past by the e,]s, ;lood and water issuing from it immediately' [one could also see t e spe~r wound on it. In that town we als~ discovered the ven:ra~le haIr of ~he head of the precursor, John the Baptist;2 and iak~g It, brought It for safe keeping to our capital protected by G d n e month of September, with the blessings of God, we brought ~u~

I

33

forces~ sustained by divine grace, back to Antioch.

Now we have informed your majesty concerning all this, so that you might admire these deeds we commanded and thus glorify the great benevolence of God. You should also realize how many good things have been accomplished in these times and how great the number of these has been. For the rule of the holy cross of Christ has been expanded the name of God being praised and glorified thl'oughout these place; [we conquered]. Our empire has prospered because of the greatness and strength of God, whose praises are on our lips. This empire God brought to submission and placed under our aegis, for which the Lord God of Israel be blessed forever. 21. "From the report l of Leon, the protospatharius 2 of Derjan3 and military commander of Taron," we have learned that the fortress of Aytseats',5 which you have taken for yourself, you have not given up. Now we have written to our commander not to take the fortress and not to seize the grain which you had agreed to deliver, because at present we have no need of it. However, have the chrysobull 6 which we sent, given to our commander, so that he may send it back to our imperial majesty. In turn you shall receive remuneration for your trouble and your crops in equal proportion to what you sowed all of good quality. II ' 22. On another occasion the emperor wrote to the Armenian vardapet, Leon, in this manner: "To our great philosopher Pandaleon,lpleasing and beloved to our holy majesty, greetings. We charge you that on your return from the Muslims you be found in the holy citY. or in Slesin, 3 after you have been to the shahnshah Ashot, our spiritual son, and have moderated his anger against us, and after you have taken Bagrat to Pap Hancawats'i and done the same to 5mbat4 Tornets'i, the protospathariu8. So make an effort to be in our capital protected by God, for there we plan to conduct a splendid celebration in honor of the [newly discovered] sandals of Christ and holy hair of John the Baptist. Furthermore, we would be very pleased if you would speak with our sages and philosophers; in this way you would delight us a great deal. May God be with us and with you, and the Lord Jesus with his servants." When the Armenian vardapet Leon heard this, he went forth and came to Constantinople, where a magnificent celebration in honor of the [newly discovered] sandals of Christ and hair of the holy precursor was conducted. On that day there was great rejoicing in Constantinople; and the Armenian

34

MATTHEW OF EDESSA

PART I

vardapet, in the presence of the emperor, discoursed with all the sages of the Romans, showing himself invincible [in debate] with the Greek doctors, for he answered to everyone's satisfaction all the questions put to him. He and his mentor were lauded with much praise, and high and respectable honor was shown him by the emperor through .splendid .gifts. Thus, rejoicing greatly, Leon returned to Armema, to the Illustrious house of Shirak.

among all the living; he was merciful towards widows and captives and rendered justice to the oppressed.

23. After many battles and victories which the emperor Tzimisces had pu~sued, th.e f~ar of death and the terrible judgement of God fell u~on hIm. Bnngmg to mind the unjust death of the righteous NlCephorus and the inn~cent blood [shed by his own hands], he la~ented a~d wept and sIghed with grief. Then he resolved to lead a ~lrtuouS hfe, so t~at pe;haps by repenting, the blood which was ~nJus~ly shed by hIm mIght be wiped away. He had held the Impenal t~rone of the Greeks for only seven years. While he was rem~mbenn~ all ~his, he thought of a brilliant idea and one which ~as ~n keepmg ":lth the will of God. He sent to Vasakawan, in the dIstnct of Handzlt, and had brought to him Basil and Constantine the sons of the emperor Romanus whom he had taken to Spramik out of f~ar of the wicked empress, because she was very malicious. When ~asII was brought to Constantinople, Tzimisces assembled the Important magnates of the empire of the Greeks and an imposing ceremony t?O~ place. in the emperor's palace. 'At that time the emperor TZImlsces WIth his own hands took the crown from his own hea~ and ,placed it upon the head of Basil. Then he seated him on the I;mpenal th~one and prostrated himself before Basil, handing over to hlm the entIre empire of the Greeks. 1 Mter he gave Basil his ancestr~l thr~ne, he himself went into solitude, and putting on the monastIc habIt, went and lived in a monastery, He, who yesterday was an emperor and today was living with the poor, ended his life in ~oluntary pover,ty, so that he might inherit the blessings of the Holy . ospels and mIght payoff his debt for what he had done to the mnocent person of Nicephorus.2

97~tBAt.~?e ~eginning of the year 424 of the Armenian nation [975aSI reIgned as father of all. He was the son of the senior ~omanus, th~ son of Con.stantine, and one of good lineage among the

. reek~. ThIS man BasIl, the brother of Constantine, was a ve IllustrIOUS [ruler]. He reigned upon the imperial throne of the Gree~ and brought many rebels to submission. He had a good reputation

35

25. In this period a slaughter of Armenian troops took place in the district of Andzewats'ik', in the camp known by the same name, because of the treachery of the brave man Ablgharib. 1 For the ruler of Andzewats'ik', whose name was Derenik,2 removed Ablgharib, a mighty and brave man, from the generalship of his troops, putting in his place a certain nobleman Sarkis. Mighty Ablgharib was hurt a great deal. So he became an intelligence man for the forces.'! of the infidels and made known to them aU the means by which the Armenians might be taken by surprise [and defeated], saying the following: "I shall not go forth in battle against you; now go forth at night and come against our army; there shall be a signal for you [to attack] my tent which is of ordan red,4 and my tent will stand pitched on a hill and my troops will be with me." The infidel forces came upon the Armenians at an unexpected hour, while the ruler [of Andzewats'ik'] and his troops were making merry. On that night the infidel forces fell upon the Armenian troops and caused a great slaughter, many warriors and illustrious brave men dying. This .was regrettable, for the battle was not fought at an opportune tIme. Derenik was taken prisoner. Moreover, no one dared pass under Ablgharib's tent, for he was near his tent and ready with his troops. Then Derenik was taken to the town of Her [by the infidel forces]. 26. On that day Varag and all the other monasteries invoked grievous and strong anathemas upon Ablgharib. Hermits and monks, stirred up against him, excommunicated and expelled him from the church of God. However Ablgharib, coming to his senses, wept, for he was a man of faith and a fearer of God and so he greatly regretted the shedding of the blood of the brave Armenian troops. Then he began to ask questions concerning Derenik, namely in what fortress in the town of Her he was imprisoned. He was informed that the emir Abu'I-Hajji1 had freed Derenik from his chains and always took him to play ball in the maydan 2 outside the town of Her. When Ablgharib heard this, he was very happy and, secretly sending to Derenik said the following to him: "At a certain hour I will be at that pla~e; with all your strength ready yours~,lf, mount a ch~~ce ~~~ swift horse, and in this way try to reach me. One day Abu I-HBJ.JI went forth accompanied by many of his noblemen to play ball, and with him also were a thousand men equipped with weapons.

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MATTHEW OF EDESSA

PART I

Ablgharib, on the other hand, was waiting in ambush with fifty men. Derenik asked the head groom for his swift horse, and he gave him his equipment. Then the Armenian ruler pushed forward the group [in which he found himself], directing it to the place where Ablgharib was hidden in the wooded gardens of Her; then, vehemently spurring on his horse, he left the group behind and thus escaped. The emir Abll'I·Hajji and his troops, seeing this, very angrily pursued him. Derenik, trusting in God, bravely went and took refuge with Ablgharib. However, a certain Ethiopian from the infidel forces, a brave and mighty man, pursued and came upon Ablgharib. Ablgharib roared like a lion and, falling upon him, savagely struck him and cut the Ethiopian in two, splitting him from the head to the groin. When the infidels saw this, they turned in flight. Then Ablgharib signaled his brave men and, pursuing the emir Abu'I·Haiji, caught up with him. Intent on taking the emir from his horse, he pursued him up to the gates of the town. The emir, like lightening, entered through the gates of the town of Her. Then Ablgharib struck the iron gate~ of the town with a steel axe and broke through the iron, pushmg the axe clear through to the other side. This axe has remained unextricated until the present time and has been fixed in place like a bolt. In this manner brave Ablgharib freed Derenik from captivity. This event took place in the district of Chuashs in Armenia, in a village called Bak, bordering Vaspurakan.

the land of the Romans; rather he had hopes of escaping to the Muslims, and so this wicked man went and entered the city of Baghdad.s Leaving that place after three years, he came and died in the land of the Romans, among his own people.

27. At the beginning of the year 425 of the Armenian era [976-977] God summoned the holy Armenian patriarch, Anania, to himself.1 In the presence of a great throng the most excellent and blessed Vahan2 was consecrated to the see of the Armenian catholicate. His lordship Joht;, th: catholicos of the Albanians, presided over the assembly. So, In thIS year, by order of Anania and the Armenian kings John and Ashot,S his lordship Vahan occupied the patriarchal see of Armenia, located in the renowned town of Argina. 4 28. In this period a certain wicked magnate called Scelerusl rebelled against Basil, the Roman emperor. Gathering forces made up of a large number of deceitful and wicked men, he gave the country of the Romans over to the sword. With many troops he came and entered Armenia, and this man, alienated from God, caused very great slaughter there. The Armenian forces went against him and by a .great victory van~uished th:t wicked magnate and, slaughtering hIS troops, caused hIm to flee. But Scelerus did not dare return to

37

In the year 432 of the Armenian era [983-984] the holy Armenian patriarch Vahan died, having occupied the see of St. Gregory for five years. l His lordship Stephen,2 a godly man endowed with all the good virtues which are in Christ Jesus, was consecrated to the see of the Armenian catholicate. He was installed as Armenian patriarch by the order and blessing of his lordship Vahan. His lordship John, catholicos of the Albanians, once again presided over the assembly [which consecrated Stephen]. This all took place during the reigns of the Greek emperor Basil, the Armenian kings John and Ashot and Senek'erim; this Senek'erim was the son of Abusahl, who in turn was the son of Ashot, son of Derenik, son of Gagik, of the Artsruni dynasty from the lineage of Sarasar. 29.

30. During these times the wicked and abominable Persian tyrant Mamlan, the chief emir of the infidels, 1collected troops and, rushing forth in his ferociousness like a bloodthirsty serpent, came against the Christian faithful, intending to bring much slaughter upon Armenia. He came, advancing with a formidable and innumerable army, and filled the mountains and plains with his troops. Shaking from fear of this wicked man, the whole land trembled, for he enslaved many areas by sword and fire. Burning down churches, he deprived them of the blessings of God and spoke many blasphemous words to the heavens above, to the Most High. At that time one witnessed the great and frightful destruction of the Christians by the terror caused by that wicked beast, for the wrath of his deadly poison was shed upon the faithful like venomous bile. With a very great army he came and reached the district of Apahunik', 2in the land of the curopalatesS David, 4 the Georgian prince. This emir wrote a letter to the pious and saintly man of God, the curopalates David, threatening him with strong words and saying the following: ItO David, you who are a man abominable, wicked, and decaying in your old age, let no one deceive you; for if you do not immediately send me ten years' tribute, the sons of your noblemen as hostages, and a written statement promising to serve me, I will come against you, arriving quickly with my great might, and who will be the one who shall save you from my hands? For I will bring upon you severe and harsh

38

PART I

MATTHEW OF EDESSA

suffering, 0 abominable and bitter old man.". With many such threats he fulminated against him. When DavId read the letter of the wicked chief Mamlan, he rejected it because of its harsh tone; then he wept before God and beseeched Him, saying: "Arouse your strength, Lord, and remember what you did to Rabshakeh and to Sennacherib, the wicked king of the Assyrians. He also spoke such words of wickedness, my Lord Jesus Christ; do not overlook those faithful to your holy name. "5 31. Then he commanded his troops to gather together, his noblemen and all his cavalry forces, including Vach'e, Tewdat, P'eron, and other Annenian troops; also included were three thousand infantry with bows and two thousand five hundred horsemen. The wicked Mamlan was encamped in the district of Apahunik', in a village called Khosons, with two hundred thousand men. Rising up, David went against the ferocious beast Mamlan; at the same time he prescribed prayers, entreaties, and supplications with much beseeching for the whole country, all in order to ask God for aid. Then David went and encamped at the borders of the district of Apahunik' and he appointed Kannrakel, a brave man, with eight hundred horsemen as night guard. He himself passed the entire night praying to God. In the morning watch a certain man from the infidel forces, who was the chief of Mamlan's troops, approached with one thousand horsemen. 32. On that night the two sides clashed with one another.. The light of the moon was intense, and at that time there appeared a little rain upon the mountains, and they [the troops] all glistened with lightning like the flames of a fire. When the infidel forces saw the spectacle, they thought all that was an immense number of Christian troops and so they turned completely in flight. Kannrakel, seeing that they turned in flight, fell upon them with the sword and ruthlessly slaughtered them as one would cut down a cedar grove. He captured the ,,?fe of Mamlan and his war horse and immediately sent them to DaVId, at the same time announcing to him the good new~ that Mamlan had been struck down. The curopalates was still praYl~g to ?od; and ,;hen he heard all this, he was amazed. Then, pur~Ulllg WIt~ all theIr troops, the Armenians put the infidel forces to flIgh~, causmg a severe slaughter. They took a very great number of c~p.bves and booty of gold and silver. So the wicked Mamlan, humIlIated, returned to his country and became very arrogant towards God and did not look to heaven at all, nor did he offer his

39

unworthy prayers to God. 1 33. Mter a few years some noblemen entertained malicious thoughts concerning the saintly an~ .righteous prince, ~a~id, intending to assassinate him. These mahcIOus noblemen were SImIlar to Cain and other murderers. Moreover, they persuaded the archbishop of Georgia, Hilarion, to join them in their evil plan. This Hilarion crucified God for the second time, for he mixed poison in the life-giving body and blood of Christ and thus turned the source of all life into the source of death. Mter the celebration of his homicidal divine liturgy, he placed a portion of the sacrament mixed with the deadly poison in the mouth of the saintly prince, in the presence of God inside the church. The pious prince David, knowing this, said nothing but taking an antidote, did away with the pain in his body. Howeve~ the wicked bishop Hilarion still persisted in his evil design and ent~red the prince's bedchamber while the pious David was sleeping in a deep slumber; then, taking his pillow from under his head, he placed it over David's mouth and, throwing himself ~pon him with great force, the archbishop cruelly smothered the pIOUS curopalates. A few years later, the em p~ror Basil seized the .wic~ed bishop Hilarion, tied a great stone to hIS neck, and threw hIm mto the sea, as well as the other noblemen who had intrigued with him. Thus perished these men who indeed were worthy of all sorts of maledictions, for the curopalates David carried the emperor Basil's patronymic,l and because of that, Basil killed these noblemen. 2 34. In the year 434 of the Armenian era [985-986] his lordship Stephen, the Annenian patriarch, diedl ; and his lordship ~he blessed Khach'ik2 was consecrated as his successor, for Khach Ik was an illustrious man and one versed in the Divine Scriptures. A let~er came to him from the Roman metropolitan Theodore, who occupIed the metropolitan see of Melitene; for Theodore was a knowledgeabl.e man and erudite in the understanding of sacred books. The Armeman vardapet Samuel wrote a well-reasoned answer and one with wellchosen words to him. Indeed, this letter came to be accepted by all those hearing it· moreover it was held in high esteem by the Roman metropolitan Theodore and by the Armenian catholicos Khach'ik. 3 35. During the epoch of the Armenian era, in the year 4?5 [98~987] a certain magnate rebelled against the emperor BasIl. ThIS Rom'an magnate was Bardas Phocas1 and he devastated the greater portion of the Roman empire; moving about, he went through the

40

...

MATTHEW OF EDESSA

land, killing and enslaving as he went. The Roman forces gathered against him and drove him into the country of the Muslims, whence he returned after one year and was killed by the emperor Basi1.2 36. In the year 437 of the Annenian era [988-989] there took place ~ violent ea~thquake throughout the whole world, and Saint Sophia ~n Constantm~ple collapsed. In this year the emperor Basil was mtent on n:.akmg ~he Bulgars subject to his empire. Therefore, he sent to Ali Osman, the king of the Bulgars, and to all the princes of the country to come and prostrate themselves before his imperial majesty. However, they did not heed the commands of the emperor Basil. 37. The~ the e~peror Basil gathered together troops from all the lands of hIS empIre and, full of rage, invaded the country of the Bulgars, ravaging the land with the sword and enslavement. On the other ha~d the B~lg~r king, Ali Osman, gathering together an army, came agrunst Basil WIth many troops, and a violent battle was fought on bot~ si~es. ~he Bulgar king defeated Basil and turned all of his troops m flIght nght up to Constantinople. Much booty and captives were taken from Basil's forces, and the emperor himself entered Co~stantinople humiliated. Two years after, the emperor Basil once agam collected t:oops and went against the Bulgar king, seeking vengeance. Meetmg up with the Bulgar forces, he put them to flight and drove them before him. Basil harassed the country of the Bulgars with famine, sword, and enslavement, and then he turned back and entered Constantinople with great rejoicing. 1 38. !¥hen the. year 440 of the Armenian era [991-992J began, the Armeman ca~ohcos, his lordship Khach'ik, who had occupied the see of th.e ;t\-rmenlan patriarchate for six years, died/ so his lordship SargIs, who was a man erudite in the knowledge of the divine precepts, was consecrated as his successor. He was pleasing to God nd .to men an~ was imbued with virtuous behavior; moreover, by his ummous doctnne he enriched the church of God.

r

39. 1 In this same year the forces of Egypt called the Maghrib

~:bs, en~ered the territory of the city of Antiodh and devastated the

b t~re r~n. The Roman forces gathered together against them in a e. en the t.wo forces met one another, the Egyptians put the Roman troops to flIght and took captive their chief officers, carrying

PART I

41

them off to Egypt. 2 Two years after, the great Roman nation went forth and with many troops came against Armenia. Bringing the sword and enslavement, the Romans mercilessly fell upon the Christian faithful and passed through the land, killing savagely like a poisonous serpent, in this manner being no different from the infidel peoples. When the Romans entered Armenia, the forces of the AI'Illenian noblemen gathered against them. When the two armies met, they clashed savagely, each side bravely fighting the other; thus both sides fought without one side being able to vanquish the other. At that time one witnessed violent slaughter on both sides. However, when the fierce battle grew intense, the Roman forces were defeated by the Armenians; and thus the Romans, narrowly escaping and humiliated, turned in flight towards their country. 40. In this same year the Muslim emir, called "Long-Hand, "1 went forth and with many troops subjected the territory of Edessa to devastation and enslavement, and thus very great affliction was brought upon Edessa. The emir crossed over the great Euphrates River and subjected that side which is on the confines of Armenia; then he returned victoriously to the country of the Mricans. 2 41. It happened at the beginning of the year 446 of the Armenian era [997-998J that a certain comet arose in the heavens and it became visible with a horrible and dreadful appearance, bright and marvel~ lous.

42. In the year 449 of the Armenian era [1000-1001] a [solemn] alliance and peace was made between the emperor Basil and the Armenian king Senek'erim1• In this same year the death of the marzpan Sahak, lord of Varazhnunik? took place. 43. In the year 455 of the Armenian era [1006-1007J the emperor Basil gathered troops from all the lands of his empire and, moving forth, went against the country of the Bulgars. He spent much time in that country, conducting an extensive war. In those days a great disturbance took place in the city of Constantinople and in the whole empire of the Greeks, because on the important feast day of Easter the Greeks had fallen into error concerning the celebration of the holy day of the resurrection, [that is to say] of Easter. All the docto.r~ of the Greek nation wrongly abolished the true precepts of the DIvme Scriptures and adopted the false and fraudulent calendar of the

42

MATTHEW OF EDESSA

adverse [and opinionated] Irion. l These Greeks would not accept the authenticated calendar of the eminent Andrew, but rather transferred the Easter full moon from Sunday to Saturday and celebrated Easter on the following day, which should have been celebrated after eight days.2 Thus the whole Greek nation fell into error concerning Holy Easter, and much affliction fell upon the holy church of Constantinople and especially upon the divinely-established city of Jerusalem, for, puffed up with arrogance, these Greeks had transferred Easter to the day of Palm Sunday. So the Greek nation on this matter acted contrary to all the [Christian] nations and especially to Christ for this nation of philosophers warred against the Holy Spirit. On that Easter the lights of the lamps in the holy sepulcher which contained God, in the city of Jerusalem, would not burn, because the Greeks adhered to a fals~ opinion and thus celebrated their Easter illegally. On that day the mfidel peoples who were in the city of Jerusalem when they witnessed the Easter of the Christians inside the Church of t.h~ Holy Resurrection, slaughtered with the sword all the Chnst~ans, as many ~s ten thousand persons; thus the holy sepulcher ~f ChrIst was filled WIth the blood of those praying. To this day their ones fill the grotto there in the western section of the city of Jerusalem; these bones are now called "Th R l' f th v. People" N th' '. e e rcs 0 e .Loung · °kW IS was the SItuatIOn the [would-be] intelligent sages f th G o e ree s brought about.

ki::do~;~~h~ emperor Basil had conquered and taken over the rejoicing. He~ngU~t~~{ ~~ t~~!urned to Con~tantinople with great

the occasion of the celebration ;~ufhter, whICh had taken place on ~ages of the Greeks and asked t~ 0 y Easter, he ~ummoned all the m different ways to mislead thee: the caus~. ':"Illfully they began The emperor recognized their mperor WIth Irrelevant answers. they were false and erro ~sked answers and understood that about the Armenianvardneo~s. ow for a long time Basil had heard skillful in the knowledge ?ret~)e~a~e~ that they were invincible and abbot of the Monastery of End 0 ~ ,~oks. He knew of Joseph, the was Kozern.2 So he wrote the':::: ~, and of John, whose surname to him in Constantinople s th at king John to send these men eaU5e of the controversy ~n~ th rom them he might learn the true day of] Easter. However t~e~orrec~ [method for calculating the . t rather by a letter compos:d wit~ v~ apets would not agree to go, lll-depth analysis, they explained the egant words and containing an e Whole matter to the emperor.

;ll1an

:St

PART I

43

Nevertheless, the clergy, being opposed to all this, did not agree with the letter, until once again the emperor Basil sent to Armenia to the shahnshah JohnS and to his lordship the Annenian catholicos Sargis; through a firm request he had the Armenian vardapet Samuel, a clever and invincible man, brought to him and had him seated in the imperial court to speak to the Greek doctors. The Greek savants used all the books of their tradition against Samuel, but they were unable to move him from the truth. Then Samuel began with the first day of creation and came to the most recent day on which this event had occurred and before the savants he verified all the correct reasons for the celebration of Easter, using the writings of the theologians. Basil agreed with all the words said by Samuel. However, the Greek savants said to the emperor: "0 sovereign emperor, command to have brought here the eminent Hebrew doctor who lives on the island of Cyprus, a skillful man and one erudite in the calendar and in all the sciences since his childhood,lt So Basil sent to Cyprus and brought over Moses, the Hebrew doctor. He, an eloquent and imposing man, stood in the imperial court before the emperor Basil; he began to discourse on the principles of the calendar, shaming all the Greek savants and proving them in error, while praising the words of Samuel, the Annenian vardapet. After this the emperor was very vexed with the Greek doctors, depriving them of their privileged positionsj on the other hand, he sent the Armenian vardapet back to Armenia with splendid gifts. 45. During the reign of Basil, the Greek emperor, and in the year 452 of the Armenian era [1003~1004] a certain star, appearing in the form of fire, arose in the heavens, an omen of the wrath of God towards all living creatures and also a sign of the end of the world. There was a violent earthquake throughout the whole land, to such an extent that many thought that the day of the end of the world had arrived. Like the time of the flood all living creatures shook and trembled, and many fell down and died from fear of the intensity of this wrath. After this outpouring of God's wrath a plague, called khouik, l came upon the area and, spreading through many regions, reached Sebastia. This plague clearly manifested itself on men's bodies and, because of its harshness, many had no time to make their confession or take communion. Man and beast diminished from the land, and those remaining quadrupeds roamed about the countryside without anyone to take care of them.

44

MATTHEW OF EDESSA

PART I

46, In the year 460 of the Armenian era [1011~1012] the emperor Basil collected troops and went against the country of the Bulgars. He conquered their kingdom and very fiercely devastated many regions with the sword, He subjected the whole West 1 to plunder and enslavement and exterminated the entire kingdom of the BuIgars, fo~cing Alioskhan,2who was a brave man and king of the Bulgars, to d~nk, poison, In this manner Basil took the king's life and, taking hIS Wife and sons, brought them to Constantinople,3 47. When the year 4671 of the Armenian era [1018~1019] began the ,di"~rine-rebuking wrath of God was awakened against all th~ ChnstIan peoples and against those worshiping the holy cross for a fatal dragon with deadly fire rose up and struck those faithful the Holy Trinity, In this period the very foundations of the apostles and prophets were shaken, because winged serpents came forth and were mtent on spreading like fire over all the lands of the Christian fait~ful. This ,,:as the first appearance of the bloodthirsty beasts,2 Dunng these tImes the savage nation of infidels called Turks fathered tog~ther their forces, Then they came and entered Armenia nh t,he, prov~nce of, Vaspurakan and mercilessly slaughtered the C rtstlan faIthful WIth the edge of the sword.

to

,48, The news of this event reached King Benek'erim Th David, gathering together forces of the n~~~~~~' ViO~::~l~ i:g:I~~!d~I: ~~~ish ~a~p, and ~he two armies clashed never seen 'furk' h e, ntIl that tIme the Armenians had 'furks d ,IS cavalry forces, When they encountered these found' t~:e st:a~he~l~:~i:nd having flo,"?ng hair like women, they tomed to resistin garr g, The Armeman troops were not accusinfidels, fully unsteat~~~ t~~verthe~ss, they bravely attacked the courageous Armenian ann elf Swor s from the scabbard; thus the many of the infidels H y bra{e~y rushed into battle and killed wounded many of th~ ;::,ev~r, t e mfidels, shooting arrows, hit and ua to David: "'furn back 0 k: ; troops, Seeing all this, Shapuh1 said part of our troops ha~e bee;'w~~~:e1~e the enemy, for the, greater and defend ourselves a ainst h yarrows, Let us Withdraw the infidels by prepari!g oth t :se weapons we see in the hands of r their arrows," But David be7 yPes?f gannents which will resist at;0gant with great pride a:J :~s~ous of his high r~nk, became WIthdraw from the battle. Then Sh ot .he,ed Bhapuh s advice to apuh, IrrItated by this, ran after

~~ elde~t so~

45

David and, striking his back with his fist, vehemently forced him to turn back. For Shapuh was a brave and mighty warrior, besides which he had raised and educated David and, because of all this, did not fear him. In this manner Shapuh forced David to withdraw together with his troops. The Armenian forces went back to the city of Ostan and related everything to King Senek'erirn, telling him about the appearance of the infidels. 2 When Senek'erim heard this, he became greatly distressed. He neither ate nor drank, but rather became pensive, grief-stricken, and passed the whole night sleepless. Sitting down, he examined the chronicles and utterances of the divinely~inspired prophets, the holy vardapets, and found written in these books the time specified for the coming of the forces and soldiers of the Turks. He also learned of the impending destruction and end of the whole world. In these books he found written the following: "At that time they will flee from the east to the west, from the north to the south, and they will not find rest upon the earth, for the plains and the mountains will be covered with blood";3 and this is what Isaiah said: liThe hoofs of their stallions are unfaltering."4 49, After this Senek'erim resolved to hand over the land of his ancestors to the Greek emperor Basil and in its stead to obtain Sebastia; so he immediately wrote to the emperor. When the emperor Basil heard this, he rejoiced greatly and gave the Armenian king Sebastia. In turn Senek'erim handed over the land of Vaspurakan to the emperor, including seventy-two regional fortresses and four thousand four hundred villages and the monasteries; he did not give up, but kept, one hundred and fifteen monasteries where prayers were said for him.l He gave all of this in writing to Basil. Then the emperor asked the Armenian king to send him David in royal splendor; so Senek'erim sent his son and with him the sons of the noblemen; the bishop, his lordship Eghishe; three hundred packmules, laden with treasure and various articles; and also one thousand Arabian horses. With such a splendid train David entered Constantinople. The city was stirred up and everyone came to meet him. The streets and palaces were decorated and the populace strewed money on him [as he went forth], The emperor Basil rejoiced greatly when he saw David and, taking him to Saint Sophia, made him his adopted child, and the populace honored him as the emperor's son. After this Basil gave David many gifts and sent him back to his father, and he gave Senek'erim Sebastia with its innumerable surrounding districts, Senek'erim, going forth with his whole

)

46 MATTHEW OF EDESSA

household and people Z c . abandoned by its k' ' adme .to SebastIa; and thus Annenia was mgs an pnnces. 3

50. In the year 470 of th Ann . forth to the East with' e eman era [1021-1022] Basil went from the Armenian k' mnumeraple forces, demanding Ani and Kars them OVer since he w::;' J oh~I the son of Gagik, resolved to hand t~ hi.s Country and wrote ct~w~r y p~rson,2 Afte~ this Basil returned orge hU:i In submission, which the k: , .the Georgian king, to come to ?o. So the emperor came a ain~~gh~eI~her accepted nor undertook to In turn went against h' g m m battle. The Georgian forces brothers of Liparit 5 veh 1m; and Rat and Zoyat, brave men and was killed for hl's'ho embently clashed with Basil's forces until Rat b ' rse ecame ca ht· . rave Georgian perished th ug In a muddy place and the ere,. Then the Georgian forces turned in flight; and Basil's troops stayed there for three m~~t~rsUl~~i ~laughtered them. The emperor submission and after this h s u~ 1 e had brought the Georgians to 6 Peter, the Armenian cathol' e wmt~red in Trebizond, His lordship went to the emperor Ba 'I 1COS" an ~he holy vardapet John Kozern and the emperor recei:;d ~=ng.~th them many religious objects, fieast day of the baptism f L WI great honor. When the great lordship Peter and the:' our. ord arrived, the emperor honored his a higher position than th~em~n vardapets; he had them seated in lordship Peter, ordered the ::te;~~ates and, in the presence of his pOured the miwron 7 of the h I '1' blessed. When the catholicos the Holy Cross,8 an intense1; ~~/nt~ ~he water and blessed it with and the river became block d n Ian Ire appeared upon the water When the emperor and his t:o up at on~ place and would not flow. 9 Basil, bowing down, poured ~~! ~~: thIS, they became ~errified, and under the guidance of his 1 d h' ssed water Upon hIS own head catholicos returned to Arm or. SlIP Peter. After this the Armenian w~ile Basil in turn secretl;~:ntden wi~h splendid gifts,lO Mter a o Antioch, accompanied by three faIthful men. Going up to th P~g~akdziak, 11 he received Chr~sti ack M~untains to a place called SPIrItual leader of the place d h an baptIsm from the superior and father of the Armenian nat. an ~~ceforth became like an adopted Ion ....

b

Bi

51. In the year 471 of the Ann .

~argi8, the Armenian catholicos ~~l~n era [1?22-1023] his lordship

Installed in his place as patri~rc~e 'I and hIS lordship Peter1 was Powerful magnate of the Greek' .n the. same year a certain natIon, NlCephorus, surnamed

PART I

47

ICrookneck,"2 rose up against Basil and summoned the Georgian king George and the sons of Gagik3 to ally themselves with him. Out of fear of this magnate David4 went over to him with the Armenian forces, and thus Basil was greatly alarmed. The emperor sent supplications to David so that he might extricate himself from this dangerous situation, On the other hand, Crookneck had a great liking for David and promised to install him on the throne of the Armenian kingdom, but David did not wish to break the pact he had with Basil. One day David went to Nicephorus's house on the pretext of inquiring about a disturbance, and Nicephorus, coming forth, embraced him and begged him to go back. But David signaled his men, and they immediately killed Crookneck;5 and his forces, having been scattered, fled. Basil, hearing this, rejoiced greatly and gave Caesarea,6 Camndaw, and Khawatanek'7 with their surrounding districts to David as gifts. After this the emperor with many troops angrily marched against the Georgian king George, and a violent battle was fought before the fortress of Dziawik',8 Fleeing, George took refuge in this impregnable fortress and enrolled himself as a vassal of Basil, giving the emperor his son as hostage. Mter this Basil went to Persia and encamped before the gates of the town of Her, and it was summertime. One day a violent snowstorm fell upon the camp and the troops did not know what to do, So they turned and fled from this very dangerous situation, and in the meantime the land became flooded because of the enormous quantity of water. When the troops came to one place, they were unable to pass because of the mud and, gathered together here, did not know what to do. Then the emperor commanded some of the infantry be slaughtered; thirteen thousand men were slaughtered and were filled into that place, and the troops passed over them. Going forth from here, Basil wintered in Melitene. 9 52. In the year 471 of the Armenian era [1022-1023], during the reign of the Greek emperor Basil, a fearful and horrible omen appeared in the heavens and the wrath of God fell upon all living beings. On the third day of the month of October, at the third hour of the day, the upper firmament of the heavens was torn apart from east to west; and thus the blue sky was cleft in two. A dazzling light fell upon the earth from the northern portion of the sky, and the whole land shook with a tremendous movement. Before the light abated a horrible roaring and reverberating sound fell upon all living creatu~es. Then the sun darkened and the stars appeared as in the

48

MATTHEW OF EDESSA

PART I

night. The whole land was filled with mourning, and shedding bitter tears, all the peoples cried out to God. Then, after three days, all the princes and noblemen gathered together by order of the Annenian king John and came before the holy vardapet John Kozern, who was a pious and religious man and indeed filled with the knowledge of the apostolic and prophetic books. When the Armenian princes came to question him and to learn about the miraculous appearance and the omen, th~y sa~ the holy vardapet John prostrate on his face in grief and weepmg bItterly. When they questioned him he answered them painfully and with heart~rending groans and said: "0 children, listen to me. Misfortune and disaster have come to all mankind, ~or today is the thousandth year of the imprisonment of Sat~n, .whIch our Lord Jesus Christ had brought about by his crucIfixIOn and especially by his holy baptism in the Jordan River. Nov.: Satan has been released from his imprisonment according to the testlmony of the vision of the evangelist John, who was told by the an~e1hof God that Satan would be imprisoned for one thousand years ~~s be en would be releas~d from his imprisonment. 1 Lo, today Satan en released from his thousand- year imprisonment This is the ~:a:d::: ::dt~~Armenian era [~029-1030]; add to it the first five thirt y two years, whICh comes out to one thousand and baPtrs~e~;6~~:~ :u~tract ~hirty years for the period before the because of the fwfiIIm~n:o~ thiave 1000 years at the present. Now, came about. Henceforth n~ 0 s p;~thec~ the rending of the heavens of Christ and in the comma~ WI e a Ie to stand firm in the faith bishop or priest abe'oh 2 menknts of God, patriarch or vardapet, ' 0 ay or mo princ I' band together with thieve b' d ' e or peop e. Pnnces will take bribes and give u s'. ~gan s~ and plunderers, and judges will wilderness and monasteri;:~n;er~lc~s. ~onks will forsake the roam about the streets and ' tnflIng WIth worldly pursuits will mon and forsake the disci line ? women. They will scorn pr~yers ways of the world anf pursuinth~~ mo~astic life, delighting in the ~at delight in diabolic son; e pra~ses of men. They will take fnends and saying· 'I know gb' bhecommg arrogant towards their " reason they w'n a out not .' F or thIS d t armonyand me Iody and you do There will be many despisers ~f I es ~oy the rituals of the churches grumblers and accusers' and e~nmg, slothful and idle chatterers' men,. for they will be stdbbornn~w ere will ~he truth appear amon~ era, Informers, liars, Prideful,' a~'~~7' despIsers of friends, slandergreedy, drunkards, and lechers ~us, p~esumptuous, conceited, . y chIldren, henceforth the

glorification of God by mankind will cease, and truth will not appear among men. On the contrary, abominable and loathsome princes will become rash and fall into error. They will forsake their concern for the construction of buildings and for the successful outcome of their undertakings;3 instead they will evermore dally in drunkenness because of their love and desire for that evil and abominable disease. The patriarchs, bishops, priests, and monks will be more avaricious than pious. My children, henceforth the will of Satan shall be executed among the sons of man more than the will of God. By means of unworthy celebrants, which henceforth shall be the rule, God shall vent his anger upon all living creatures, especially upon those who celebrate the divine liturgy, since Christ shall be sacrificed by the unworthy and distributed to the unworthy. Our Lord Jesus Christ shall be wounded more by unworthy priests than he was by his torment and crucifixion at the hands of the Jews, since Satan has been freed from his thousand~year imprisonment in which Christ had bound him. My children, I disclose all of these things to you, weeping and lamenting with an oppressed heart, because many will be pulled away from the faith, boastfully denying Christ. Thus it is because of all these iniquities that darkness has taken hold of all creation. The holy Armenian vardapet spoke in this manner concerning the execution of the divine wrath. Moreover, he discoursed on many other misfortunes which would befall the faithful; 10, all of these things indeed came about, one after another, by the eruption of the ferocious and savage nation of the Turks, those wicked and abomi~ nable children of Ham. 4

:r

49

1I

53. In this same year of the horrible omen [about which we have spokenJ, the saintly Roman emperor Basil died, l having occupied the imperial throne of the Romans for fifty-eight years.2 While he was still alive, he summoned his brother Constantine and placed the imperial crown on his head. He then installed Constantine on the imperial throne and prostrated himself [before his brotherJ. Basil entrusted his whole empire to Constantine and drew up a will in reference to Armenia, which directed the new emperor to watch over that nation with paternal care. Moreover, Basil entrusted to Constantine the sons of Senek'erim-David, Atom, Abusahl, and Constantine-and also all the princes of the Armenian nation, enjoining his brother always to deal benevolently with the Christian faithful. Basil reigned over the Romans for fifty-eight years. He led a holy and chaste life and, having sincerely confessed his sins, went

50

MATTHEW OF EDESSA

PART I

to sleep in Christ Jesus and was buried next to the other saintly emperors, leaving behind a good memory [of his life and deedsJ, 54. In this same year the Armenian king Senek'erim also died

1

~nd he. was ~aken to the cemetery of his ancestors where the form:r

Crme~lan kmgs were b~ried at Varag, at the Monastery of the Holy ei~ss, there he was ?uned ~ext to his ancestors. The royal Soverng .ty of the Armeman natIOn was transferred to his elde t aVId, because he was an illustrious and h bl s Son having a fearful reputation throughout the la~;,ra e man and one 55. In this same year the G ' k' son Bagrat 1 was instal1ed ~orgIan mg George also died, and his country of the Georcria as hIS Successor, reigning over the entire b~ ns, 56. Now in this same year C

t

t'

1

r~igned over the whole empire of ~~: an me, the brother of Basil, kInd and pious man compa' t Romans. Constantine was a ,SSlOna e toward 'd '

~n d 1,ement towards all those guilt f ' s WI ows and captives, Impnsoned released from the' h ~ 0 cnmes. For he had all those

the ~ndemned-which Basil ~~~ b~~: and als.o ordered the prison of up wlth Gr~ek magnates-burned to and whICh he had indeed filled throne, BasIl had secretly strang1 d the ground, Out of fear for his of tkhe Gn;ek nation; their bodies :tilIthf :odst illustrious personages nee s on Iron hooks. Wh ' ,c 0 e, were hanging b their and ordered that they be ~~~~nstantIUe s~w this, he wept fo; them ~e found fault with his broth and t?e prIson burned to the ground 00& he have to di er, saYIng: "When one is t d' . tranSitory anyway?" eCs o cruelly, since life itself is m to .1e, Why th R . onstantine f a enaI and e oman empire and b peace uny occupied the th Hha~intgJoccuPied the thr~::v~;~nhtelY gOv~rned all the faithful o~o~~dof ns esus aft h ' empIre for fi . behind a good er aVlng Sincerely confessed h~ur ,years, he died in Indeed there ~:mory [of his life and deeds] he l~ ~lUs; t~us, leaving deprived of such S great sorrow in the co~nt JOIned ,hIS ancestors.

C

~=Vi;~t~:~~::h~;:::~~:~i~~!;!~I?;:;Jt~:

an empIre, and the who1 I °dmanus Occupied the 57 I e an submitted t h' . n the year 479 f 0 1m. emperor Ro 0 the Armen' manus Collected all th Ia~ era [1030-1031] the R e .lorces of th oman e Country of the

51

Greeks. He marched forth with an army and reached the country of the Muslims, and he came and encamped against the impregnable fortress called 'Azaz, near the city of Aleppo. The Muslim forces gathered together with a very great army and came against the emperor Romanus. The emperor, becoming frightened, did not go forth in battle against the Muslim forces and thus was cowardly and vacillated;l for he was a weak and timid person, besides being very malicious and a notorious blasphemer of the Orthodox faith.2 Because of all this, his troops were in disagreement with him and so they resolved to abandon him during the battle in the midst of the Muslim forces and to flee from the combat so that the wicked emperor would perish. Then one of the chiefs of the army, who was called Abukab and who had formerly been the tent-guard of David the curopalates of the Georgians, warned Romanus of the perfidiousness of his troops,s When the emperor heard this, he became greatly frightened and, rising up, fled during the night, accompanied by the nobles of his court, Hearing of the emperor's flight, the Muslim forces pursued the Roman army and caused a severe slaughter, as many as twenty thousand men; thus the Roman forces were scattered over the whole land,4 After fourteen days a certain peasant from the town of Cyrrhus5 discovered the emperor Romanus, who had taken refuge among some trees; he had grown so numb from the cold that he seemed to be dead. Leaving his work, the peasant took the emperor to his home, cured him, and brought him back to life; however, he did not know who Romanus was, After a few days the peasant took the emperor and sent him off with some men, When Romanus reach~d the city of Marash, the remnants of his forces gathered around hIm and took him to Constantinople, After a number of days had gone by, the emperor summoned that peasant and made him commander of the district of Cyrrhus and then, thanking him, sent him back to his home with splendid gifts, 58. At the beginning of the year 480 of the Armenian era [1~311032] the emir of the city of Edessa, whose name was Shabal, dIed,

In this period two emirs resided in Edessa, Shabal and 'Utair, There were three citadels in the city of Edessa; two citadels and two quarters of the city belonged to Shabal, while one citadel and one quarter of the city belonged to 'Utiar. Now each wa~ resolved, to destroy the other. So one day 'Utiar invited Shabal to dm~er, takmg him outside the city to a place called the Monastery of ArchlCh, where there was a stone column right opposite the citadel. Both men had

52

MATTHEW OF EDESSA

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placed each of their forces in an ambush, unknown to one another. When Shabal signaled his forces to kill 'Uj;air, 'Utair's immediately came forth and killed Shabal. Then 'Utair gathered together his troops against the chief citadel belonging to Shabal and was intent on taking it by assault, A certain Salman was the commander of the up~er citadel, and in a severe assault 'Utair put him in dire straits. Bemg weak, Salman sent to Nat3ir-ad-Daulah,l the chief Muslim emir, who resided in Maiyafariqin, and handed over the citadel of Edessa to him, Na~ir-ad-Daulah in turn sent the prefect2 Bal-al-Ra'is to the citade~ of Edessa with a thousand horsemen and had Salman broug~t to, hIm, toge~her with his wife and children, giving Salman splendId ~fts, Thus Utair was able to do nothing; so he feigned an accord wIth the Erefect Bal-al-Ra'fS, secretly resolving to kill him. When Bal-al~Rals h:ard this, while both :men were seated at a bfanhquet outsI~e the CIty, he killed the emir 'Uj;air and seized control o t e whole CIty of Edessa, 'lH when the wife of'Utair saw that her husband had been kIe, I °dwehverb' s e ravely rose up aga' t B I I R'd ., t d d ms a -a - a IS an ralsmg a black !a~~ ar , made an ap~eal to all the Arabs, saying; "The 'furkishs havIeonk,hllasd comehanbd seIzed the ancestral city of the Arabs 4 and they 1 e my us and the em' 'Ut ' "I h' to gather to ethe ' Ir. aIr. ntIs way she was able Ra'is Whe! N- ~ many troops and, going forth, came against Bal-alwith 'many tro:pt3~r-~dU-Dt ~~lah eeard this, he came against the Arabs , , rur s Whe marched . t N-' d and in a violent battle turned h' , .agams at3lr-a -Daulah Im descended upon the prefect Bal_ Ill,_flIght; th:n she came and assault against the citadel B' al-~ IS, launchmg a formidable find a way out of the sit 't' el.ng we ,!3al-al-Ra'fs was not able to informed him of the da ua lOn, so, sendmg to Na~ir-ad-Daulah he i~ dire straits and withn~:oa~f ~it~~tio~ he ~as in a~d said: "I' am hImself, Naf)ir-ad-Daulah s t S I _rdlstan, Not bemg too strong had Bal-al-Ra'is brought b ~nt ~ man to the citadel of Edessa and less, 'Utair's wife did not~e 0 IS to~n ofMaiyafariqin. Nevertheday. Finally Salman, exhaus~:~ ~at~lng against Salman day after to the Roman commander M ' y :r assaults, sent to Samosata wrote to him and sal'd, "If alllaces, also called George Salma-n' h' h . you can obt ' f: . ~ Ig ~08ition and the cornman aI? ~om the Roman emperor Edessa mto your hands" Wh Md o~ a dIstnct for me, I will delive happy d I . en amaces he d thi h r an 80 emnly promised th t h ar s, e became very R ;~an emperor all that he as~ed e£ woul~ ?btain for him from the C 1 ren hereditary lands and a h' h or! ,f51Vlllg to him and to his 19 POSItIon, So SaImll:summone d au

Maniaces and handed over the citadel of Edessa to him. The Roman commander went forth with four hundred men and at night secretly came to the gates of the citadel. Since Salman knew of his coming, he took the keys of the citadel and went to Maniaces; then he prostrated himself before the Roman commander and turned over the citadel to him. On the same night Salman took his wife and children and passed over to Samosata. When the Muslims heard of the coming of Maniaces, they set up a formidable resistance against the Roman commander; numerous companies of troops gathered against Edessa, and as the Muslims attacked the city, many of their number who lived there left. But the Syrians fortified themselves in the Cathedral of Saint Sophia; for, because of their women and having much gold and silver, they did not dare enter into the citadel, being afraid that their possessions would be seized. Nevertheless, a few days after, many of them together with all their possessions perished by fire. Those who remained took refuge in the citadel with Maniaces and were thus saved. For the Muslims had organized a great assault against the Cathedral of Saint Sophia, placing a catapult against the northern wall and vehemently bombarding the church until it was completely demolished' then throwing fire inside, they had burned many to death and thus i~numerable possessions and provisions belonging to the city's inhabitants had been destroyed, After this episode all the Muslims were roused and came against Maniaces, Yet the Roman magnate trapped in the citadel of Edessa with four hundred men, displayed tremendous courage. The most eminent emirs arrived from their respective territories6 to the city of Edessa, from Egypt and from the whole country of the Babylonians. Even Shabal of Harran, who had been wounded by one of Maniaces' servants, a man called Uzar, came; this man had come in the capacity of a messeng~r and thus was without suspicion and, when he approached the emIr! attacked him striking him upon the shoulder with an axe; then thIS servant of Maniaces rushed to the moat of the town with the rapidity of an eagle and took refuge in it, but his horse perished ~ecause of a sever~ wound. [Here are the other distinguished Mushms who n:arche against Edessa]: the emir Salip. came from Aleppo, Mah~u~ from Damascus, Muhammad from Horns, al-'Azlz from Egypt, ~h,from M b' ' 'Abouliah from Baghdad, Quraysh from Mosul, N a!,l1~.-ad­ n::laf; from Maiyafariqin, 'Ali from Amida, .Ba:hlr fr?m JazlratIbn-'Umar,7 APmad from Khlat', Zura8 from Bahshs ~usam fr~m Hefo Kutan8 from Sa1mast, Ahi8 from Arzan, Ahvar from Cteslphon,

53

54

MATTHEW OF EDESSA S

Ahlu from Basra,l1 VreaynB from Kerkeser,12 Shavar from Nisibis, and forty more emirs. All these emirs gathered together against the citadel of Edessa and harassed it throughout the summer with many assaults. 59. After a number of days the Muslims resolved to burn down the entire city and then withdraw. However, the inhabitants, by means of many entreaties and bribes, prevented them from doing this. They said that the Romans, surrounded by Muslim territories, would not be able to hold Edessa, but in a short time would be forced to abandon the city and flee, everyone returning to his own country. These words sounded reasonable to the Muslim emirs. So, after many harassments and assaults, all the Muslim forces returned to their respective lands. Maniaces, ensconced in the citadel of Edessa foug?t on, while the natives of the city and the surrounding regio~ contmued to fight back day and night. At one point Maniaces and his men were put in dire straits, for the provisions of the citadel were exhausted; thus they were forced to go into the houses of the city in order to look for provisions. 1 At this time the emperor sent for Salmlin and, taking him and his sons, elevated them to high positions ~~d. g~ve them command over many districts, and so they became :~lans. Every year the emperor sent reinforcements to Edessa ~n e had a fortress built in his name, calling it Romanopolis. ~ £ evertheless, the Arabs of the adjoining areas harassed the Roman orces a ?Teat deal along the route from Samosata to Edessa. Every ~~ar ~n mnumerable amount of Christians were slaughtered- words pil: u~~:e :oh:~at~fhow the bones of th~se that pe.rished a~peared p stones. Thus Mamaces was m great danger So the emperor Romanus r i d t b' . , . the backs of men D . :~o v~ 0 rmg prOVISIOns into the city on bearers" came an'd urm~ e mght sixty thousand Roman provision , passmg over the E h t R' towards Edessa. Now there wa u~ ra e,s Iver, advanced countryside except for Lt 4 ~ot one VIllage m the surrounding Shipip6 fell upon-them a ~r. ~n the Romans reached Parsur/ slaughtered the sixty th~u~~uJsumg. t~em right up to Desnadzor,7 such dire straits as this un:; prov~sIOn bearers. Edessa was in finally vanquished the e e l 4~e CIty became strengthened and the Muslims, and so tran~u~rt ~n t~e emperor made peace with tion of Christians ceased T~! rel;gne in Edessa and the persecuAshot Ba~atuni8 and dU;in t~~ a t?ok place du~ng the reign of the Anneman catholicos rt:~tnar.chate of hIS lordship Peter . ve e ess, In the reign of Tughrul, th~

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sultan of the Persian empire, 9 the city of Edessa was captured by the Muslims.10 Finally, after all the afflictions, hardships, and torments which brave Maniaces had endured, Romanus replaced him and gave the command of Edessa to Abukab, the tent-guard of David the

curopalates. 60. At the beginning of the year 481 of the era of the Armenian calendar [1032-1033] there was a severe famine throughout the entire land. Many people died because of this famine and many sold their women and children for want of bread. Because of the intensity of the hardships, whenever one spoke, he yielded up his soul. In this manner the land was consumed by famine. 61. In the year 484 of our era [1035-1036] the emperor. R?m~nus died1 because of a perfidious plot by his empress. For thIS ImpIOUS woman gave the emperor poison to drink, thus killing him. 2 So MichaelS was installed on the throne of the Greek empire by order of his empress, 4 who was the daughter of Constantine. 62. In this period king David, the son of the ~enian ki~g Senek' erim died and passed on his hereditary sovereIgnty t~ hIS brother Atdm. This Atom was filled with virtue, justi~e, and samtly conduct in Jesus Christ; moreover, he was imbued WIth ge~tleness and graciousness, was compassionate towards the afflIcted, a supporter of the poor, a protector o~ monks, and [last but not least] a builder of churches and monastenes. 63 In the year 484 of the Armenian era [1035-1036] the Muslims marched forth with many troops and came against. Edessa. They passed over to the other side of the great Euphrates River and, : ;.the sword and enslavement, subjected the whole land to d evas ~ I~:. Many Christians were led into captivity to the country ~ ~ 1 Muslims Moreover, the Muslims ravaged Alar and Sewa~:~ bl and filled th~ fountai,ns and water-conduits of t~~~;~;:t~\he bf~od Because of all thIS severe slaughter, the Ian fi thered of the Christians. In this same year the Roman orces 19a the and . t the Mus rms together and came agams I, . their genera was ber of 2 brother of Michael, the Roman emp.eror. :~t~e ~~~~~e ~~~tened horsemen he reached the town of M~hte~e'b ~tl When the Muslim and did not go up against the MuslIms III a e. Th" what troops heard this, they returned to their own country. IS IS

56

MATTHEW OF EDESSA

the Roman troops did; and they did not dare . . the Muslims, rather they peacefully withd e~ter t~e temtones of their own country. On their return th rew m or er to return to ey plundered the Christians more than the Muslim army had. 3 64. At the date of our calendar rna k d b Annenian era [1036~l037] the d rke y the year 485 of the . h f I horrible appearance For as itsun b ar ened d k WI.th a f rIg t u and . " ecame ar at the cru .fi' f Christ, In the same manner the sun' l' h . CI IXlOn 0 clothed it. The luminaries of the h s 19 t was hIdden and darkness and the whole sky was stretched o~~~~~ turned ~loomy and black, a vault m darkness. The sun became blackened at m' dd as they would in the middl: of an~ ~~ the stars appeared in toto grew intense, all creatures cried toe mg . The darkness and gloom hills resounded. The mountains a~~h~r, and all the mountains and foundations], trembled' the va t I a ~the rocks, shaken [to their back and forth, billow~d, and !ll arge k' editerranean Sea, moving happened that, when mankind sa man ~nd. mourned and wept. It fear as if dead At that t· thw all thIS, It was horror~struck with father wept ove~ his son r:;:;eS t e .~on w~pt for his father and the their parents. Mothers ·aftl· t de~tlhed WIth fear fell into the laps of flIre, wept before their Sons ' IC Ie WI h a severe c tIOn ' as .If by onsump horror~struck and were bes'et ~ suc a manner all creatures were escape. Frightened by the h y .~tr, and they could not find an stupefied and horror~struck orri e omen, they were altogether At that time the Armenia~ t· h John sent eminent men to Jotnat~Iarc ,his lord~hip Peter, and King Koze;rn, so that they might I .; holy. Arme~Ian vardapet,l called extraordinary omen For h earn om hIm the mterpretation of this austere conduct an' inte e was a holy man and admired for his t God, and filled ~th doct:r::l er of th~ Old and New Testaments of the Armenian vardapet-Gr;races. nd~ed those who were sent to eminent Sargis of the ~ory Maglstros, son of Vasak' the noblemen and priests race 0 Hayk; and also many Arm~nian -were sent so that the . ht I second . appearance of this fearful om y mIg earn about the Armeman vardapet they found h' en. When they went to the and. his garment w~s drenched in ::.:rostrate and in deep sorrow, s'. Because of the profuseness of hIS weeping and the hea one dared to ask him anyt~ groa~s whIch arose from his mouth no mourning and in tremendous m~. or they saw that he was in d~ep ef and beating his breast. At thfs ~nd was ceasel~ssly shedding tears pomt the Armeman princes sat next

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to the vardapet John and up to the sixth hour of the day they did not dare say anything or ask about the fearful omen; all those who had come to him [merely] wept together. Then, when the Armenian vardapet saw the lamentation of all those who had come, opening his mouth, he began to speak, while groaning and shedding many tears. He wept over all the nations of the faithful; he wept over the priestly order, over the destruction of the purity of the holy sacrament; he wept over the church of God and over the dissolution of the divine precepts which had been kept by the church. Then he began to speak to the Armenian princes in the following manner: ItO my illustrious sons, listen to these words of the distressed and grieved John. For today the thousand years of the torments of the crucifixion of Christ have been completed and also the releasing of Belial, who had been confined by the Savior in the Jordan River, [has come about]. This is what was shown to us by the first omen forty years before, as we predicted, and now once again the omen has repeated itself; for first the heavens were rent and the earth became obscured. In this year the luminaries became darkened and also all of creation; for henceforth all the nations who believe in Christ will walk in darkness. Also henceforth the institutions of the church of Christ will be obscured by all the nations of believers. They will slacken from fasting and prayers and will no longer believe in the future life. Fear for the judgement of God will be scorned, and true faith will disappear from all the nations. Piety will grow weak; people will loath the precepts of God and will be hostile to the words of the Holy Gospel of Christ. Everyone will put themselves in opposition to the holy precepts of God and will scorn the words of the holy vardapets and will disregard the commandments of the canons of the holy patriarchs. Because of this, many will fall from the heights of faith and will stay away from the doors of the holy church; because of the negligence of fasting and prayers, they will become blind to the true religion. Many will come under the yoke of anathemas, for they will not accede to the divine counsel of the words of the holy prelates. Sons will be cursed by their parents because they do not obey them, and· parents will be tormented by their offspring. The compassion of love for friends will fade from fathers and from their children. Henceforth many schisms will enter the church of God because of the negligence of the patriarchs; for they will become feeble and weak and will not inquire into the faith, rather they will become brainless as fools. For the sake of silver they

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MATTHEW OF EDESSA

will forsake the faith, and benedictions will diminish from the house of God. The fear and the horrible dread of God's judgement on that fearful day, which is to come about, will disappear and be abolished from all minds. , "People will forget the recompense of the upright and of the

smn~rs, for they will be sinful and covetous of the evil way, With longmg they will go to the meeting place of sin, for the land will be p~lluted by the kings, princes, and prelates, The prelates and princes WIll becom,e open to bribery, liars, and petjurers and, [falling] into the hand of bnbers, shall pervert their judgments of the rights due to the poor. Bec~use of ,this, God will be even more angry at them, since they e:rercIse theIr. leadership and power with partiality and not . accordI~g to [the wIll ofJ God. They will rule over the destinies [of ~en] WIth absolute power, rather than directing and teaching them m the fe~r of God as the holy apostle Paul commanded, The princes and th~ Judges will become whoremongers rather than godly men. ~ey WIll s~orn holy marriage and cling to the disease of harlotry and wIl! glory In th~ ruin of people like themselves. They will honor traItors and thIeves and will unjustly seize the possessions of laborers; [~nal1y] they will be more strict in their judgments than is necessary In order to carry out justice, "My dear children, henceforth the doors of the holy church will be close? be:au~e of the disputes between the spiritual leaders, and the holy mstitutlOns, [?f the church] will be abolished from every nation. Becau~e of ~vanC1ousness, they will ordain many unworthy people a~~ W1~1 brmg all the defiled ones into the priesthood. Then the dIvme ht~rgy of Chri~t will be in the hands of unworthy priests; and many, WIll undeservmgly take communion from them, not for salvatIOn but for the condemnation and destruction of their souls, In some places and among different nations there will be found true celebrants of the holy mystery of Christ, through whom God will have ~ercy on the world. My children, they will hurt the saintly and VIrtuous; they will turn away the pure from the priesthood because they do not have money and will not ordain them, As we said forty yea;s a~o, when the, other omen appeared, many will fall away from th~lr, faIth an~ rehgion, and the clergy will grow slack in their rehglOU~ practIce., They shall become lecherous, longing after perverSIOns, and WIll take great delight in diabolical songs Monks shall fle,e from the wil~erness and scorn the holy company of·hermits. They WIll scorn and dIshonor the habits of former religious people. They shall become confounders of order and piety and shall eschew

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the psalm-singing of God. All these things shall take place~ my children. Because of this, the spiritual leaders of the country WIll be filled with avariciousness. They will promote all those fallen and separated from the grace of God the Son and will bring them into the priestly order. All the rejected ones they will place over the people of God as chiefs and leaders. They will not know what they do, for they will be blinded by the intensity of their avariciousness. "I have even more to say concerning all these things. For henceforth Christ will be pierced with a great wound by unworthy priests even more horribly than his crucifixion and suffering at the hB;nds of the Jews' for whatever is lacking in the Jews will be supphed by these un~orthy priests. The following words will be heard: 'Friend, why have you come to this marriage banquet?' Then, ~ying his feet and hands they will throw him into the darkness outslde, and that which he ~athered will be heaped upon him for his destru.ction. 2 My dear children all this will take place in the final days, SInce Satan has been rel~ased from his thousand-year confinement in whi~h Christ kept him through his crucifixion. Neverthele.ss, there w~ll appear true believers in Christ who will st~nd agaInst. Satan m combat. For Satan's goal is to battle agaInst the saInts who, protected by the precepts of God, p~rs~st i~ the norm~ of the true confession of Christ our God and eXIst In dIfferent nabons, ~ence. forth there will take place invasions by the infidels, the abommable . forces of the Turks, the accursed sons of Ham, against the Christian nations' and the whole land will be consumed by the sword. All the nations' of the Christian faithful will suffer through famine and enslavement. Many regions will become uninhabited. The pow:er of the saints will be removed from the land and many churches wIll ?e destroyed to their foundations. The mystery of the cross of Christ will be annulled' and as wickedness increases, the feast days of the saints will be sdspended. Sons will be incite~ ag~nst their, fathers and fathers will hate their sons. Brothers wIll nse up agaInst one another and will attempt to destroy each other by homicide an~ bloodshed' they will disavow the compassion and love of brotherh~ ness' the blood of their brotherly bond will dry up, and by acts such as these they shall become as the wicked. The land will be thrown into confusion by wicked nations; bloody dew will cover the plants of the fields, and the land will be ravaged by the sword and enslavement for sixty years. .' .' "Then the valiant nation called the Franks wIll nse up, WIth a great number of troops they will capture the holy city of Jerusalem,

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MATTHEW OF EDESSA

and the holy sepulcher which c t' d G ad will be freed from bondage. 3 Mter all this th I don, ame e an wIll be tormented with the sword and enslavement for fi suffering shall be sev~~kars by tht~forces of the Persians, and this formerl end d es more an that which the faithful had be terri~ed ~e . Thus all the nations of the Christian faithful will Roman forc~s ~cI~~~~ of ,the tre~endous amount of harassment, the at the hands of the p!~~~:~d ~ll. su~e~ much death and slaughter the sword and enslavement . t'l :~r ~ Olce soldiers will be killed by hope of salvation But aft' un 1 4e oman forces finally give up all to strengthen the~selv~s a~~ ~~me years, they ~ill begin gradually will be found everywher~ y; e remnants of t~eIr former regiments and establish themselve' ea~ by ~ear t~ey Will advance gradually that time the Roman e s as ru e~s In vanous lands and regions. At and, like an eagle rap~reror WIll b~ awakened as if from a sleep great army; as nu~erou y come agamst the Persians with a very s as the sands of the seashore. He will march forth like ; burnin The Persians and ~gre, and all creatur~s will tremble in fear of him. side of the Pyramus R~he fo~es of the mfidels will flee to the other rule over the whole ::~~t ~n the Roman emperor will completely whole land and lay the fi ry or, many years. He will restore the that way it '11 b oundatlOns for [future] prosperity' and in WI e renewed as it was befo th f1 d 5 ' of men and beasts will m I ' 1 re, e 00 . The offspring water. The fields will ~:J y, and the sprmgs will gush forth with famine will come upon t:e c uc~ more than before. From then on such an extent that people :~ of~he ~eJsians for many years, to ac an evour one another. Out of fear of the might of the R leave their towns and region~~~~ e~f~ror man;y Persian chiefs will side of the Pyramus River All ,~ out wamng, flee to the other and silver collected for m~n theIr acc~mulated treasures of gold treasure-an amount i y year that IS the entire mass of their Romans will take from pmm~asura6le like dust and pebbles-the infants, little girls, and :~:::n~l~~rry off.to thei: country. All the country of the Romans Pers' ~l; b edcamed offm bondage to the by the Roman forces, ~nd th~a WI e evas.tated and made desolate firmly under the aegis of the :a:~~ soverelgn~~ of the land will be John spoke these things' thO emperor. The holy vardapet Armeman ' princes go, sendin In th IS manner ' . Afte r thOIS h e Iet the back to their Own country. g em away m peace, and so they went

:ft

65. In this period1 the Arm' , eman pnnce Gandzi collected troops

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and, going forth, captured from the Persians the town of Berkri, 2 located in the East. He slaughtered the whole town in toto and consumed the forces of the Muslims with the sword. For many days he battled against the citadel and put its occupants in dire straits, many perishing in the moat. However, during these assaults the Armenian troops were negligent and in a heavy state of intoxication. Khetrik, who was the emir of the town of Berkri, seeing the disorderly state of the Annenian troops, sent a message to his townspeople to come to his aid. The infidels gathered together and came forth and found the Armenians totally unprepared [for battle]. In the morning they attacked the Christian forces and severely slaughtered them. On that day the distinguished Armenian prince, Gandzi, was killed, and his son Tachat inherited his lands. In this way Gandzi and all his forces perished in the town of Berkri. 3 66. At the beginning of the year 486 of the Armenian era [10371038] his lordship Peter, the Armenian catholicos, secretly left his see and went to Vaspurakan because of some difficulties. For the king, all the lords, and the military magnates of Annenia would not heed the divine precepts of God. 1 His lordship Peter was in Vaspurakan for four years and stayed in the Monastery of Dzor,2 which the holy patriarch N erses 3 had built. There was incalculable sorrow in Armenia due to his leaving the patriarchal see. Then King John and all the Armenian lords wrote a deceitful letter to his lordship Peter, saying that they were obedient to his precepts and followers of the enlightened doctrine which he expounded, They wrote this letter, taking a solemn oath, and they set up as mediators the Roman commanders, who had come to the country as military governors. His lordship Peter was deceived by their false oath and returned to his see. When he was about to enter the city of Ani, his lordship Peter was put in prison for a year and five 4 months by order of King John. The king sent to the Monastery of Sanahin5 and had brought back the distinguished Dioscorus, the superior of that monastery. He came and was set up as the adversary of his lordship Peter. Dioscorus was installed as catholicos on the patriarchal see of the Armenians for one year and two months, but not in accordance with the will of God. Because of all this, this eminent orator Dioscorus became very greatly deceived and lost the immeasurable respect which he had [in the past], and there was no one who would accept ordination from him, which indeed was the prerogative of the holy see, His name was not proclaimed in the churches with the other patriarchs, for he was

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regarded as unworthy of that honor. Thus there was great sorrow throughout Armenia. The bishops, priests, and chief prelates were not ?resent at his consecration. He in turn, defying everyone, o~damed unworthy people to the episcopate. Also he called to his SIde all ~hose ~~o, because of their public sins, had been removed f~om theIr POSItIons by former patriarchs. On the other hand, the bIshops an~ vardapets of Armenia excommunicated the king and all t~e ~eman lords because of the antagonisms which had developed WIthIn the church. Then the king and the Armenian princes trembl.ing from fear of these anathemas, became willing to return hi~ l~rdshlp Peter to his see, but for many days he did not take it upon hImself [to go]. Everyone asked him for forgiveness, but he absolutely refused. Then the king and all the Armenian princes wrote a letter. to the Albanians and summoned his lordship Joseph, the ?athohcos of the .country of the Albanians, so that he might come and Int?~cede on theIr behalf and install his lordship Peter in the city of

An

1.

67.

In the year 487 of the Armenian era [1038-1039] a great

as~embly of bishops, chief prelates, monks, vardapets, noblemen, and pnnces took place in the city of Ani, as many as four thousand person~. The elderly Joseph, catholic as of the Albanians, presided over thIS. assembly. The assembly brought much grief upon Dioscorus, for It .vehemently condemned him, refused to honor him, and d~posed hIm from the patriarchal see. All those ordained by DlOscorus ~ere. excommunicated and not one of these was allowed to p~rform ~IS pnestly function. His lordship Peter was installed as DlOscor~s s s~ccessor on the patriarchal see, and thus peace was reesta~hsh?d In the holy church of Armenia. Dioscorus went back to Sanahm, hIS monastery, very much ashamed of What he had done. 1

6~ ..In the year 489 of the Armenian era [1040-1041] a comet with br~lhant appearance became visible. It appeared in the western POrtIO~ of the sky at the beginning of the evening and moved along, followmg a ba~kward path. It touched the Pleiades 1 and the moon a

and then, turnmg towards the west, disappeared.

69. In the same year the Bulgars rose up against the Romans The Roman emperor Michael collected troops from the whole empir~ of the Greeks and with a very great army went against the Bulgars. Full of rage he devastated and enslaved many regions and, sword in

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hand, reached the borders of the Bulgar kingdom. The forces of the Bulgars in turn gathered together against the Greek emperor. On that day a severe slaughter took place. The Bulgar forces defeated the Roman troops and caused them to flee, pursuing them with the sword. On that day all the plains were covered with blood, and the emperor Michael took refuge in Constantinople. Thus the Bulgars strengthened themselves at the expense of the Greeks, recaptured their own country, and were delivered from servitude to the Romans. 70. In this same year the Armenian king Ashot Bagratuni,1 the son of Gagik and the brother of John, died. He left behind his son, named Gagik,2 who was fifteen years of age. Ashot was brough~ to the city of Ani and was buried in the vaults of former Anneman kings. During his lifetime Ashot did not enter the city of Ani except on the day of his death because John greatly feared him, for he v:'as a brave and mighty man. Mter the death of Ashot the Anneman forces grew slack and scorned the art of war. They became subject to the Roman yoke, they reveled in drunkenness, and they took delight in citterns3 and in the songs of singers. They departed from the unity [they had maintained] with one another and they no lon~er came to each other's aid. They [merely] shed tears for the land whlch was being put to the sword, weeping together for its destruction and at the same time delivering up one another to the sword of the ~reek nation; they thus despoiled their kin and went over to the SIde of their enemies. 71. In this period the great emir of the Persians, Abii'l-Uswar,l collected troops from the nation of the infidels, as many as one hundred and fifty thousand. Full of rage he came and attacked the Christians. With venomous wrath he entered the country of the Albanians into the region held by David Anhoghin2 and brought much affiiction to the faithful. David, fearing the enormous number of the infidel forces, did not go forth in battle. On the other hand, the wicked Abu'l-Uswar captured many districts and four hundred regional fortresses. Remaining there for .on~ year, he br~ught the greater part of the country under his subJectIOn and was ~ntent on marching against David. David, being powerless, sent to King John, who reigned in Ani, and said to him: "Abu'l. U swar has captured ~n the regions of Armenia and is coming ~gainst m~. If you do. not aId me, I will go to him in submission, WIll serve hlm as a gulde, and thus bring desolation upon your district of Shirak. When John 113

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MATTHEW OF EDESSA

heard this, he sent four thousand t D' . to the ruler of Kapan 4 and h . ~en 0 aVld. LIkewise David sent In this manner he threatene~ I~ u~I?- gave him two thousand men. e 5 king sent four thousand men to his ai~ng,: the A?kh~zes, and that his troops, as many as ten th d ' d en DavId hImself collected Albanians, saying: ousan ,an sent to the catholicos of the "This nation of infidels co . faith and they are intent on ::~rag~lll~t us b~cause of our Christian ers of the cross and on exte . OY1~g e ordlll~n~es of the worshipfitting and right for all the fa7:::~~t:ng the Chn.stIan ~aithful. It is to die for their Christian faith N 0 go forth wIth theIr swords and an bishops who are in the cou~tr ow gather tog~ther all the Annenicamp so that you might die with ~Z~r the Albamans and come to our The catholicos did all this ad' . lordship Joseph went to the ca~ n f ~th t'":o .hundred bishops his superiors of the monasteries t pot e ChrIstIa~s. He wrote to the ~ c~me together WIth all their monks and join the Christian fore deacons of the country of :~. A~ r~ught together all the priests and all the regions, saying: "If t~ere bamans and proclaimed th;oughout martyr's death 10 the t ~ any man or woman deSIrous of a presented itself to ~s at t~r:~.r UllI~[for s~ch a martyrdom] has him immediately come to us "ll~e.. oever IS ~evoted to Christ, let sons and mothers with th: d aVlllg heard thIs, fathers with their r faithful. The plain was co.: aughters c~me to the camp of the like [huge] flocks with their lPletbely filled WIth a very great throng, . I am s. HaVlng earned of this Abu'l U - s,":ar mocked at all that was taking place, and advanced and c Then David commanded th:~~ ~galllst t?e forces of the Christians. and priests that each one tak . e p~oclalmed to the bishops, monks, only a cross and the Gospels o~ ~~~~~ ha~ds .as his weapon of battle the swords of the enemy. S th h n WIth these march against W the Gospels; the forces of th~ wi ek doe camp took up the cross and of priests stood opposite them. ~a~d arr;roache~, and the multitude brave men went against the infidels. ' Whturn, WIth twen~y thousand one another in combat the . t . ~n the t.wo armIes engaged ?o~, weeping. The land rest:~~e~ I~t~n~o~ ra~sed their voices to fi w t elr VOIces, and they said: Arise, Lord, help us and save The forces of the faithful then r:n or t~e glory of your holy name." the infidels as one would pI p . ged mto the midst of the army of them]. Then the priests i:nge.mto the sea and disappeared [among and forth and, gOing toward u~son moved the Christian cross back s e enemy, fell upon them . A burmng .

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zeal took hold of them and they struck at the infidels, and the infidels in toto turned back in flight. The Armenian forces pursued them sword in hand and for five days frightfully slaughtered the infidel troops to such an extent that the plains and mountains were covered with blood. They seized innumerable treasures of gold and silver and much booty, while the remaining Persian troops, narrowly escaping with their lives, naked and barefooted, took refuge in their own country. The country of the Albanians stank because of their filthy corpses. In three days David had control of all the districts which the infidels had formerly captured and with splendid gifts sent away all the troops who had come to his aid. From the booty [he had taken] he distributed many articles to the bishops, priests, and to all those who had come to him, and then sent them away. Thus peace was reestablished. 72. In this same year a certain wicked and evil prince from the noblemen of Senek'erim went to the Greek emperor and severely denounced Atom and Abusahl, the sons of Senek'erim, saying: "They are intent on rebelling against you and thus causing you annoyance and trouble." The emperor Michael, having heard this, believed these falsely spoken words. He sent his acolyth 1 to Sebastia with fifteen thousand men to bring them to him so that they might not escape, and the acolyth reached the city of Sebastia with his troops. When the sons of Senek'erim heard this, they became stupefied and at the same time frightened. They saw that the prudence of the acolyth was not equal to theirs and thus were afraid to go with him. 73. Then prince Shapuh said to Atom and Abusahl: "Do you wish me to scatter the Roman forces throughout the fields?" As he said this, he put seven coats of mail one on top of the other and struck them with his sword, breaking off pieces of the iron mail. The sons of the Armenian king said: "Let it not be this way, rather we will go with those summoning us." They gave many gifts to the Roman general and went with him to Constantinople. Upon entering the city, they went weeping to the tomb of the emperor Basil and threw the paper containing the oath given to them on it. 1 Then they said: "You have brought us to the country of the Romans, and they threaten us with death. 0 our father, vindicate us before our accusers!" The emperor Michael, hearing such wisdom, marvelled greatly and ordered the denouncer done away with.

66 MATTHEW OF EDESSA

74. In the year 490 of . the Armenian kin J h t?e Armeman calendar and era [1041-1042] vaults of former 0 ~ dIed and was buried in the city of Ani in the son of Gagik who . ~eman kings. He was the brother of Ashot the Ashot the Ir~n of ~~;rtt;td~~s the son of Ashot, 1 son of 5mbat, s~n of heard of his death th a I meage.. When the nation of the Romans to Armenia and de~as:a::.p.ero~ MIchael collected troops. He came John, while he was alive It WIth ~he sword and enslavement. For ?tatement decIarin that ,ha~ glVen to the Romans a written In return for thl' s g . afther hIS death Ani would belong to them' ~A promIse e rec' filll-een years and aI o h' elVe d gI'£1ts from the Romans for' princes of Armeni: : Igh r~.2 After the death of John one of the lineage of Hayk ':rrl; perfidIOus man named Azat3 Sargis' of the Armenia as a gift 1 ~nne~ the Romans that he would give them kings and carried 'it :elzed the treasury of the former Armenian fortress. He brought u dO t~ Abkhazes and ensconced himself in a intent on reigning ove~ t~re s cont~ol many country towns 5 and was would not accept him Ii h ArmenIans. But the Bagratid dynasty , or e was of the lineage of Hayk.6

k

0';

75. In this same year the because of David Anhogh' h' ~ wa~ much slaughter in Armenia Rising up against the ~~ni:! ~fficial of the Armenian king John. to the Sword and to I kmgdom, he subjected many rections . ens avement and 'th o~ passed Into Armenia' for ha' I 'ft h WI many troops came and had come against Ar~eniV1ng e t e cou.ntry of the Albanians, he devastated] by his troops w,::' Th~e regions were burned [and bIe fires there. After this' he 0 ~aused much suffering and innumerato his own home. re urne to the country of the Albanians 76. In this same year for th

.

agains~ Armenia, and because e t~::~nd tIme the Romans marched

Arm.eman forces, many places subm 'tt d~as hno commander for the of this, great destruction was b 1 e 0 t e Romans; now, because one hundred thousand Roman t rought on Armenia. At that time of Ani and encamped before its gr~ops ~ ered against the royal city forces gathered around th a es. e remnants of the Armenian 1 Pahlawuni and begged him ~ :~7a;t~~m~ander-i~-chief Vahram army, for the Roman forces h In attle agamst the Roman violent blaspheming and manad ~omelt to battle against them with . forces b ecame filled with rage' and fu y. msu 'ts. So th.e Armeman thirty thousand men both root ~~~dS' WI h wrdhath hke ferocious beasts, , lers an orsemen, went forth in

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total battle array towards the gate called Tsaghik.2 Like lightening they threw themselves upon the Roman troops and turned in flight those very arrogant and haughty forces, pitilessly slaughtering them with the edge of the sword. The Akhurian River, which was located nearby, was turned into blood. Because of the cries of the ferocious Annenian troops, the fugitives were unable to flee, but rather stood stupefied and were delivered to the mercy of the sword. This was a very frightful day for the Roman forces, for out of twenty thousand men only one hundred remained. Then the saintly and distinguished commander-in-chief, Vahram Pahlawuni, interceded and with many supplications made entreaties to the Armenian forces through a deputation; he was barely able to get them to agree to allow the Roman troops to withdraw [unhannedl. In this way the remnants of the Roman troops were saved. No longer did the Roman forces seek to capture the city of Ani; rather they turned back humiliated and went to Constantinople to [the emperor] Michael. 77. At that time a lad eighteen years old, named Gagik, l from the same scion of the Bagratids, appeared. He was the son of King Ashot, who was the son of Gagik, son of Ashot, 2son of Abas, son of 5mbat, son of Ashot the Iron. This lad Gagik was very wise, pious, and religious. All the Armenian lords assembled before the patriarch his lordship Peter, and Gagik was anointed king over all Armenia by the grace of the Holy Spirit and at the behest of the distinguished prince;3 thus at his behest the virtuous and illustrious Peter4 anointed Gagik. This [distinguished] prince was of the lineage of Hayk and a Pahlavid by descent. His name was Gregory like his ancestor, and he was of the lineage of Saint Gregory.5 He shone forth as a second Samuel, he who anointed David king over all Israel. 6 This prince, who was very pious, religious, and invincible among learned men, made Gagik king over Armenia. Using his wisdom, he endeavored to establish on a firm base the throne of the kingdom of the Armenian nation and begged God to aid him, as well as the Pahlavid dynasty. 78. At that time Gagik, supported by his troops, seized Sargis and subjected him to various kinds of tortures, until against his will the Armenian king obtained control of the fortresses, districts, towns, and his entire hereditary treasury, all of which Sargis had seized. At this time, because of the benevolent will of God, the Roman forces became pacified, and they no longer continued to seek after the city of Ani and to make war upon the Armenians. By that time, through the

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grace of the Holy Spi:it, two successful years of the reign of Ga . had gone by. Indeed, m these days King Gagik collected troo gik went and marched through the country of his ancest b' p.s, and the rebellious to submission and fiercely push' b o~'hi nngmg. all Going forth with a great number of troo s l~g ac s en~mles. province o~ Ayrarat in .order .to wreak venie~ncee u~~:a~e~a~~:~~ the south. Then the IllustrIOUS prince G th Pahl' dc regory, e son of Vasak awum, prepare Lor batt~e and, going forth with his troo encamped near the Hrazdan RIver not far f th ps, Bjni. The infidel forces came against the ~m ~ great fortress of severe battle took place The Armen' t rmeman troops and a forces, causing a great ~laughter on t~~ bro~s ~e[~a~d the Per~ian and taking prisoner the Turkish h' an s o. e razdan RlVer the infidels] fled to Persia. clefs, after whIch the remnants [of 79. At that time, inspired by evil thou ht h were stirred up [against the A . g s, t e Greeks once again hypocrisy of the deceitful Chris~:n~~~iJ~~gh ~he treachery and necessary for us to change hl'S ' d oghm. It has become name an call him Daw't'lb h t h pu t e Christian peoples into the b f' . I, ecause e became afflicted in spirit because y~s 0 tnbulatIOns. He h~mself up to eternal torments in the b hflds calum~y and was dehvered a yss 0 estructlOn.

:r

80. In this same year the Roman . 1 from the whole empire of th G k emperor MIchael collected troops forces who were under R e ree S and also from those Armenian Vaspurakan With oman rule, in Sebastia, Taron and all y Micha;l came to the West and, enslaving the whol~ :~r:nfreat those that had rebelled H y 0 ~ ~oths, brought to submission to him and then return~d t e~ompe e the whole country to submit o the emperor Michael died. onstantinople. A short while after this

t:

81. His nephew, who alread place.! He occupied the imperial ~hwas made caesar, reigned in his for he had a malicious mind and t~onebno longer than four months, undoing, as it is written' S. us ecame the cause of his own companion will fall in it hi~~el~~Piu~e: d '~e who digs a pit for his he was not conscious of his .. n ee e became so arrogant that of Zoe, the daughter of th actIons; for he even dared to cut the hair a whore, and then exiled ~ e~peror .Const~ntine, as one would do to the patriarch of Constanti;r 103 an ~sland I? c~ains. Also he seized op e an put hIm In a prison in chains,

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because he wished his family to inherit the imperial throne; indeed this whole family was corrupt and wicked and very destructive for the empire. After a few days help came to the patriarch from God; disguising himself, he escaped from prison and, fleeing, took refuge in Saint Sophia. The entire city of Constantinople was stirred up against the caesar, and there were frightful combats within the city. On that day a severe conflict and slaughter occurred on both sides, and the entire city was overflowing with blood; even Saint Sophia was inundated with a great amount of blood. Finally the patriarch was victorious over the caesar, who was seized and blinded. Moreover, his whole family was exterminated, and the empress Zoe was brought back to Constantinople with great pomp:! 82. In the same year the illustrious Armenian prince Khach'ik was killed together with his young son, named Ishkhan, both in the province of Vaspurakan. The inhabitants of Her and Salmast1 gathered together and invaded the district of T'onrawan. 2 The news reached Khach'ik that the infidel forces had entered his territory. He was a brave man and always victorious in battle and from a highborn lineage with the militancy of an eagle. However, he now had become old and left behind the military life; so, sighing heavily, he was indeed sorry, for his eldest son, the brave Hasan, and [his other son] Chnchghuk together with their troops were in the West, accompanying the emperor Michael. Yet the Armenian prince Khach'ik was unable to resist the opportunity and, going forth with seventy men, came against the infidels; but his son Ishkhan he kept at home, for he was a boy of fifteen. When Khach'ik came upon the infidels, he saw that they had many troops. He cried out to his men and, joining battle, vehemently attacked the infidels and felled many to the ground. Then he saw that his young son had gotten away from [the place] where he was kept and had come to the battle. Now, when Khach'ik saw this, he became very disturbed, for Ishkhan was only a boy and also very handsome. Ishkhan rushed forth like a lion cub and vehemently joined the combat. Catching up with him, Khach'ik took hold of him and sent him home. However, escaping, the son joined the battle once again and did so bravely, though quite foolishly. When the enemy learned that he was the son of the brave man Khach'ik, surrounding the boy, they seized and killed him. Seeing this, Khach'ik lost his strength and the sword fell from his hands. When the infidel forces saw this, they rushed upon Khach'ik and seized and

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PART I

killed him. Then the remnants of the Armenian troops turned in flight towards their homes. After a few days the sons of Khach'ik returned from the West. They had learned of the death of their father and young brother, and they came dressed in black and wept profusely. Then Hasan summoned a Kurdish chief who inhabited a region bordering on his. Giving him a thousand dahekans, he said to him: "Go to Her and Salmast and say that the district ofT'onrawan and the whole country round about is devoid of inhabitants. Tell them not to stand by idly while flocks of sheep with their shepherds aimlessly roam about." !he Kurdish chief went and did what Hasan had asked. So the mfidels gathered together, as many as fifteen thousand men and came and entered that district. The Kurdish chief then cam~ and related this to Hasan and Chnchghuk. Hasan in turn gathered his tro~ps and five ~housand men and, raging like a wounded beast, rapIdly came agamst the army of the infidels. With an anguished cry Hasan calle.d out to the front line of the infidels and said: "Let the man who kIlled my father Khach'ik come forth." A certain robust ~egr; came forth ~~d, crying out, said: "I am the one who killed the l?n- earted Khach ik and here I have his war horse and garment and ::dstandard a~d sw~rd." Seeing all this, Khach'ik's son Hasan wept infidersn~~:a!~~~! ~~ .~,:ordth ra~idlY came into the midst of the him to the ground' t~ m~ k~ egro, he cut him in two and felled returned unh en, a mg the horse and standard, Hasan arme. Chnchghuk, the brother of Hasan, calling out l'n the sa me manner said' IIWh . h IShkhan? Let h' ' ' . 0 IS t e one who killed by brother brave Pe'rsian c~:~of:~ut ~n the.open so that I might see him." A killed Ishkhan and here ~.' CryIng out, said: "I am the one who and sword" Lik l' ht ~e IS white horse, bright-colored standard · . e Ig enmg Chnchghuk c . h' ' h1m; then, taking the horse d t dame agamst 1m and killed Hasa~. Mter this Hasan c:e~ o~tan ~~d, he returned to the side of forth mto battle The A . to IS troops and bravely rushed and slaughtered' four tho~::~n/~~o~s turned the enemy in flight nians, with much rejoicin t 0 elr men. Mter this the Armetheir mourning garment:' urned back and at the same time took off

Edessa, collected troops against Monomachus. He put a crown on his head, gathered under him all the western regions of the empire, and obtained support for himself among the inhabitants of all the Roman lands, Out of dread and fear of him the entire West gathered under his banner, for he was strong and brave in battle. Then the emperor Monomachus collected troops, all the Greeks and others from the forces of Annenia and, rising up, went to the lands of the West against Maniaces, who through his prowess sought after the imperial throne. Because of Maniaces, great fear fell upon the Roman forces. However, before the two side met in battle, the anger of God fell upon the forces of the western regions, and the ever-victorious Maniaces died unexpectedly;2 [only then] was this danger removed from the empire's midst and peace reestablished. All the rebels fled, while some were subdued, and the emperor returned to Constantinople.s

d

83. At the beginning of th 1044] Monomachus,l also c:d:~rc~; of t~e Arm~nian era [1043Romans. In this year the R stantme, reIgned over the war, for the general Maniacesom~nsfi were forced to endure a severe ,w 0 ormerly had captured the city of

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84. In this period the wicked Sargis began to hatch his malicious plots. Suggesting the following to Monomachus, he said: "Summon Gagikl before you in Constantinople on the pretext of friendship and then through trickery take the city of Ani from him. When the emperor Monomachus heard this, he became very happy, and the seed of malice aimed at the destruction of the Armenian kingdom began to grow in his heart. He wrote a letter to Gagik, the Annenian king, including with it a very solemn oath; he was so outrageous that [with this letter] he sent to the Armenians the Christian Gospels and a relic of the holy cross of Christ, as a proof and a guarantee [of his sincerity]. In this manner he summoned the Armenian king on the pretext of friendship and of meeting with him. When Gagik heard this, he refused to agree to this duplicity, for he well knew the perfidiousness of the Romans. However, the perfidious Sargis and the other noblemen who had advised Monomachus came to Gagik and encouraged him to go, saying: "0 king, why are you afraid to go after such an oath, confirmed by the dispatch of the Gospels and the holy relic of Christ, has been given. Have no fear concerning us, for we will die for you." They made his lordship Peter guarantor [of their sincerity] and on that day took a very solemn oath. The holy sacrament of the body and blood of the Son of God was brought forth and a pen was dipped in the vivifying blood; then the patriarch and all the Annenian princes signed the written oath [with this pen]. Only then did the Armenian king Gagik. go to Constantinople to the emperor Monomachus. Very excited, the whole city came to meet the Armenian king with great pomp. He was taken II

MATTHEW OF EDESSA

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to the emperor as was fitting for a king, and Monomachus honored him for several days. Then the apostate and perfidious men, who before had taken the solemn oath with the blood of God as a guarantee, sent the forty keys of the city of Ani to the emperor Monomachus and with these a letter stating that the city of Ani and the entire East2 was his. The emperor summoned Gagik and, placing the keys of the city3 and the letter before him, said to the Armenian king that Ani and the entire East had been delivered into his hands. Gagik, recognizing the perfidious deed of these men, wept profoundly and said: "Christ will judge between me and those who were deceitful to me." Then King Gagik said to Monomachus: "I alone am lord and king of Armenia; therefore, I will not deliver Armenia into your hands, for you have deceitfully brought me to Constantinople." For thirty days Gagik persistently refused to yield, but when he could not find a way out, only then did he deliver Ani into the hands of the Romans. Monomachus in return gave the Armenian king KalanPeghat and PiZU;4 moreover, he did not allow Gagik to return to the city of Ani, but had his ancestral lands placed under the control of the Romans. Thus Gagik became an alien among the cruel and malicious nation of the Greeks. Nevertheless, wherever the Armenian king went, he caused the nation of the Greeks much distress through his various deeds which brought disgrace upon them; for, because he was a king, he was feared by the Romans. Yet Gagik always nurtured profound grief in his heart for [having lost] his ancestral throne, which the apostate and perfidious nation of heretics had treacherously seized. 5

Armenian forces very victoriously returned to the city of Ani. On the other hand, the Roman troops, humiliated, went back to their own country, while the paracoemonenus wintered in Aght'ik'.2 When the Armenian forces learned that King Gagik would no longer be coming to the East and recognized the perfidiousness of the Armenian lords, all of Armenia wept to the last man. All the inhabitants of the city of Ani assembled where the tombs of all the former Armenian kings were located and wept over the abandoned Armenian nation [now bereft of a ruler]. They wept for their royal throne and, deeply lamenting, wept for their king Gagik. Moreover, they wept for the Bagratid dynasty and invoked grievous curses against those who had betrayed Gagik. However, when the inhabitants of the city and all the Armenian forces realized that they were powerless, they submitted; then, writing to the Roman commander, the paracoemomenus, they took an oath to submit to him and summoned him to the city of Ani. So Ani was delivered into the hands of the Romans, and the power of the Bagratid dynasty, being dislodged [in this manner], collapsed.

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85. Now at the beginning of the year 493 of the Armenian era [1044-1045] the emperor Monomachus collected troops from the whole count~ of the Greeks and sent them as a formidable army to the East In order to take control of the city of Ani. He appointed the paracoemomenus, l who was a eunuch, as commander. At the head of many troops, this man came and reached the gates of Ani. The emper~r :was intent in establishing this eunuch as governor of Armema In place of the brave Gagik, whom he no longer allowed in the East.. However, the Armenians who were in Ani refused to give up the ~lty, but vehemently clamored for their king and blasphemously Insulted the Romans. Then all of Ani in toto rose up in battle close by the gates of the city. The Armenians turned the Roman forces in flight and pursued them, slaughtering them [as they went]; moreover, they completely annihilated the Roman camp. Then the

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86. In the year 494 of the Armenian era [1045-1046] the violent wrath of God fell upon all creatures. For the Lord God looked upon his creatures with anger, and a fearful and horrible earthquake took place. The whole universe trembled in toto according to the words of the prophet, who said: "Who looks at the earth and causes it to tremble?"1 At this time all of creation shook in this same manner. In the district of Ekegheats'2 many churches were shaken and collapsed to their very foundations. The town called Erznka8 was completely demolished. The earth was torn open, and men and women sank into deep abysses; and for many days the sounds of their screams issued forth from these places. It was summertime, and day after day during that period the earth4 shook. We are incapable of describing the wrath and turmoil which God brought upon all of us living creatures because of our sins. During this same summer there was darkness and gloom upon the earth to such an extent that the sun and moon took on the appearance of blood, although, when the vault of the sky appeared, it was clear. 5

87. In this same year during the days of autumn the Roman forces moved forth and went against the city of Dvin. As they engaged in combat, the wrath of God fell upon the Roman troops, and they were defeated by the infidels and turned back in flight. Much slaughter

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75

of Christians took place, and many of the Roman troops fell by the sword or were taken captive. Among those Christians who were killed in this great battle at the city of Dvin was the illustrious Armenian commander-in-chief Vahram, together with his son Gregory.

Dvin with a formidable army and innumerable troops and encamped before its gates. It was the winter season, and because of the severity of the cold and the whipping force of the copious rains, he was unable to do anything; so, withdrawing undefeated, he marched and went back to the country of the Romans.

88. In this same year a great calamity, having its origin in Persia, befell the Christians. There arose and came forth three men from the court of the sultan Tughrul1 -Poghi, Puki, Anazughli2 -and with many forces reached the country of the Muslims. s Taking countless prisoners, they came and encamped on the banks of the Arean River" in the territory of Mosul. Then the commander of Mosul, called Kuraysh, [who also happened to be] the lord of that city, collected troops and came against them with his Arab forces; a violent battle was fought on both sides. However, the Turks defeated the Arab forces and put them in flight, taking their women and children into captivity. At that point the Muslim emir Kuraysh hoisted a black standard and with a shrill cry entered into the ranks of the Arabs collecting a great number of troops and once again coming against th~ Turks. He defeated them in a severe battle and took back those of his people taken captive [by the enemy] and also their belongings. !he Turks. fled to ~aghin and caused much slaughter in many places; III t~e regIOn of T lkhum a heavy massacre of Christians took place. Takmg very numerous captives, the Turkish forces turned in the direction of Persia and soon reached the Armenian town of Archesh. A Roma~ commander, who was the catepan5 Stephen, resided there. The PerSIan emirs sent much booty to the Roman commander so that he ~ight allow them to pass through, for they were going back to theIr own country. However, he became arrogant and went forth in battle ag~inst the Turks. Then the Turks defeated the Roman troops, slaughten?g them severely and, taking the catepan Stephen prisoner, brought hIm to the town of Her. Mter many tortures Stephen died at the h~nd~ of ~he infidels. They then flayed the skin of his body and, fillmg It WIt? grass, hung it from the ramparts. When his people heard of thIS, they came and bought the body and skin for ten thousand dahekans. 6

90. When the year 496 of the Armenian era [1047-1048] began, once again the telarches came and descended upon the city of Dvin with many troops. He caused much suffering and anguish in that area and, despoiling all the Muslims with the sword and enslavement, peacefully returned to the country of the Greeks. 1

89. In the year 495 of the Armenian era [1046-1047] the Roman

~mperor Monomachus collected troops and appointed an illustrious

oman nobleman, who was called a telarches 1 and was a eunuch as commander of these forces. The telarches came against the cit~ of

91. In this same year of the Armenian era a certain patricius1 named Tornices,2 who was from the city of Adrianople,3 a brave and mighty man and also a warrior, rebelled against Monomachus. He collected troops from all the western regions and from the country of the Goths. With a formidable army he came against Constantinople and plunged the city into great anguish and distress. The emperor did not dare go forth in battle, and the inhabitants of the city became so exhausted by the rigors of the siege that they blocked up one of the gates of the city with stone materials. Tornices made such a frightful assault that he completely demolished the Church of the Holy Anargyri, which is situated outside this city; also he threw into the Mediterranean all the riches" of the great Church of the Holy Martyrs. The emperor Monomachus and the whole aristocracy of the city of Constantinople, being in dread and fear, could not find a way out of the situation, nor were they able to stand up to the bravery of Tornices. So the patriarch, all the aristocracy, and the emperor conceived of a perfidious plan to defeat Tornices. They signed a horrible and false oath, and deceitfully swore to Tornices that they would make him caesar and that after the death of Monomachus he would become emperor. They wrote in the following manner and sanctioned their perfidiousness by an oath, saying: "We have found in the books that after the death of Monomachus you will occupy the imperial throne." The patriarch, priests, and aristocracy we~t to Tornices and in his presence reiterated the oath. Then. an ~lhan~e was made and peace reestablished, and being reconcIled m thIS manner, they brought him to Constantinople. Howev:r, ~ter a .few days they denied their oath and disavowed God as theIr WItness, for it is customary for the Roman nation to do away with all t~e [dangerous] nobles of the empire through feigning an oath. After thIS

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they blinded the valiant man Tornices. 5 92. In the year 498 of the Armenian era [1049-1050], during the reign of the emperor Monomachus, who perfidiously and by a false oath took away the Armenian kingdom from the Bagratid dynasty, and in the pontificate of his lordship Peter, the Armenian catholicos, a calamity-a sign of the wrath of God-came forth from Persia at the behest of the sultan Tughrul. Two generals, who were called Ibrahim and Kutulmish, went forth from his court with many troops and at the head of a formidable army came against Armenia, because they knew that, being in the hands of the Romans, the entire country was abandoned and unprotected. For the Romans had detached and removed the brave and mighty men from the East and in their place had attempted to maintain eunuch generals, both in Armenia and the East, In this year the forces of the infidels reached the renowned and populous Armenian town called Artsn, and found the town unfortified and filled with a countless multitude of men and women and also an inn~merable quantity of gold and silver. When the townspeople saw the mfidel forces, they went forth in battle together and a violent and horrible combat was fought around the confines of the town, The two armies hacked away at each other for the greater part of the day,! and the fields became filled with blood, for there was neither a place to, flee nor aid [from anywhere]; thus the Armenians could only ?ntertam the hope of death, Because of the great number of the Infidels, the troops of the town became wearied and turned in flight The infidels in turn fell upon the town with the sword; then they put the whole town to the sword, causing severe slaughter, as many as one hundred and fIfty thousand persons. It is of no avail to say much about the gold, silver, and silken brocades [which the enemy plundered], for the quantity of these cannot be put in writing, However, we have often heard the following related by many in reference to the chorepiscopus 2 Dawt'uk:3 when Ibrahim seized his ~rea~ury, forty camels departed from his treasury house and eight Aun ;ed ~xen [yoked together] in sixes went forth from his household d,t .t atl'~lme there were [in Artsn] eight hundred churches wher~ IVl~e. l,urgy was celebrated, By such a harsh end and cruel atnnthlhllatIondthe magnificent and well-favored town of Artsn was put o e swor , How will I wh'l ' death of th 'bIle wdeep~ng, at the same time be able to relate the e no es an pnests, who remainin b' d b .I! for the beasts' or the 'II t' I d' g un une, ecame .lood , I U S nous a les, who with their sons were led

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into slavery to Persia [to remain there] in perpetual servitude! This was the beginning of the misfortune of the Armenians, Listen and pay attention to this account of the end and decay of the East-by slow degrees, year by year; for this Artsn was the first town which was captured from the Armenians and put to the sword and enslaved.4 When the emperor Monomachus heard this disastrous news, he sent troops to the East and appointed Cecaumenus5 Gregory, son of Vasak, and Liparit, brother of the brave man Rat, as commanders of his troops. They arrived in Armenia with many troops in order to do battle with the Persian forces, 93. In this same year the Greek emperor Monomachus wrote a letter to his lordship Peter, the Armenian patriarch, to come to him in Constantinople. His lordship Peter was willing to come on his own volition. However, he thought to himself and said: "Perhaps the Romans will never again allow me to go back to the East." So he named his lordship the most praiseworthy Khach'ik1 as his successor to the patriarchal see. In the same way he made provision for the miwron , the blessed oil used for consecration in the Armenian rite; he stored the miwron in the Akhurian River in iron urns weighing as much as four hu~dred litras,2 since perhaps otherwise it might fall into the hands of the Romans. This miwron remains stored in this manner up to the present time, All of this was done during the night, near the gates of the city of Ani. Then Peter departed, accompanied by the noblemen attached to his household-three hundred illustrious men equipped with arms, one hundred vardapets, bishops musicians monks, and priests-all riding splendid mules, and [fi~ally] two h~ndred domestics on foot. In the retinue of his lordship Peter were found the following [eminent personages]: the first and most distinguished of all, the vardapet Bulghar; the most praiseworthy Khach'atur, the chancellor; Thaddeus, who as a writer was a man without compare; George K'arneghets'i; John K'arne~ ghets'i; Matthew Haghbatats'i; Mkhit'ar Bnayrets'i;. Tiranun Kapanets'i, the philosopher; Mkhit'arik; Vardan Sanahet~'l; Bar~eg~ Bashkhatats'i' his very venerable and eminent lordshIp Eghlshe; Barsegh, his brother; George, surnamed ~ulahak'?zag; his ,!ordship Ep'rem; his lordship Anane; and finally hIS lordshIp Khach,Ik., Now all these men were doctors and philosophers and were erudIte III t~e Old and New Testaments of God. His most praiseworthy lordshIp Peter, accompanied by these men on his journey, arriv~d in Con~tan­ tinople. When they heard of his arrival, the whole CIty was stIrred

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up and came to meet his lordship Peter. Then, accompanied by very important personages, he was conducted to Saint Sophia with great pomp and there was met by the emperor and patriarch, 3 after which he was taken to a magnificent palace. The emperor ordered an amount of money be given to his lordship Peter [in order to provide for his expenses]; so on the first day he was given a kentenarion. 4 On the second day his lordship Peter went to the imperial palace to visit Monomachus. 'When the emperor heard of his coming, he went forth to meet him and ordered his lordship Peter seated on a golden throne of which, at the time of the patriarch's departure, his lordship Eghishe himself had taken possession. Indeed the servants of the emperor were trying to take it from him, but he refused to give it up. When Monomachus saw this, he asked why he refused to give it up. Then Eghishe answered and said: "0 emperor, this is a patriarchal throne and no one is worthy to sit upon it except his lordship Peter. II When the emperor heard this, he regarded these words which his lordship Eghishe had spoken reasonable; then the emperor said: "Leave to him this apostolic throne." Then after this Monomachus said to his lordship Eghishe: "This throne is worth one thousand dahekans, keep it for your lord [the catholicos] so that no one else may sit upon it." With such honorable treatment as this his lordship Peter remained in Constantinople among the Romans for four years; from day to day more and more praise and honor were accorded to him while he was in the midst of the Greeks. Whenever he went to the palace of the emperor, his crosier was carried before him' moreover, whe~ the emperor saw him, he would prostrate himself before the cathohcos and would command his nobles to go forth to present themsel~es to his lordship Peter. Mter four years Monomachus and the patrlarc~ gave ~any gifts, consisting of treasures of gold and b:ocade, .t? hIS lordshIp Peter. The emperor also gave insignias and ~lgh ~osltIons ~o the noblemen of Peter's household and elevated his sIster s, son, hi.s lordship Anane, to the rank of syncellus. 5 The Armeman patrIarch was given all sorts of precious garments and then was sent away in peace and with very great largess. However, he was n~t able to go to the city of Ani, but went and lived in the city of Sebastla, near the son of Senek'erim, in great splendor.

this, they withdrew, while the Roman troops encamped in Arjovit. Then the infidel forces came against the brave man Liparit. He had appointed his sister's son Ch'ortuanel, a mighty man and a warrior, to be commander of the night guard. The infidel troops began to battle in the night, and the sound of the combat reached Liparit, his men crying out: "Come to us, for the infidel forces have surrounded us." Then Liparit said: ''It is Saturday and it is not lawful for us Georgians to go forth in battle on this day." At that moment Ch'ortuanel, like a lion, was striking against the front line of the infidels in the night. While he led his men on, an arrow hit his mouth and went out through the back of his neck; so in this way Ch'ortuanel, a brave and mighty man, died. When Liparit heard of the death of Ch'ortuanel, becoming ferocious like a beast, he went forth in battle and drove all the infidels from the plain, changing it into a great bloody marsh. 5 When the Roman forces saw the bravery of Liparit, betraying him, they abandoned the Georgian in the midst of the infidels and fled, so that he would not gain the reputation of being valiant. When the infidel forces saw that, they turned back, united in battle against the Georgian troops, As the battle grew intense, Liparit shouted like a lion into the midst of the infidels, and at that moment one of the Georgian troops standing behind him struck and cut the two tendons of his horse with a sword. 8 When Liparit learned of this, he turned back very quickly and struck and killed him. Then, dismounting, Liparit sat on the banks of the river upon his shield and cried out, saying: "I am Liparit." Then the Turks slaughtered many of the Georgian troops and put the rest to flight. They took Liparit captive and brought him to Khurasan7 to the sultan fughrul, for he had previously heard his name and knew of all his brave deeds. He remained with the sultan for two years and performed many valiant deeds in various places. Now there was an Ethiopian, a mighty and courageous man, and both he and Liparit were brought before the sultan to fight a combat. Liparit defeated and killed the infidel Ethiopian. Then the sultan freed him and with many gifts sent him to the Romans. s So Liparit came to Constantinople. When the emperor Monomachus saw him, he was exceedingly happy and sent him home to his wife and children with splendid gifts. This same Liparit was the brother of ltat and Zoyat, a Georgian by nationality, and descended from a mighty family.9

94. 2Now, when the Greek forces came to the East Cecaumenus 1 Aaron: and Gregory,3 the son of Vasak, summoned t~ their side the Georgian .prince Liparit and they arrived at the fortress called Kaputru, In the district of Arjovit,4 When the Turkish forces heard

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95. In the year 499 of the Armenian era [1050·1051] the country of the Greeks was shaken by violent disorders and many provinces

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MATTHEW OF EDESSA

were devastated by the sword. Many horrible events and fearful things took place because of the rapacious and wickedly abominable nation of the Pechenegs, l those perverse and bloodthirsty beasts. For the nation of Serpents2 went forth and pushed against the Magyars,S and the Magyars in turn pushed against the U zes 4 and the Pechenegs; then the latter two were provoked against the empire of the Romans and brought much affiiction upon Constantinople. Even illustrious aristocrats were led into captivity. I am unable to relate the sorrowful calamities which the Roman Empire endured in that year, for the Pechenegs savagely and mercilessly enslaved the nation of the Greeks. The emperor, being afraid, did not go forth in battle, for the enemy forces were innumerable and countless. After remaining for a number of days, the Pechenegs went back to their own country, and finally peace was reestablished in the Roman empire. 96. When the year 500 of the Armenian era [1051-1052] ended, venomous slanders were brought before the emperor Monomachus. There were perfidious persons who spread slanderous rumors about the illustrious Armenian princes who resided in the area around Paghin, sa~ng that they were disobedient to the emperor's commands and were mtent on rebelling against him. So Monomachus sent to Pag~in a gener~l with troops, who unjustly poured his poisonous malIce uP.on the mnoc.ent. This general fiercely began to ravage the whole re?Ion and depnve all the princes of their privileges for he was an ab.ommable and malicious man and Satan's commande~; the name ?f thI~ man. was Peros. He was intent on taking prisoner the IlI~stnous pnnces: who were the sons of Abel: Harpik (a brave and ~lghty man), DaVid, Leon, and Constantine-all four being brothers' a so he was intent on doing the same to other princes. So the prince~ secretly co.nfe~red together and decided that each would remain ensconce~ III hIS fortress until the emperor could be informed of the devastatIOn of the region by this wicked Peros. Together they made ;n agreement that on that Saturday each would occupy and hold his ;.r:es~·l ~owever, one of the conferees named T'orosak, the lord of p g , dlsav?wed the agreement and informed the wicked Peros that all the pnnce~ had agreed among themselves not to heed his :~mm~n~ [to submIt]. The sons of Abel did not know of this and as ey a agreed fo~er~y, on Saturday they occupied the 'eat fortres.s called Arkm, whICh is near the district of T'lkhum' i~the meantIme all the other conferees heeded P eros's summons. ' When

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Peros heard what the sons of Abel had done, he collected many troops against the fortress of Arkni. However, when the general saw the ruggedness of this fortress, he was greatly amazed and was unable to assault it, for it was high and seemed impregnable to an enemy [attack]; thus it was inaccessible to him. Then Peros conceived of a malicious plan and said: IIIf anyone will bring the head of Harpik to me, he will receive a great amount of gold and silver and also power and high rank from the emperor." When Harpik's comrades and old friends, who were with him in the fortress, heard this, they conceived of a wicked idea similar to that of the fratricides Judas and Cain. Not far from the fortress and right opposite it was a spot, and Harpik had taken some men and gone forth to guard this place. For three days he dared not sleep at all, and then these perfidious men said to him: liMy lord, why don't you sleep, for 10, we this day are ready to die for your person." Believing them, he slept, for he was very fatigued; now, when he was in a deep sleep, one of his relatives came up and cut off the head of the mighty and valiant man Harpik, and in the same night his head was delivered to the catepan Peros. Nevertheless, the murderers gained nothing [from this betrayal] except imprecations. Then Peros ordered Harpik's head put on a pole and brought before the gates of the fortress. His brothers, seeing him at daybreak, recognized him and immediately opened the gates. Throwing ashes on their heads and weeping, the three brothers came forth and fell down before the severed head of Harpik. They lamented to such an extent that even all the troops in the camp bemoaned and wept. In this manner Peros took possessio~ of the impregnable fortress of Arkni and took the brothers of Harplk- the sons of Abel-to the emperor Monomachus in Constantinople. When the emperor and all the Greeks saw the brothers, they were amaz~d by their formidable appearance; for they were redoubtable ~n appearance and even at the shoulders surpassed the Gree~s III stature. Because of their magnificent demeanor, the emperor ~Id not punish them, but commanded that they be transfer;ed to a~ Island. Such was the fate of David, Leon, and Constantme, valIant and mighty men and illustrious Armenian princes.

Part II 1. Now up to this point, by laborious investigation, we have discovered and written down the materials of the past hundred years, arranged in chronological order; having examined these materials for a very long time, we have grasped their significance. We have used materials from very many observers and hearers who were born in times long past, from those who read the historians of these times and were eyewitnesses of all these happenings and afflictions which the Armenians endured because of their sins.1 Lo, many times I have thought about writing down the violent events of these past times, namely the horrible punishment which the Annenian nation endured at the hands of the long-haired and abominable Eghimnats'~',2 the nation of the Turks, and their brothers, the Romans. Because of all this, it became necessary for me to investigate this matter [of the destruction of the Armenian kingdom], always thinking about my plan in terms of a great work. So I collected documents 3 and, collating them, wrote down a narration of events up to the point we have reached here, events concerning the three nations, 4 the patriarchs, and various other nations and kings; all these events which I narrated before and which I have yet to narrate mark the beginning of the destruction which took place in the days of our fathers, who themselves witnessed these very same events many times with their own eyes. These events were my very special preoccupation, and for eight years I applied myself to incessant investigation, hoping to bring all this to light and record it so that its memory would not be lost to the inexorable harshness of time and thus be forgotten. It is because of all this that I, Matthew of Edessa, a monk, spared no efforts and left this work as a record for those who enjoy studying chronicles so that, when they begin to inquire into past events, they

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may be able more easily to learn about the times and the e These persons shall also learn about the tern'bl ' fi rt poc~s, ' th ' e miS 0 unes whIch d occurre In ose tImes and, once again bringi th th' mind, shall remember the divine wrath which w ng ,esde f mgs to . d e receIve rom God th 'ht e n~ , eous JU ge, as a penalty for our sins, Because of these m ' calamItIes-namely the destruction of the Ch ' t' d an! mands which our Lord God brought u on u ns lans an the. repns by mea~s of an mfidel nation-we did not wish that s h th P £ uc reats and warnmgs of God b orgotten by us. Now it is essential to heed th d ' . e God ceaselessly and at all time 0 ,e a mOlllbons of our inflicted with the same chastise~ent ~~: agaI~ we find o~rselves which we received for that which we' tl ~ur sms, a chastIsement of Edessa, the superior of a monast~~S y ese~e. Now I, Matthew history] to relate to you by dint of my r~~~:~ eIghty years more (of

ho!ib~~ !~:~e:;p~~;e~f:~ ~renian er,a [1053~1054] a fearful and city of Antioch Th' h y calamItous event took place in the . IS P en omen on which seemed . .. marvelous to those observing it' d" awe-mspInng and phenomenon became an awful . ,appeare mSIde the sun. The the Christian faithful to wh SI~a~dba cause of perturbation for all fested his fearful jud~ement om 0 y violen~ threats now maniTh following. In the city of Anti~ch t~ cause of thIS calamity was the gold and silver, and possessed e~:hwer~ many Syrians who had When their children went to th wea an all types of affluence. 1 boys seated on mules went fort~ c~~rch of their fait~, five hundred were very envious and harbored 'a d eca~se of all t~IS] the Romans one of the important persona es of eep ,atred ~gamst them. Now slaves, and this became the ~rete~h~ Syn~n ~abo~ posses~ed many the Roman patriarch 2 [Th t ' or bnngmg hIm to tnal before d' t h . rea emng him] with (f: ver IC , t e Romans converted h' t h' an un avorable] volition rebaptized him Thu ~~ . 0 t elr faith and by his Own forsaken his faith now s t IS Important personage, who had Also at that ti~e the Seca~e an enemy to the great Syrian nation d' . ynans were sub1ected t because they were beginnin to ,oJ 0 m~y rfficulties Romans concerning their f: 't~ get mto3 controversIes with the insolent that they were n ~I every d~y. The Romans became so patriarch went so far as °toeve~ con~clOus ~f their actions, for the burned, When they placed t~r ~r t e [Synac] Christian Gospels came forth from the Gosp I ~ ~spels of God in the fire a voice They put the Gospels in t~: ~~e t ey esca~ed the flames of the fire. a second tIme, and once again [the

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Gospels] escaped the flames of the fire. Indeed, becoming enraged, they insolently dropped the Holy Gospels into the fire for the third time, and once again [the Gospels] came out unharmed, When they repeated this act for the fourth time, then the Holy Gospels ignited in the midst of the fire; in this way the Holy Gospels of Christ, our God, were burned by the Romans in the city of Antioch, Now, when the Roman patriarch and all his people returned to the church from the spot where the burning had taken place, they were filled with great exultation, as if they had been victorious over a wicked enemy. When they entered the Church of Saint Peter, the whole place resounded with a crashing noise, and a violent tremor shook the entire city of Antioch. On another day fire fell upon the Church of Saint Peter from heaven, and like a lamp the entire church flared up from its foundations. The stone burned like a woodpile, and the rising flames reached up to the sky. The ground of the sanctuary was torn open, and the sacramental table sunk into the hole made there; the bright gem which the emperor Constantine 4 had placed in Saint Peter, along with two hundred thousand pieces of gold which had always remained upon the holy altar to serve as a light during the night, was swallowed up by the earth and never found again. Four other [Roman] churches were burned by this fire from heaven along with Saint Peter, but no church of the Armenians or Syrians was harmed. When this happened, the inhabitants of the whole city of Antioch were horror~struck and stood in fear and trembling. Then everyone began to pray, all the inhabitants of the city weeping and with heavy groans beseeching God. The Roman patriarch went forth, accompanied by priests, deacons, other clerics, and a great crowd of men and women, including old people and children; they processed through the city, dressed in ecclesiastical garb and carrying magnificent religious objects. When they reached the parade grounds of the Romans at the place where a small bridge was built over a mountain torrent, the whole ground suddenly reverberated, and there occurred an earthquake in the middle of the day at the sixth hour. At that moment the earth was torn apart and, opening wide, swallowed up the entire crowd of clergy and people into its depths, more than ten thousand persons, For fifteen days the sounds of their cries came forth from the depths of the abysses, Finally they suffocated, for the earth closed over them, and to this day they remain buried there. Thus, because of their many sins, the inhabitants of the city of Antioch suffered these calamities at the hands of God, the righteous judge.

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It is not even worth remembering the wicked deeds which the ecclesiastics and the Greek faithful of all ranks committed in the city of Antioch. The smoke of their wicked deeds rose higher than that of Sodom and Gomorrah,5 and thus their fate proved that they indeed deserved the punishment they received. For in Sodom and Gomorrah the fire came down in order to kill the evildoers, while in the sinful city of Antioch the same evildoers were exterminated and killed by fire and abysses opening up; yet the inhabitants of this city still persisted in their impious beliefs. Professing piety, they nevertheless performed the deeds of unfaithful and wicked men, for they took delight in impure acts which are odious to hear and very disgusting to relate. What shall I say of these evildoers when the Savior considered it a grave sin for us to even look at a woman? Moreover, what shall I say of the rampant sodomy, a sin for which the Lord himself made the city of Antioch pay the penalty?6 3. In the year 503 of the Armenian era [1054-1055] a venomous and deadly windstorm came upon Armenia, for the Persian sultan Tughrul\ descending from his throne, came with a formidable army as numerous as the sands of the sea. Moving forth with innumerable forces, he reached Armenia and, descending upon the town called Berkri, captured it by assault, devastating it with a frightful massacre. Rising up like a flaming black cloud, he came forth and advanced, carrying before him a deadly hailstorm. Surrounding the town called Archesh, he subjected it to a violent assault for eight days. Because ~fthe enormous number of troops, the inhabitants of the t?wu, weaned of the harsh siege and thereafter with loud supp~ICabons came in submission, bringing as a token of their ob~dience many gifts of gold and silver and also of horses and mules. WIth s?lemn entreaties they began the process of concluding peace and saId: "0 conquering sultan, go and take the town of Mantskert and then we and all Armenia will submit to you." ' When the sult~n Tughrul heard this, all these words pleased him a great deal. Gomg forth with an enormous number of troops he reached the town of Mantskert and was like a serpent filled ~ith eve:y wickedness [conceivable]. He encamped before the walls and encIrcled the town and, stopping at a place called K'arglukh 2 lodged there [temporarily]. At the break of dawn he ordered the battle ~:n~et sou~ded. 10, one could witness the frightful day and bitter f ~tlOn whIch came upon the Christians when he invested the town o antskert. For, when the sounds and noises of the combatants'

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trumpets gave forth, the sounds of the combatant troops caused the ramparts to shake through and through. What shall I now say concerning this town full of Christians who courageously fought as combatants, the whole population of the town fighting together, and who resisted the unceasing assaults [of the enemy]? The commander of the town was the Roman general Basil, the son of Abukab,3 a kind and pious man. He strengthened the entire town [by recruiting] courageous men and women, and in the name of the emperor promised all of them honors and high positions; thus day and night he never ceased encouraging and exhorting the whole town. Nevertheless, the infidel forces did not cease their assaults for many days and began to dig under the ramparts so that they might thus capture the town. When the troops of the town heard this, they dug in their direction and captured all the sappers and even the sultan's father-in-law, whose name was Osketsam;4 they then took them on the ramparts and killed them. When the sultan saw this, he was deeply offended and so sent to Baghesh and had brought to him the catapult which the emperor Basil had constructed for [the walls of] Her, a terrible and awe-inspiring machine weighing fifteen adil.5 When this frightful catapult was set up, all the inhabitants of the town trembled, and the first ones struck by it were three sentinels and a sentry of the advanced guard who was thrown into the town. Then a priest appeared in the town and hastily set up a catapult to oppose the one the infidels had and with the first rock struck the enemy machine and smashed its tie beams. Thus the town was given new strength and courage, for the inhabitants had been beset by fear. After a few days the infidels reinforced the catapult and made it inaccessible on all sides and began to hit the ramparts with very large rocks. All the inhabitants of the town were terrified and trembled in fear. Then Basil cried out to them and said: ItWhoever is able to go forth and burn down that catapult will receive much largess of gold and silver and many horses and mules from me and honors and a high rank from the emperor. If he is killed by the infidels and has a relative or son, all that will go to him.1t Then a Frank6 came forth and said: "I will go forth and burn down that catapult, and today my blood shall be shed for all the Christians for I have neither wife nor children to weep over me." He asked for ~ strong and fearless horse and put on his coat of mail and placed his helmet on his head. Taking a letter, he attached it to the end of his spear and, putting three bottles of naphtha in his bosom, went forth as if he were a courier. With the prayers of all the

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Christians and the assistance of God he went in the direction of the infidel forces. When the infidel troops saw the letter on the end of his spear, they took him for a courier and said nothing. It was midday and, since it was extremely hot, everyone was sleeping in their tent. Coming up to the catapult, the Frank stopped before it. The infidels thought that he was admiring the hugeness of the machine; however, at that moment he took hold of one of the bottles [of naphtha] and threw it against the catapult. Then, [quick] as an eagle, he circled around the catapult and threw another bottle against it. He came around once again and hit the machine with the third bottle. The catapult burst into flames, and the Frank fled. When all the troops in the infidel camp saw what he had done, they pursued him, but the Frank reached the town unharmed. The catapult was burned to the ground; all the Christian faithful were extremely happy, and the Frank was honored with largess by all the townspeople. When the emperor Monomachus heard of this he sent for him and elevated him to a high rank. Even the sulta~ marvelled greatly at what the Frank had done and asked to see this person who had accomplished such a courageous feat so that he might give him gifts; however, the Frank refused to g~. Then the sultan became very angry and once again ordered the digging to ?ommence, so that the walls might be torn down. The townspeople, In tu~n, took courage against him, paying no heed to his [war] m.achmes. ~aking hooks of iron, they pulled out the sappers and w~th .these kIlled them. When the sultan saw this, he stopped the [~Iggmg] and became very chagrined. Then the townspeople took a pIg and, placing it in the catapult, hurled it into the sultan's camp Then all th~ inhabitants ~f the town called out and said: "0 sultan~ take t~at pIg for your Wife, and we will give you Mantskert as a dowry. When the sultan heard this, he became filled with anger and had thos~ ~ho had brought him to Mantskert decapitated. Then, ve7 humIlIated, the sultan returned to the country of the Persians an. thus through the mercy of God the town of Mantskert wa~ delIvered out of the hands of the abominable nation of the Turks. 7 4. In the year 504 of .the Armenian era [1055-1056] the Roman

~::~:!~:~~c~~:

dled. H~ h~d oc~upied the throne of the the titl f EI .y yea~s. :£:lIS slster-m-Iaw Theodora, who had and wa: ~ai ector, reIgned m hIS place. She was the sister of Zoe2 her subject:t~~ c~a:i:' ~~~ v~ry virtluous. She co.mmanded that all enevo ently, espeCIally widows and 1

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captives. She ordered all those injured to be recompensed and their rights returned and commanded all those imprisoned to be freed. She freed from prison the Armenian princes who were the sons of Abel and the brothers of Harpik. She removed them from the island [on which they were imprisoned] and, honoring them highly, allowed them to go back to their ancestral country to the fortress of Arkni, admonishing them to never again work against the empire. In this same year the catepan Peros was replaced and Melissenus was appointed in his stead. He [the latter] was a benevolent and reputable man, merciful to widows and captives, one who brought prosperity to the land, and a person endowed with all kinds of noble qualities. Now Theodora occupied the imperial throne for two years and three months and then was taken up to Christ, after having sincerely confessed her sins. Mter this Michael the Elder3occupied the imperial throne for seven months. 5. In this period a certain Roman magnate, whose name was Comnenus, l appeared upon the scene. Going forth with a formidable army, he came against Constantinople; encamping on the Asian side of the Mediterranean Sea,2 he sought [to take over] the Roman empire by force. This all took place in the year 505 of the Armenian era [1056-1057]. At this time the emperor Michael gathered troops from all the lands of the West and, transporting the entire host across the Mediterranean to Chrysopolis,3 came against Comnenus. On that day a great and formidable battle was fought between the Christians, for each side inflicted a severe slaughter on the other, and the blood of many of the faithful was poured over the land. Then Comnenus, full of rage, roared like a lion and, advancing and shattering the forces of the Roman emperor, completely turned them in flight with the sword. All the Roman forces were mercilessly slaughtered by the sword and were trapped to the last man on the coast of the vast Mediterranean Sea. As locusts paralyzed by the wind, in the same manner the Roman troops became paralyzed by the severe combat. Some fell into the Mediterranean and died, while many others perished by the edge of the inexorable sword. On that day one hundred and fifty thousand warriors of the Roman army died. Comnenus took prisoner all the chief officers to the last man and so gained control of the whole empire. N ow, when the aristocrats who were in the palace sawall these disastrous events and the shedding of so much blood, they resolved to give the imperial throne to Comnenus, for he had brought great

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sorrow upon the Greek nation. Then the patriarch and all the aristocracy of Constantinople, going forth to meet Comnenus, swore allegiance to him and installed him on the throne of the Roman empire. Mter this peace was reestablished in the empire of the Greeks. However, in this same year there was much devastation and pillaging in the land, for the people loyal to Comnenus and those loyal to Michael ravaged one another's regions. In this way much devastation was caused until the imperial throne was firmly in the possession of Comnenus. At that time the new emperor issued an edict throughout the whole land and thus brought peace to the empire. Comnenus even went so far as to honor those who unwittingly had taken Michael's side :more than those who had fought on his side. 4 Now, before Comnenus's victory, the Roman magnates Pizshonit and Liparit had come to the aid of Michael. When they reached Gergetha, 5 hearing that Comnenus was triumphant, they fled in the night and said to one another: "We discovered our error in Gergetha." 6 However, after a few days they went to the emperor and he honored them highly. Comnenus ordered that money be minted in his name and that he be represented on the coin with a sword strapped to his shoulder, with the caption: "By the sword I gained control of the imperial throne." Comnenus was not liked because of these words and also because he committed various perfidious acts against the Christians. Mter some time the emperor collected a formidable army of troops and was intent on making war against the Pechenegs. Marching forth, he crossed over the great Danube River and advanced forward in order to ravage the whole West. At whatever place he reached, he roared like a savage beast, giving vent to his evil nature, and through whatever place he passed, caused much blood to be shed. There was great lamenting in the whole West and especially in the country of the Bulgars. Now it was the summer season and the divine-rebuking wrath [of God] fell upon the forces of Comnenus, a dreadful calaIIlity which words do not suffice to recount and which indeed his forces deserved. For a cloud arose from the West and came over the camp of Comnenus, and it was such a black cloud and one of horrible appearance that no one dared look at it. There were crackling sounds and thunder, and flashing lightening appeared. Then very large hailstones began to fall and, striking and smiting the camp, heavily showered upon all the troops. One after another the troops fled, not being able to find an escape. When the emperor saw this, he was filled with anger and against his will turned back like a fugitive;

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:tJJ.0reover, all his troops were completely scattered throughout the :tJJ.ountains and plains. At the Roman camp one could witness the }l.orrible calamity which these troops suffered because of the many 1::Jlows they had received. Countless people lost their way and disappeared, fathers from their sons, sons from their fathers, brothers from their brothers; even the emperor lost his way together with -three of his men, until he reached the Danube River and was found. ~en he reviewed his troops, the greater part of them had perished due to the wrath of heaven. It is of no avail to speak of the horses @.nd mules, gold and silver, and other baggage [which were lost], or even the battle equipment. 7 From then on Comnenus realized that all this divine-rebuking -wrath [of God] had fallen upon the Christians because of his iniquities, for by his sins he had angered God. So, comin~ to Constantinople, he prostrated himself before God and asked forgIveness for his sins, and the Lord heeded his supplications. From then on he sought to leave the imperial throne and with fasting and -vveeping take up the life of a penitent. 6. In the year 507 1 of the Armenian era [1058-1059] Comnenus :made Ducas2 emperor; for, because of those acts of which we spoke before, Comnenus realized that God was not pleased with his reign, since he had shed the innocent blood of the Christian faithful. Also one side of his body had become paralyzed, and when he saw that the divine-rebuking wrath [of God] had fallen upon him, he resolved to put on the monastic habit and enter a monastery. So he sent to t~e territories adjoining the Muslims, to Edessa, and had brought to him the dux3 of the city, whose name was Ducas, for he was of a very illustrious family. Taking his own crown, Comnenus placed it on the head of Ducas and prostrated himself before him; then he installed Ducas on the imperial throne and he himself went into solitude and became a monk. Ducas ruled the empire of the Greeks despotically, compelling all the disloyal4 to submit to him. So there was rejoicing a.mong all the Greeks because of Ducas's [elevation to the throne]. 7. In this same year his most praiseworthy lordship Peter, the Annenian catholicos, who was the spiritual head of the Armenian nation and a pillar of the holy church, died. After occupying the patriarchal see for forty-two years,t he joined his ancestors. His blessed lordship Khach'ik, who was the son of Peter's sister, was Consecrated as his successor to the patriarchal see. This man was

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filled with all kinds of pious virtue and had acquired a reputable name; moreover, he was endowed with apostolic and prophetic graces. His lordship Peter was buried in the city of Sebastia, in the Monastery of the Holy Cross, with a great crowd in attendance. 8. In this same year of the Armenian era the nation of the infidels once again attacked the Christian faithful. Lo, a certain great and mighty emir named Dinar arose and came forth from Persia and, accompanied by many troops, unexpectedly came with violent force, perfidiously concealing his evil [intent]. He passed unharmed through many places and, marching forth, went and reached the famous and renowned city called Melitene; for this city had been pointed out to the Persians for a long time as having measureless wealth of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, and brocades. Moreover, the city was unfortified. On the march he captured Hasawand totally massacred [its inhabitants] with the sword. Then he went and passed on to Melitene. The commander of the infidel forces was the son of Liparit,2 who had made an alliance with the Persians. It was the winter season at the beginning of Lent when the emir besieged the city of Melitene, all because of its celebrated reputation b~ which the fame of its splendor had spread throughout all Persia. LIke a black cloud he completely surrounded the city on all sides. When the townspeople saw this calamitous situation, men and women, the aged and children, together turned in flight, but there was no place to flee. At this moment the concern for friends and the hope of life became absent from the minds of all- because of the calamitous situation, fathers forgot their sons, and s;ns, their fathers; mothers wept over their daughters, and daughters over their mothers; brothers over their brothers, loved ones over their loved ones. Then, fleeing over the spacious fields surrounding the city the townspeople fell into the midst of the enemy. When the infidels'saw them, they stopped for a moment and marvelled at the immense population of the city, for they were a countless number like the sands of the sea. The infidels did not dare attack the city until the townspeople had left. Finally they assaulted the city with their weapons bare~, and soon all their swords were totally applied to the ;l~rk of.sheddmg blood; thus after a short while the whole city was 1 ed With blood. Melitene rippled with blood from one end to the other, and there was no one left to pity the aged or the children. In that place one could see the bodies of illustrious and distinguished

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people who had fallen and were wallowing in [pools of] blood; children were cut up into pieces while on the laps of their mothers; and blood and milk, mingling one with the other, coalesced. Who is able to put down in writing the divine-rebuking wrath [of God] which the city of Melitene endured on that day, for instead of sweet dew all the plants of the green field were covered with blood? Mter so much shedding of blood and taking of captives, the emir had marched before him distinguished and beautiful ladies and boys and pretty girls-all who were to be led into captivity; also a countless treasure of gold and silver [was carried before him]. Rising up, he marched forth rejoicing and began the journey back to Persia and, crossing over the Euphrates River, wintered in Handzit'. At this time the Roman forces pursued the Turks but, when they reached them, did not dare give battle, but peacefully returned to Roman territory,3 9. When the autumn season arrived, the infidel forces entered the region of Taron and occupied the foot of the Taurus Mountains near Sasun. When the mighty and brave Armenian prince T'ornik,l the son of Mushegh, heard this, he collected troops from the whole district of Sasun and went against the infidel forces. The infidel troops sounded the battle trumpet and in a body went forth in battle. It turned out to be an awe-inspiring and fearful day, for the two sides clashed with one another like a pack of lions. Then brave T'ornik roared and, calling out to his right flank, overtook the left flank of the infidels and victoriously shattered it. Turning his eyes to the Monastery of the Holy Precursor, he vehemently cried out and said: "0 Monastery of Glak, 0 Holy Precursor, aid me and make this day an illustrious one for the faithful." Stirring up one another as a body, the Annenians attacked the infidels and, capturing men and all types of booty, led them all into captivity. The remnants of the infidels, having experienced a narrow escape, humiliated, returned to Persia. Brave T'ornik, in turn, with great rejoicing returned to Sasun, thanking God for delivering the numerous inhabitants of the city of Melitene from servitude to the wicked nation of the Persians.2 10. In this same year and in the same winter there appeared a fearful and astonishing omen, a horrible sign of the great wrath [of God] against the Christians; for this turned out to be a prediction for the destruction of the Christian faithful. Just as a putrid smell betrays a rotting corpse,lin the same way, before the destruction [of the Christians], there appeared evil omens upon the earth, as for

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example a south wind. On a certain day, when dawn was breaking and everyone was going forth from his home, people noticed in the clear atmosphere that red snow had fallen on the ground and it covered the four corners of the country, the east, the west, the north, and the south. The snow began to fall on a Monday and without interruption came down for sixty days; it fell during the night, and during the day thickly covered the face of the countryside, but the red snow fell for only one day. In that year very many quadrupeds-animals, beasts, and birds-perished. Because of the severity of the heavenly wrath, they were unable to find food for themselves and, being altogether prevented from [roaming in] fecund areas, were forced to take refuge with their enemies. Thus everyone ruthlessly and mercilessly slaughtered them; for there were various bands of animals and various groups of birds in the streets and they entered into homes. At this time one witnessed the terrible destruction of animals and birds all because of the sins of men. On the other hand, those who were compassionate fed them in their homes throughout the winter months and then peacefully let them go; each of these individuals was impelled by compassion for [the sorrowful lot of] these animals. The great emir NaFlir-ad-Daulah, who resided in the to~n of Maiyafariqin, commanded that forty k'or 2 of wheat, barley, mIllet, and all sorts of grain be scattered over the plains and mountains for the birds, as well as a great amount of hay and straw for the animals; in this manner many animals and birds were able to survive because of this abundance [of food].

enslaved by three of these i,mpious beasts who had come forth from the court of the sultan Tughrul; they were three emirs, Samuk, 'AmrKafllr, and Kijaziz-evil men and more bloodthirsty than ferocious beasts. With troops dressed in black and standards symbolizing death, they reached the populous and renowned city of Sebastia. They bellowed and fulminated, intending to vent their violent anger upon the Christian faithful. Moreover, they had made up their minds to capture Atom and Abusahl, the sons of the Armenian king Senek'erim. When the latter heard about the coming of the infidel forces, they fled to Gabadonia, l and many other princes went with them. On the day of the barekendan2 of Vardavar3 the numerous infidel forces encircled Sebastia, and thus the entire city was completely besieged on all sides. Wielding the sword, all the enemy troops entered the city, and countless persons were cut down and received severe wounds; moreover, streaming blood covered the ground, a sight which appeared frightful to onlookers. The bodies of illustrious personages were heaped up on the ground like piles of forest wood, and the surface of the ground was covered with blood because of the great number of corpses. The city of Sebastia was unfortified, but the infidels at first did not dare enter it, for they saw a great number of domed churches painted white and thought that they were the tents of the enemy troops. However, when they learned [that they were mistaken], they then became the agents of God's wrath against the Christians and mercilessly and ruthlessly slaughtered large numbers of the city's population. Together with countless booty and men and women captives, they led boys and girls into slavery and seized and carried off from Sebastia treasures of gold and silver without measure, precious stones and pearls, and also brocades; for this city was the residence of the Armenian kings. Thus that day was a calamitous and disastrous one for the inhabitants of Sebastia, because in a short period the city and the plain [on which it was situated] became filled with blood. The river which passed through the city, instead of being clear, had turned a reddish hue. Many persons perished by fire. Many great and illustrious persons had fallen, mortally wounded, and were covered with blood and lying in the midst of pure and venerable corpses; moreover, because of the whiteness of their bodies, they glistened like the stars. What shall I say about the priests and deacons and about the six hundred churches which were in the city, for all were destroyed by the sword? Many maidens, brides, and distinguished ladies were led into captivity to Persia, and within a

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11. In this same year a severe famine took place throughout the whole land and many perished by a cruel and violent death because of this famine; for, because of the abundance of snow, rain did not fall on the land, and .thus there was no harvest and many productive areas became stenle. On the other hand, at the beginning of the next year there was plenteousness and abundance of all types of foodstuffs, so much that one mod yielded one hundred mod. 1 12. At the beginning of the year 508 of the Armenian era [10591~60] a horrible disaster and fatal calamity befell the Christian fa~thful, so mU:h so that we are unable to relate that terribly bitter mIsfortune whICh took place in this year. For all the Persians became stirred up and, rising up, went forth with a very large army like th~ san~s of the sea. They marched forth and came against th~ Armeman faithful. Many districts were devastated by the sword and

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short time Sebastia became like a burned-out hut. The infidel forces stayed in Sebastia for eight days, and then, marching forth, went back to Persia with countless and innumerable captives. 13. Who is able to recount in detail the calamitous misfortunes and repentant laments of the Armenians, events which they endured at the hands of the wicked, bloodthirsty, and savage Turkish forces, all because of their abandonment by their false guardians, the effeminate and despicable Greek nation? For the Greeks, gradually disbanding our brave soldiers, removed them from Armenia, taking them away from their towns and districts. Removing the throne of the Armenian kingdom, they in effect destroyed it and thus demolished the protective wall which was provided by its troops and generals. The Romans thus turned the boasting of their bravery into that of irrevocable flight; in this way they were like the shameful shepherd who, when he saw the wolf, fled. Also the Romans endeavored to destroy the traditional fortified defenses of Armenia by tearing them down and thus brought on the assault of the Persians with the sword, regarding all of this as a victory for themselves. Moreover, they shamelessly tried to guard Armenia with eunuch generals and troops at a time when the Persians came upon an abandoned East. In that period the infidels were strengthened to such a great extent that in one year's time they reached up to the walls of Constantinople. They seized the whole Roman empire, its coastal towns and its islands, and caused the Greeks to be bottled up in Constantinople like prisoners. When the Persians seized Armenia from the Greeks, all malicious acts against the Armenians by the Romans ceased. How~ver, ,after this the Romans contrived to war against the Armemans In another way; they began to criticize their religious be!iefs .. Thus, ~corning warfare, battles, and combats, they sought to brlllg dIsorder Into the church of God. They willfully eschewed war w~th the Persians, while they endeavored to destroy and rout out the faIth of the t:ue believers in Christ; for, whenever they discovered a brave and mIghty man, they blinded him or threw him into the sea and drowned him. Their only care and desire was to remove all the Armenian princes and brave commanders from the East and, carrying them off, to force ~hem to settle among the Greeks. They transformed brave oung ,men Into eunuchs, and instead of the tightly forged coats of m~ll, whlCh are worn by brave men, they gave them loosely hangIng garments, which were wide and long; instead of steel

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helmets they put battle headgear on them not made of metal, and instead of an ironclad covering for the shoulders [and neck] they gave them a wide neckerchief. These eunuchs spoke meekly and softly just like women and ceaselessly pondered over the loss of brave young men. Thus, because of them, all the faithful were subjected to servitude in Persia. 14. During this period the emperor Ducas conceived of the malicious idea of removing the patriarchal see of Saint Gregory from the Armenians and destroying it. So, as we said before, he began to attack and criticize various aspects of the Armenian faith. Especially when his lordship Peter died, the Romans attacked the holy see, intending to abolish it and to compel the Armenians to adhere to the impious faith as set forth at Chalcedon. 1 At this time the Romans, seeking the immense treasure of gold and silver belonging to his lordship Peter, the Armenian catholicos, subjected many people to torture in Sebastia; they brought to Constantinople the person consecrated to the patriarchal see, his lordship Khach'ik, together with his bishops and also his most praiseworthy lordship Eghishe, keeping them there in exile for three yea;rs. T~us in t~is period many misfortunes fell upon the Armeman faIth. Fmally the Armenian kings and princes, Gagik of Ani, Atom and Abusahl-sons of Senek'erim worked hard and were barely able to get them freed. Mter all thes~ events the patriarchal see was transferred to T'awblur,2 and his lordship Khach'ik resided there three years, occupying the patriarchal see for six years altogether.3 15. In the course of the year 511 of our era [1062-1063] an evil scourge of an odious and bitter mien spread and extended over the Christian faithful. For, during the autumn season in the month of Areg 1 a calamity came forth from the Persian court. Three great and illustrious men, Slar-Khorasan,2 Chmchm, and lsulv,s came forth from the court of the sultan Tughrul. Shedding much blood, they came against the Christian peoples. Reaching the territory of Paghin with many troops, full of rage they shed the blood of many faithful with the sword and enslaved the whole area. Going forth from there, they came like deadly serpents and reached the territory of T'lkhum and Arkni and found the entire region unprepared [for war]. When they saw the whole land and region unfortified, they were exceedingly glad. So, like bloodthirsty wolves or crazed dogs, with an inexora~le sword they attacked the entire region, intending to slaughter Its

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inhabitants to the last person. The whole land was prosperous and filled with men and animals, and the entire region was heavily populated. On Saturday the fourth of Areg, at the eighth hour, the vast plain was filled with blood, captives, and merciless slaughter-something we are not able to relate. There were many and innumerable people who were burned [to death]. There was no one in the entire region who was able to escape the edge of the sword, and on that day many were martyred. Mter having related this extensive enslavement and countless slaughter, I shall make mention of the true priest of God, Christopher, and of his sons T'oros and Stephen, who were martyred together with all the people; for when this priest saw the immense ~umber of the infidel forces, he gathered together the whole village m the church-men and women with their children-and then began to celebrate the divine liturgy of Christ and gave' communion to all the people. The infidel troops surrounded the church and the faithful, who had communed, came out of the church one' by one to th,e bloodthirsty beasts; they, in turn, butchered the Christian ~althful. When Christopher and his sons were the only ones remainm~, th~y went down on their knees before God and, giving thanks to HIm, kIssed one another farewell; then they went forth and received a .martyr's dea~h, having sincerely confessed their sins in harmony 4 WIth Jesus Christ. When the emir who resided in the town of Amida the son of Na~ir-ad-Daulah, learned of this horrible and calamitou~ event, he wrote to Slar-Khorasan and made an alliance with him' he commanded all the captives of the region in which he lived to be s~ld for he was be~evolent and merciful towards the Christian people: Moreover, he Issued an edict throughout the whole land which commanded p~ople to buy captives, and it was carried out. However, when the captIves were brought to Amida to be sold, many perished :~amartyrs at th~ gates. of the town [in spite of the emir's edict]. At t moment a hght WIth a fiery appearance was seen descending upon them from heaven.

God our creator had turned away His benevolent face from us, All this happened because of our sins and evil ways, and thus God delivered us up to the wicked and very savage nation of the Turks, according to the words of the prophet who said: 110 God, you rejected us, ruined us, were angry at us, and [did not] have pity on us; you did not go forth with our forces, you made us turn back from our enemies, and thus our enemies plundered us; you delivered us like sheep to the slaughter and scattered us among the heathen. III Mter such calamitous events as these had taken place, the infidels brought an immense number of captives to Persia, carrying them off in groups like flocks of birds. When the infidels [in Persia] saw them, they were amazed and questioned them, saying: IIWhy did you become enslaved, [allowing yourselves] to be in such an unprepared state, and why were you unable to have foresight, either by ear or through a sign, so that you might have fled from US?II The captives answered: "We were unable to realize anything." Then the infidel women said: "Lo, this was the sign of your destruction; when in the evening your cock crowed and your cattle and sheep squatted to defecate, this was the sign for the [impending] calamity.1I The captives answered: IIAlI that had happened to us many times in our country, but we were never able to realize that it was a sign for us of the [impending] calamity. II

:'0

beie~i table ~o rela~e the happenings and ruinous events which moreover the ~:;sanrth or everything 'Y as covered with blood; and h'Il ' B 0 e enemy horses wore down the mountains and a~l s~f eca~se of the great number of corpses, the land stank whole natio~e~;I~e:S~: ~lled W~h i~numerable captives; thus thi~ of Christian faith ,ecatme run. with blood. All human beings were m ears and III sorrowful afll'IC t'lOn, b ecause

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17. Mter all these calamitous events we have spoken about, the terrible news reached the emperor Ducas, Collecting troops, he appointed the illustrious magnate called Francopoulosl as general and sent him with many troops to the territory of T'lkhum. These forces came and reached T'lkhum with great strength. The dux of Edessa, whose name was Dawatanos and who was a valiant and mighty man in battle and renowned throughout the land, also gathered together forces. Collecting troops from Edessa, Gargar, and ~fi~n-Man~l1r, he moved forth against the Muslims with these forces [and intended] to avenge the blood of the Christians which had been shed. Going forth with many troops, he encamped on the plain of T'lkhum. When all his troops saw the tremendous amount of slaughter which had taken place here, they wept profusely, When the forces of t~e Turks learned of the coming of the Roman troops, they fled to PerSIa. Then Dawatanos roared like a lion at the Muslims and assaulted the town of Amida, especially since at that time the townspeople had p~i~oned and killed the great emir $ai'd-ad-Daulah, the son of NaJ:!Ir-adDaulah.

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When the townspeople heard of the coming of the Roman forces, they secretly sent ten thousand dahekans to Francopoulos. So Francopoulos secretly made a pact of friendship with the Muslims. Dawatanos, hearing of this, heaped abuses upon Francopoulos. When the Romans reached the gates of the town of Amida, at the place called "Gate of the Romans, II the infidel forces engaged in combat. On the other hand, Francopoulos treacherously turned the battle over to Dawatanos, while he himself together with his troops remained in the rear, separated from the conflict; moreover, he had sixty thousand cavalry troops .with him. When the combat began, a certain brave man from the mfidel forces, whose name was Hechn-Pshara 2 did a very destructive thing to the Roman troops; quick as an e~gle he broke through Dawatanos's front line and wreaked havoc within the Roman ranks. When Dawatanos saw this he cried out for his horse . "G' 3 ' , saYIng: lve me my Kamam." When Pshara rose up and came forth, ~awatanos fell upon him like a lion. Directing his spear at Pshara s heart, Dawatanos tore through his armor, the lance coming out from the other side of his body; then both men fell from their horses. The two ?rmies were clashing together, and in the process Dawatanos was kIlled on the same spot, while Pshara lay dead with the spear in his body. When the townspeople learned that Dawatanos had died, they rose up in a body and made a sortie. Then one of Dawatanos's troops, whose name was Tavar, went to Francopoulos and accused him of being the cause of the dux's death. When Francopoulos heard this, he attacked the infidels and severely slaughtered them at the gates of the town, as many as fifteen thousand men; then he returned to the country of the Romans.' 18. In this same year a certain Hehnuk with five thousand men went against the Kurds in the region of Amida, near a place called Chepu-Shahar. Seizing a considerable amount of booty consisting of sheep, cattle, horses, slaves, and many other things, he came to the fortress called Sewerak CSewawerak). A man who was the chief of the Kurds and whose name was Khalid, together with his three sons, p~rsued and overtook Hehnuk. When Hehnuk and his forces saw thIS, they turned back in flight. At that moment the divine-rebuking wrath of God fell upon them, for the forces of Amida arrived and caused much slaughter, freeing all the men and captives [Hehnuk and his troops had taken]. 19. In this same year Francopoulos went to the city of Erzurum

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and there came upon the Turkish forces which had pillaged the territory of T'lkhum, and both sides engaged in combat with one another. Francopoulos defeated them and slaughtered all the Turkish forces killing their emir who was called Yusuf; moreover, he seized countle;s booty and delivered innumerable captives out of their hands. When the emperor Ducas heard of the death of Dawatanos, which was treacherously caused by Francopoulos, he summoned him to Constantinople and drowned him in the sea by tying a rock to his neck and throwing him into the Mediterranean. 20. In the year 513 of the Armenian era [1064-1065] the Persian ruler Alp Arslan, l brother of the sultan Tughrul, who after the death of his brother occupied the throne of the state, collected troops from the Persians, the Turks, and from all of Khuzistan2 right up to Sijistan. 3 Going forth full of rage and with a formidable army, he surged ahead with venomous onslaughts and moved forth like a river swelling up with tempestuous rage and like a beast crazed by its bloodthirsty nature. He went forth and reached Armenia; and then with a very large amount of troops entered the country of the Albanians, subjecting them to the sword and enslavemen~. He caused countless deaths of Christians, so much so that no one 1S able to relate the calamitous events of this disaster to the Christian faithful; for they bitterly tasted death at the hands of the crazed and pernicious nation of the Turks. Because of the tremendous number of Turkish troops, all the plains were covered with their forces, and thus all ways of escape were closed off. Lo, in this place the words of the Savior were fulfilled, who said: "Woe to those who are pregnant and who give suck in those days"'; for many priests, monks, chief elders and illustrious princes tasted violent death and became food for the'beasts and birds. After such a great calamity the sultan sent to the king of the Albanians Kvirike5 and demanded his daughter in marriage; out of fear the king gave her to the ~ult~n. ~hen the sultan made a perpetual pact of peace and friendshIp WIth him, after which he sent the king of the Albanians Kvirike, the son of David Anhoghin back to his town of Lop with great honor and many gifts.6 Going forth from that place, the sultan entered Georgia with his formidable anuy and, full of ferocious rage, subjected its inhabitants to the sword and enslavement. Descending from there, he encamped in the district called Jawakhk,7 and vehemently besieged the town of Akhalk'alak. By a violent assault he captured Akhalk'alak and mercilessly slaughtered all the inhabitants with the sword down to

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the last man and woman, butchering all the priests, monks, and nobles. The whole town was filled with blood, and the Turks led innumerable young boys and girls into captivity to Persia; moreover, they took [with them] treasures of gold, silver, precious stones, and pearls, amounting to an incalculable sum. 21. In this same year the sultan very victoriously went forth and, [having the reputation of] being the venomous serpent of the Persians, came and entered Armenia; he became the instrument of the divine"rebuking wrath of God upon this eastern people and forced the entire Armenian nation to imbibe his bitter rancor. He spread the flaming fire of death to all the Christian faithful and filled all Armenia with blood, the sword, and enslavement. Going forth, the sultan came like a threatening black cloud and, descending upon the royal city of Ani, surrounded it completely on all sides like a vicious serpent. 22. When the population of the city saw this, they trembled in fear

and prepared to battle against the Persians with [as] much strength [as they could muster]. The infidel forces on their part, full of rage, made a savage assault and pushed the RomanI forces back into the city, forcing them to regroup within its walls; thus by their fonnidable assault the Persians put the city in great danger. At that moment, from dread of these vicious beasts, all the Christian faithful trembled and shook, and fathers began to weep over their sons and sons, over their fathers; mothers wept over their daughters and daughters, over their mothers; and brothers wept over their brothers' ~nd lovers, over their lovers. Thus the whole population of Ani wa~ III great danger, and the assault grew even more intense so much so tha~ th: whole city quaked. Because of these prolonged ~ssaults, the entIre ~lty began to pray and fast, and with tears and groans together the~ cned out to God to deliver them from these ferocious beasts For Am was a very populated city, filled with tens of thousands of 'men women, aged, a~d children; this city evoked the admiration of thos~ ~ho gazed upon It; even the innumerable [infidel] forces thought that 't e grlelater part of the population of Armenia was contained within 1 s wa s.

w;~:~~ ~eri~.~ there were in Ani one thousand and one churches rocks l~~ 1 urgy was celebrated. The city was built on steep C ' .w R ' rosbe up on all sides, and was surrounded by the Akh urIan lver ut ab ut b h ' a a ows at away there was an accessible

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place on one side which the infidels had demolished with a catapult. After besieging the city for many days, the infidels still were unable to enter it and soon became discouraged and lifted the siege. On the other hand, the wicked Roman governors, whom the emperor had appointed as guardians of Armenia-Bagrat, father of 5mbat, and Gregory, son of Bakuran, a Georgian-began to intrench themselves deep inside the upper citadel. On that same day the sultan and all the Persian forces, including his whole army, were about to pull back in full force, intending to return to Persia. When the townspeople saw the entrenchment of these apostate guardians of Armenia [in the citadel], they broke rank and each man in his own right fled for no reason at all, the whole city being obscured by a cloud of dust [rising from the feet of those fleeing]. The important personages of the city, in tears, went and fell on their knees before the graves of the former Armenian kings, deeply lamenting with tearful eyes and saying: IIRise up and see [the condition ofi your ancestral land. When the infidel forces sawall this confusion [among the Christian faithfulJ, they went and related it to the sultan, but he would not believe them. Nevertheless, when the infidel troops saw the ramparts undefended, they entered the city in toto and, taking a child from its mother, brought it back to the sultan and said: "Let this be as evidence for you from the city that we have captured Ani." When the sultan heard this, he was greatly amazed and said: "Their God has delivered the impregnable city of Ani into our hands this day.1I Then he turned around with his army and entered the city of Ani. All the infidel troops had very sharp knives, one in each hand and the third between the teeth. Armed in this manner, they began to mercilessly slaughter the inhabitants of the entire city, cutting down great numbers of them like green grass and piling up their bodies, one on top of the other, like heaps of stone. In a short time the whole city was filled with blood. All the important Armenian princes and noblemen were brought before the sultan in chains. Beautiful and respectable ladies of high birth were led into captivity to Persia. Innumerable and countless boys with bright faces and pretty girls were carried off together with their mothers. Many saintly priests were burned to death, while others were flayed alive from head to toe, enduring painful wounds, all of which was horrible to those witnessing it. One of the nefarious infidels climbed to the top of the holy cathedral and pulled down the very heavy cross which was on the dome, throwing it to the ground. Then, entering through the door II

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which gave access to the dome of the cathedral, he hurled down the crystal lamp onto the floor of the cathedral, causing it to be extinguished; 5mbat the Conqueror had this lamp brought from India along with an indeterminate quantity of precious objects, and it weighed twelve litras and was also able to bear a weight of twelve litras. When the cross was pulled down from the dome, at that moment violent thundering and heavy rains took place, and all the torrents of blood caused by the slaughter were washed into the Akhurian River, thus cleansing the entire city of blood. When the sultan learned that the crystal lamp, which was without equal in the whole world, had been shattered in pieces, he became very distressed. The silver cross, which the infidels had pulled down and which was the size of a man, was taken and placed on the threshold of the entrance to the mosque in the city of Nakhichevan; this cross is still located there today.3 23. In this period Gagik, l the son of the shahnshah 5mbat,2 reigned in Kars; an envoy was sent to him by the sultan, requesting him to come and do obeisance. Now Gagik was an intelligent and sagacious man, and so he thought of a way to quietly rid himself of the sultan. He dressed up in a black garment of mourning and sat on a cushion of the same color. When the sultan's envoy saw him, questioning him and desiring to know the reason [for this behaviorJ he said: "Why are you dressed in black, for after all you are a king?'~ Gagik answered: "Since the day that my friend the sultan Tughrul, the brother of Alp Arslan, died, I have been wearing this black garment." Amazed, the envoy went and related it to the sultan, and the sultan, enthralled by this, went forth with his whole army and came to Gagik in Kars; there he offered Gagik his friendship and showed that he was pleased [to see him]' moreover he had the Armenian king dressed in royal clothes. 'Gagik, in 'turn, gave a banquet for the sultan. We have heard it said that the Armenian king spent one thousand dahekans on one roasted lamb and also that he gave a table worth one hundred thousand dahekans to the sultan be~ides placing all his troops at the disposal of that ruler. Thus i~ thIS manner Gagik quietly rid himself of Alp Arslan. Sometime after this Gagik abandoned Kars and went over to the Romans. The emperor Ducas gave DzamndaWl to Gagik, and the Armenian king settled there, together with his noblemen, thus abandoning his ancestral home. In this manner the Armenian nation was enslaved, and the whole

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country was completely filled with blood, which like a sea undulated from one end to the other. Our ancestral home was destroyed and despoiled. The foundations of the Armenian homeland were uprooted and shaken. No hope of deliverance remained, and we became subjected to servitude under infidel peoples and alien savages. Lo, the words of the prophet David were fulfilled against us: "You have sold your people for a trifle and our cries have not ceased. You have made us an object of scorn among the heathen and of derisive contempt among those who are about us. Because of all these things, we cry out and say: Turn to us, 0 God our Savior, and turn your anger away from us. "4 Such was the destruction of the Armenian nation. 24. In the year 514 of the Armenian era [1065-1066], during the reign of the Roman emperor Ducas, a great war broke out in the West caused by the nation of the Uzes. The emperor Ducas collected troops from all the Greeks and from the forces of Armenia. He appointed the illustrious Roman magnate Basil, the son of Abukab, as commander of these forces. Basil, advancing with many troops, came and descended upon the great river called the Danube. Here on the banks of the river a violent battle took place between the Romans and the Uzes, and there was heavy slaughter on both sides. Here one was able to witness a very violent conflict, where both sides hacked away at each other for the greater part of the day and struck out at one another like flocks of sheep. As the battle grew intense, the Roman troops were defeated and fled, while the forces of the Uzes pursued with the sword, slaughtering them in great numbers; the enemy captured Basil, the Roman general, and led him into captivity to their country. Moreover, these Uzes seized the entire Roman camp in toto, including a great amount of gold and silver and many other types ofbootYi they also led all the chief Greek officers into captivity. For many years Basil remained captive in the country of the Uzes and was unable to be ransomed, for they wanted too much money [for his releaseJ. Mter a while one of the infidel troops contemplated freeing Basil, and the general, in turn, promised to give him many things, including a position of high rank from the emperor. A few days later this man, with the help of some of his friends, snatched Basil and immediately brought him to the emperor Ducas. Thus there was much rejoicing among all the Greeks, and the emperor gave many gifts to those who had brought Basil. Mter this Basil came to his father Abukab in Edessa, and his father and all his

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people were filled with joy. 25. In this same year his most praiseworthy lord Khach'ik, the Armenian catholicos, died. He had occupied the patriarchal see for six years, residing in an alien country; also he considered himself a foreigner under the rule of the Greeks, and the days of his life were filled with painful! experiences [with these very same Greeksl. He endured much suffering in Constantinople at the hands of the unjust and vicious Roman nation, who subjected him to various tribulations because of his faith. We have heard it related that the Romans forced him to submit to an ordeal by fire, but he passed though it unharmed, angering them so much that they claimed he was a phantom. Because of all this, his lordship Khach'ik was deeply grieved in his heart. He remembered the destruction of the patriarchal see of the Armenian nation, the seizure of the royal throne from the Bagratid dynasty and its administration by the perfidious Greek nation, and finally, the condition of poverty prevailing over the see of St. Gregory, the enlightener of the Armenians. On the other hand, when his lordship Peter had occupied the patriarchal see in Armenia, he possessed the patrimony given to him by the Armenian kings. He had five hundred renowned and large villages, together with their very ample revenues. Also he had under his jurisdiction over five hundred illustrious bishops and chorepiscopi, administering seven hundred dioceses without interruption. He had with him in the patriarchal palace twelve bishops, four vardapets, sixty priests, and five hundred other clergymen and laymen. Thus the patriarchal see was far from being inferior to the Armenian royal throne. Also the religious objects, which filled the patriarchal palace, were of immense number and of wondrous splendor; all of these were donated by former Armenian kings at the time of the establishment of the first Armenian patriarchs and were passed on until the time of his lordship Peter, after which they were melted down and destroyed. ~ 0V: his lordship Khach'ik reflected upon all this and, seeing the afflIctIOns of the Armenian patriarchal see, became deeply grieved. When the holy patriarch his lordship Khach'ik passed from this wor1~, .those of the Annenian kings and princes who were left remammg sought to frnd a worthy person to install on the patriarchal see of ~t. ?regory the Enlightener. They found a young man of Pahlav~d lrn~age named Vahram, the son of the distinguished Armem.an pnnce. Gregory Magistros. Vahram was endowed with every VIrtue; haVlng taken a wife according to the ways of the world

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and having kept her in a state of purity, he was now separated from her and had taken on the monastic discipline; moreover, devoting himself to study and to the attainment of divine grace, he came to have a deep understanding of the Old and New Testaments of God, showing much eagerness and great desire [in his pursuit of these studiesl. 26. During this period his most praiseworthy lordship Gregory, 1 also known as Vahram, the son of Gregory Magistros, son of Vasak of Bjni of Pahlavid lineage, occupied the see of the Armenian catholicate. His Lordship Gregory occupied the patriarchal see at the behest of the shahnshah Gagik, the son of Abas of Kars, because after the death of his lordship Khach'ik, Vahram was deemed worthy of the holy see. For his reputation had grown a great deal, and he was filled with holiness and righteousness and endowed with shining virtue. Moreover, he had become skillful in the art of rhetoric and was erudite in all aspects of the Old and New Testaments of God and thus was able to assist Christ's flock in every way. It was this man Vahram whom the Holy Spirit revealed as the one who would occupy the see of St. Gregory the Enlightener, his ancestor; because of this he was seen as one endowed with humility and every virtue and as one appearing as the second celebrated Gregory. He renounced the delights of the world and enthusiastically embraced the path of eternal life. He enlightened the land of Armenia with his many and diverse commentaries. [He enriched Armenian culture] by translating the works of many nations 2 and completely filled the church of God with all types of divinely inspired books. [Finally], Vahram made the monastic institutions of the Armenian nation shine forth, and thus the see of St. Gregory the Enlightener regained its [former] vigor in the land of Armenia; for the new patriarch shone with holiness and every modesty and devoted himself to fasting and prayers. 27. In this same year the wicked Persian chief Slar-Khorasan for the second time collected troops. He came against the fortress of T'lkhum and with a terrible siege put it in dire straits for many days, but was unable to capture it. Then, going forth with many troops, he came to the territory of Edessa and reached the fortress called Sewawerak. A guard post of Frankish troops, consisting of h~TO hundred horsemen, was stationed here. The Franks went forth III battle against the Turks and at first slaughtered them and turned

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them in flight. However, when the infidel forces received reinforcements, the~ put the Franks to flight and killed fifteen of their men. Then the mfidel forces invaded the territory of Sewawerak and 1 Nisibis. The whole region was heavily populated with men and women and flocks of ~hee?, to such an extent that its surface gave t~e appear~nce of a rIpplmg sea. The infidels ruthlessly attacked wIth sword m hand and mercilessly slaughtered [everyone] with the edge o~the s,,:ord, filli~g.the land with blood and leading the women and chIldren mto captIVIty, together with a tremendous amount of booty. After a few days they reached the territory of Edessa and enc~mped. before the ~enowned fortress of T'orich, devastating the entire reglOn. Then WIth part of their forces they descended upon a fortress of limited importance called Nshenek2 and after a severe ass~u!t captured it. A certain brave Armenian soldier called the v~st~s, who was the dux of Antioch, happened to be in Edessa at that hme. Organizing his troops, he went forth to attack the Turks. However, the dux ?fthe c~ty, whose name was Pegonites,4turned over the troops of the CIty to hIS proximus5 and ordered him to try to bring about the death of the vestis, so that he might not have the chance to do any de.eds of.bravery and thus increase his reputation for prowess. The vestzs arrIved at ~ sh~nek at nightfall; the Turks, feeling co~pletel~ secure, were lIghtmg their fires and beginning to prepare theIr evemng meal. Then the perfidious proximus, who [as we have see~] contemplated the treacherous deed of doing away with the vestzs, sou~ded th~ battle trumpet from afar and thus warned the Turks, whII~ he h~mself went in another direction with his troops. ~he ~me~lan chIef realized the treachery of the Romans and, sIgnalmg hIS noblemen, fell upon the Turks. At the first encounter he s~augh~ered many, while causing others to flee. Then he tried to obtam aSSIstance from ~he garrison of the fortress, but when [he saw that] the ranks Of. the mfidels were increasing around him, he took refuge unharmed m a fortress which was near Dzulman 6 When he aske~ where the Frankish troops of Edessa were, he was t~ld that the pro~lmu~ had gone to Lord Guzman7 with all his troops Then the vestzs SaId' "0 apost t R . h' . a e omans, IS t IS one of your usual treacherous t '),,' ac s.. He returned to Edessa and after a few days went to the city ~;eAntlOch and wrote to the emperor Ducas, informing him of all his th ac~erb" dT:,e emperor had the proximus taken and flayed alive' en e a IS ~kin stuffed with grass and sent to Edessa. More~ over, Ducas depnved Pegonites of his high rank.

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28. In this same year once again the wicked and bloodthirsty beast Slar-Khorasan came to the territory of Edessa and descended upon Gullab. 1 There with the edge of the sword he caused a severe slaughter, killing most of its inhabitants. Then, laden with many captives, he descended upon the fortress called Tap, 2 capturing it after a violent assault and slaughtering its inhabitants to the last man. Mter this, departing, he went and encamped in a place called K'sOS.3 The Roman troops who were in the city of Edessa, both infantry and cavalry forces consisting of four thousand men, went against the Turks and reached T'lak, which is close by K'sos. When SlarKhorasan saw this, he signaled his troops and attacked. However, before both sides engaged in combat, the Roman troops fled. On the other hand, two brothers from the Armenian infantry forces held a bridge and thus stopped the Turks for a short time, until they were finally killed in a violent assault [by the enemy]. So the Roman troops fled, and the Turks pursued with the sword. At that moment a Frank turned around to face the Turks and, roaring like a lion, wounded and killed many, thus stopping them until the fugitives could escape. But, his horse having been crippled with many wounds, the Frank was cut down and bravely perished on the spot. The infidels continued their pursuit right up to the moat of the city, severely slaughtering [the Christians] as they advanced. Thus the entire plain was filled with blood and many high-ranking officers lost their lives. 29. In this same year once again Slar-Khorasan came against the territory of Edessa, [this time] to a place called Kupin, l and there he caused a horrible slaughter of people. He remained in the area for many days, devastating and enslaving the whole region. The~ he returned to Persia with a tremendous amount of booty and captIves and died there. 30. In this same period1 the Roman emperor Ducas, the patriarch,2 all the clergy, and the whole body of eunuchs espoused a perfidious and abominable idea, conceived by the wicked emperor; moreover, all the conspicuous Roman personages supported this sinister plan. For the emperor, in concert with his impious accomplices, had the intention of destroying the Armenian faith, thus thinking to corrupt the faith of St. Gregory the Enlightener. So he resolved to substitute his demonic, confused, and defective doctrine for that faith which had been established in Armenia since time immemorial; for it was

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founded on diamond-like rocks through the efforts and martyTdoms of the holy apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew and through the many-sided and varied tribulations of St. Gregory the Enlightener, a faith which is and will remain unshaken for eternity.3 This emperor, enticed by demonic beings, endeavored to be like the enemy who sows tares among good grain. As it is written in the Holy Gospels (about those who would subvert the faith], he resolved to make obscure our luminous doctrine and to cause falsehood to triumph over the truth, which [subversions of the faith] are quite prevalent among the Greeks. Possessed by this deep obsession [to destroy the Armenian faith], he aspired to demolish this lofty tower of doctrine, but was unable to accomplish this evil design of his.4 Now the emperor Ducas sent to the city of Sebastia and summoned the sons of the king of Armenia, Atom and Abusahl, to Constantin~ple. They, somewhat recognizing the emperor's evil designs, took WIth. th~m the vardapet James, surnamed K'arap'nets'i, a man erudIte m the knowledge of the Holy Scriptures and with him went to Constantinople. At first the emperor welco~ed the sons of the Ar;m~nian king; however, after a few days he began to disclose his eVIl mtentions and sai~: "It is the command of our imperial majesty that you and all the prmces of Armenia receive baptism according to the Roman fai~h.': ~eing among the Romans, Atom and Abusahl had all sorts of misgIvmgs [about giving an out-and-out refusal to the e~peror]; s~ t~ey said to Ducas: "We are unable to do anything WIt~.out G~fk, son of Ashot, for he is a brave man and our king and s~n Ill-law, send for and summon him here for if we do anything wIthout him , he WI'11 burn us t 0 death when we ' return to our lands " When the empero~ he~rd this, he did not want Gagik to com~, ~ec~u~~lth~ Armeman kmg was brilliant in philosophical debates and ~~v:~ e answering ~uestio~s put to him; for [at a former time] ;a III the PUlPIt of Samt Sophia, in the midst of all the R . o:l~ octors. ~ile Atom and Abusahl secretly sought out Gagik ~~tiCi~~-~~~tt'ihe en:per~r.Ducas, taking the initiative, began the raised . ~em~n alth. The vardapet James of Sanahin faith' many obJectIon~ In reference to various points in the Roman to th~~:~:~'p~~~~~r:Ing the two natures in Christ, he inclined a bit

t

The emperor, agreeing with all th I ' [to reconcile the two faiths] on th t be s? utlOns presented by James reunion be drawn up betwe~n the ~Sl~ commanded a document of Armenian vardapet James unde t ketmadns and ~he Romans; so the r 00 0 raft this document. The

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emperor was very pleased with this profession of faith and commanded it to be deposited in Saint Sophia, since henceforth the Armenians and the Romans were reunited to one another. At this time Gagik, swift as an eagle, sped to Constantinople; and when the emperor heard of his arrival, he was very happy. When Gagik came before the emperor, he ordered the document of reunion brought to him. Taking it, the Armenian king read it and, when he saw that it was written by the vardapet James, tore it in two in the presence of the emperor and threw it to the ground. Seeing this, Ducas became very much ashamed. Then Gagik said the following to the emperor in reference to the vardapet: "This man is only a monk, besides which there are many in Armenia who will neither accept nor conform to such a document as this; moreover, we do not consider him to be one of our accomplished vardapets." Then in the presence of the emperor the Armenian king reprimanded James, saying: "How did you dare write this and get yourself involved in such gibberish, for you are a religious man." Mter this Gagik said the following to the emperor Ducas: "I am a king and a son of the kings of Armenia, and all Armenians obey my commands; I am well versed in the Old and New Testaments, and all Armenians are witnesses to the truth of my words, for they regard me as equal to the vardapets; therefore, today I shall present a discourse to the Romans concerning the faith of the Armenian nation." So Gagik himself wrote a profession of faith and presented it to the emperor and patriarch. Here follows a copy of this document.

31. "We feel it necessary to examine those matters concerning the Armenian faith, all in accordance with your request, your imperial majesty. N ow listen and pay attention to whatever I say with an open mind and understand the true profession of faith of the Armenian nation, based on one Godhead consisting of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. First one must understand the nature of man and the reason for his creation; this is the means of knowing God who created man in the fullness of being. One must admit that anything more or anything less said about this belief comes from eviP First and foremost we know that God is without beginning and infinite ....2 32. "Now we shall speak about the creation of man. Why did God first create the lower forms and prepare man's habitat and after all this make man as his last act of creation? It is because he did not think it proper to enjoy his opulence alone. So from his abundant

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excellence he poured out his blessings and passed from the creation of angels and other beings [to the creation of man], according to the words of the prophet who said: 'The earth was full of the mercy of the Lord; the heavens were made firm by the words of the Lord all their virtues emanating from the breath of his mouth. '1 0 victorious em?eror, 10, we expound our profession of faith to your imperial maJesty and once again discourse about these matters. It is our duty ~o s~rve and worship the Lord in the same way and manner as those mspired by the Holy Spirit. For we proclaim that the Father is God that the Son is G:0d, that the Holy Spirit is God, forming thre~ perso~s .and o~e w~ll .with one accord and one lordship. There is no supenonty or mfenonty between them; one is not to be more honored or more humbled than the others, so that one assents the other cooperates, while the third provides the inspiration. Mor~over, each perso~ equally ~an~es.ts the splendor of the Godhead, separated in Its umty an~ uruted In Its separation, which indeed is beyond human understandmg.

w33 h"~t this point I will delineate the doctrine of the Holy Spirit

ets a I speak of the Holy Spirit as an enlightening force' as th~ con emp ator of the divi s ' it. 'Th t h .ne graces, t. John the Evangelist expressed .. a'l was t e true lIght, which enlightens all men and'which was ~::I: oJ~~:~:I~tO ~~~~m£horte: an~ s~il1 is and will [always] be; David sa . t' ' I S g IS t e lIght, It IS God and, it is that which when he :a~~. ~~: ~a:t. T.h~ ~heologian John2 witnesses to all this as inferior [to' the othe~~~!~nt Isf~~d, ;:m people [wrongly] regard as God equal with the F th ns 0 e 0 ead] and do not maintain the Trinity and of the Ho~ er. ~nd th~ Son.' This is the doctrine of to this world to give birth Y SXlnt, which we profess. Now God came because of this; so at thi~ ~in;hat ~n excellent offspring came forth on the birth of the Son fro! th ;e t~ aU expound to your excellency we do [concerning this doctri:e] a .;' as t? why we hold the belief Godhead to be equally in th £: th h e beheve the essence of the second person of the Tri 't e a er ood and in the sonship. The . a very real sense and not seemingly my 0 . came for oul' Salvat·IOn In r III a contrived [. . h were] persons disguised a t way, as In the sItuation es him who was called the f=tr ~ P~rtook of the calf in the tent of 3 second person of the Trinity w~~h~u rlght.eo~sness. We regard the was proclaimed from Moses t th t begInnIng and uncreated as it the fulfillment of the promis~s o~ ;~oPhets and :?,OIn the prophets to e one who IS to come. He will

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come among us in order to accomplish the work of redemption, which event Christ witnessed to in the presence of the holy apostles. We have received the Gospel in writing, and from the time of the reception of this Gospel until the second4 manifestation of God, when the good and the evil will receive theit just recompense, the precepts of the apostles together with those of the holy fathers are in effect. 34. liN ow hear, 0 emperor, how we anathematize the heretics of the church, who are corrupted by erroneous doctrines and whose names have been recorded. We anathematize Valentinus, who maintains that there are two Sons of God, one through nature and the other through grace; he also maintains that the Old Testament is bad and only the New is good, and because of all this we anathematize him, and indeed let him be anathema. Marcion maintains that the basic elements are uncreated and exist by themselves, that the world was fonned from numbers, and that the body of our Lord seemingly exists but in essence is not real; because of all this we anathematize him also. Montanus, who is considered one of the most perverse heretics, maintains that his own person is the Holy Spirit and at the same time fornicates with women; the Holy Spirit anathematizes him, and indeed let him be anathema. Mani maintains that there are two principles coequal with one another, light and darkness, the one good and the other evil; him also we anathematize. Novation rejects the doctrine of repentance, maintaining that once a person sins, he can never again hope for pardon; because of this we anathematize him with the rest, and indeed let him be anathema.1 35. "Anus maintains three persons, but makes one inferior to the other; the catholic church, together with us, anathematizes him. Photinus maintains that Jesus originated from Mary and not eternally from the Father; because of this we anathematize him. We also anathematize Nestorius, Eutyches, and Sargis/ who has an Armenian name,2 was accompanied by a dog and a donkey, and shall partake of the fate of these animals on the last day; the holy catholic apostolic church anathematizes these persons, and let them indeed be anathema. We also anathematize Paul of Samosata, Peter the Fuller,S and Dioscorus4j if indeed this last person held heretical views as the other two; th'en let him be anathema, just in case your superficial analysis of him be true.

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36. "Now we shall discourse on the crucified Christ, whom we invoke and worship. Those who believe and maintain that the Trinity was crucified on the cross or that the Godhead suffered on the cross are anathematized by the Trinity, by us, and by the church of God. Understand, your most high imperial majesty, [our doctrine] concerning the union of the natures of God and man [in Christ] natures which are esteemed by us. On the other hand the separa~ tion of the divinity and the humanity after the unio~ [of the two natures] is not found in Holy SCripture;1 this we confess and believe. F~r .G~egory the Tha~aturge2 says: 'If out of two diverse principles [divimtyand humaruty] come forth two natures united in one, then one can profess only one Lord, one Jesus Christ one nature after the union which makes his earthly body coequal ~ith the GOcThead and which brings these two together in one force and one divinity.' However, why and in what way are the two natures related to one another? These are the questions which the fathers of the church did not examin~ too deeply. For why did the ThaumaturgesB neglect understandmg what the Holy Spirit revealed-namely the bringing forth ~f God from God; why did they neglect the concept of the birth of Chnst as supremely ~rom God? The blessed Gregory of Nyssa,4 the brother of the holy patnarch Basil, 5 says the following in his book on the nature of man, in the third discourse which deals with the union of the soul and the body: 'It is certainly in accordance with the pure ':'ord God ~hat, .especially because God wished to unite with mankmd, he hved m a body wherein he remained united without confusion ~d in an ineffable manner, but not with a body like ours; for our bodIes seem to be formed of many elements and are subject to the natural passions which are part of their very nature. On the other hand, th~ Word of God has nothing in common with the body or the soul, which are changeable; rather, it is not susceptible to their weak~esses, but ~ssociates them to its divinity and in so doing still rem~ms on:, as It was before this union was achieved. The new realIty of.th~s co~bination and union, [Christ], operates in a certain manner; It I~ mmgled toget~er, yet it remains completely distinct, unco~sed, Incorrupt, and Immutable; it is not susceptible to the natura pa~s.ions but yet is capable of action, not open to corruption ~n~ mutabIlIty but yet both its aspects grow together; nevertheless It IS not prevented by these passions and actions from remainin~ un~lterable ~nd unconfused, because it is incapable of all change of an Impure kmd.'

I1In support of this doctrine we cite the philosopher Porphyry,6 who

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wrote against Christ; for evidence about us recorded by our enem~es is quite formidable, although they do not accept the fact that ChrIst is one. This Porphyry, in the second discourse of his miscellany, writes the following concerning this subject: 'One cannot say that it is impossible for a substance, by augmenting itself, to complement another substance and to be a part of it and yet retain its own nature even after its union with that other substance; this substance, by being with another, does not change its own greatness, rather it changes those substances which are united to it by .the action. of coming together.' This is what Porphyry says concernmg the umon of the soul and the body. If indeed these words are true in reference to the soul and its immateriality, how much more would they be applicable to the Word of God, which is eternally uniq';le and t~ly incorporeal; this teaching silences those heretics who revile the umon of the Word God with man, for they are like the pagans who hold many absurd opinions. 37. I1Therefore, those Christians and other faithful who maintain the aforementioned doctrine in another sense by professing the alteration or confusion of the two natures, let these be anathema. If anyone maintains that the Theotokos Mary, the Holy Virgin, assumes a position distant from the Godhead, let him be anathema. If anyone says that Christ passed through the Virgin as if through a tube, or that he was created in her divinely and humanly at one and the same time-