After him the bishop was Hamazasp from
the city of Ani. He built a wondrous church and a place to hang
the bell, and [99] [91] a great and marvellous refractory.
But let us turn from these things and
return to where we were. The kat'oghikosate of Armenia
was divided into many parts. There were the lords Grigoris Vahram
in Egypt, and Georg in the west and another one on the island
of Aght'amar in Vaspurakan, and lord Barsegh in Armenia. It was
divided into many parts.
Gagik, king of Kars went to see the
Byzantine emperor, since he was under his authority, Returning
home he went to Caesarea. He had heard that a certain Markos the
metropolitan of Caesarea had a dog which was given the name Armen,
on account of the hatred which the Greeks have toward the Armenians.
And he called him by this name since all peoples call the Armenians
Armen on account of the bravery of Hayk's descendant Aram.
King Gagik went and took lodging with
the metropolitan, who received him gladly.
When they were in their cups, the king
spoke: "I have heard that you have a fine dog. Show me, let
me see him".
The metropolitan said: "There he
is, by the door across [92] [g100] from us".
And the king said: "Call him so
he will come here". The metropolitan then called the dog,
but by another name, not its real one. However, the dog did not
jump up, and did not come in. The king said: "Now call him
by his real name". And as soon as the metropolitan uttered
"Armen, Armen" the dog immediately bounded up and came.
The king asked: "Why do you call him by that name"?
The metropolitan answered: "Because he is small". Then
the king ordered his servants: "Bring a large sack and throw
the dog in it". They were barely able to do this. The bishop
thought that Gagik wanted to take the dog away with him, and so
he got angry at the king's servants. Then the king said: "Throw
the bishop in there too, so I may see if the dog is as small as
he says". Now the bishop wept and pleaded with the king to
forgive his crime. But the king angrily declaimed: "Strike
that dog with a goad so they will eat each other up". And
they struck the dog. The animal, smarting from the pain, mauled
the metropolitan, tearing him to bits with its teeth and paws
until he died. Then the king said: "Now you know whether
Armen is small or not".
[93] And [Gagik] sacked the bishopric
and saw the emperor no more.[g101]
One day (when the other Gagik had become
king), Gagik went off to hunt and became drunk. At a sultry hour,
he dismounted to rest under the shade of the trees, having no
one with him except one small lad, since all the others were scattered
about, hunting. Greeks came upon them, recognized Gagik, seized
him and took him to a fortress. When the king came to his senses
from the wine, he opened his eyes and exclaimed: "Where am
I"? And the Romans replied: "Where is our metropolitan
Markos"? And they hurled him from the wall of the fortress
with insults. He crashed to the ground and died. As for the lad
who was with him, an Armenian merchant purchased him and made
him his son-in-law.
Subsequently, when the lad became a
man, he went hunting for partridge with another man, near the
border of Cilicia. And there stood a fortress there which they
call Bardzrberd. A Byzantine (Roman) bishop resided in this fortress.
An acquaintance was struck up between the man and the bishop,
and they became dear to each other. They ate and drank together
for many days. Yet the man had not put out of his mind what [94]
the Byzantines had done to his relative, king Gagik.[g102]
One day, when all of the bishop's deacons
had gone out of the fortress to see to some needed work, the bishop
was left alone there with a youth. The hunter came close to the
fortress to hunt partridge; seeing the bishop on the walls, he
called to him to come out so that they might eat together. The
bishop invited the man to come into the fortress, but he did not
consent. So the bishop came down to him, without his deacon.
When the man saw that the bishop was
coming alone, he realized that there was no one else in the fortress
and he said to the man with him: "Today is a good opportunity
to avenge with blood the murder of our king, which the Byzantines
were responsible for. Take heed! Perhaps the bishop will send
you into the fortress. If so, try to take it, and inform me by
some hand signal that you have, and I will kill the bishop.
As soon as the bishop arrived, they
began to eat. Once the wine gave out, the bishop said to the attendant:
"Go to the fortress over there and bring us wine so we may
rejoice together".
[95] The man went and gave the bishop's
order to his servant. As soon as the servant kneeled over the
barrel to fetch some wine, the man seized him by his feet, turned
him upside down and drowned him in the wine. Going up to the walls,
he notified his lord that he had taken the fortress.[g103]
Down below the walls the hunter strangled
the bishop. Then entering the fortress, he seized what was there
and increased his own property both by force and deceit, until
he, his sons, and grandsons ruled Cilicia, city and district.
This man was the forbear of king Lewon, who enlarged the boundaries
by his bravery, as we shall relate in its proper place.
After emperor Basil, Constantine ruled,
and after him Romanus the Old [III, Argyrus, 1028-34], followed
by Michael, then Kiwrhzi, then Monomachus [1042-55]. They say
that during his reign Gagik journeyed to Byzantium. After Monomachus,
[the rulers were] Kirh T'odorh [Theodora, 1055-56], then Dukits
[Constantine X, Ducas, 1059-67], then Diuzhen [Romanus IV, Diogenes,
1068-71]. In the first year of Diogenes' reign, Gagik Shahnshah,
king of Vanand, died. In the eighth year of his reign, Diogenes
arose with a great army and went to Iran to war. He came to Manazkert
and took it. Once the tyrant [96] Alp-Arslan heard the news of
the taking of Manazkert, he came forward and there was a fierce
battle. Diogenes was defeated and captured by Alp-Arslan, a fine
was levied on him, and then he was released. However, his people
[g104] would not obey him. Instead they enthroned Michael [VII,
1071-78], Ducas' son. Again taking up arms, Michael struck against
Diogenes. The troops put Diogenes into haircloth and sent him
to emperor Michael. On the way, they gouged his eyes out at the
command of the emperor. He died in the year 521 A.E. [=1072].
In the same year the judgements of the
far-sighted, just God came down upon the arrogant and untameable
beast Alp-Arslan. For while he ruled the world, growling with
rage and ready to spill his bile on those not yet conquered, he
was unexpectedly stabbed to death. Thus the impious one was removed
from the world; and he did not witness the glory of God.
After Alp-Arslan, his fortunate son
called Malik-Shah ruled. He did not imitate the wicked ways of
his father, but rather, thinking about good things, he did good
things for all of his subjects, especially for the Armenians.
Since he was intelligent, he denounced the conceptions of [97]
his father as inimical to the peace of living people, [considering
his father a man] crazed with blood and despoliation. But the
son put everything into order with a wise and benign policy. He
did such things and was more prudent than many kings, caring about
everyone, [caring] that people deal with each other justly, that
no one worry about being ravished, and that no one boast proudly.
He was liberal and broad-minded, and physically he was worthy
of the kingdom. In a short time he subdued the entire world not
by war or tyranny, but by peace and love. Thus with a good reputation
he ruled for twenty years, dying through his wife's poison. [g105]
Then followed four years of unnarratable
disturbances since [Malik-Shah's] brother Tutush (Dtush) and his
son Bakiarukh (Bek'iaruk') tore the good land apart during these
years with warfare. Since none of them ruled soon afterwards streams
of blood flowed in the land as if it were a torrent, not solely
from the armed soldiers, but generally throughout the awans
and districts. Thus the period following the death of the king
[Malik-Shah] passed, one devoid of good things. Finally when Bakiarukh
ruled, he murdered Tutush. Then Kizil (Xzl) ruled, his name meaning
"Red". The latter took the city of Lorhe and its holy
monasteries of Sanahin and Haghbat.
[98] Following emperor Michael, Alexius
[I, Comnenus, 1081-1118] wore the crown. In his seventeenth regnal
year, the Byzantines went through T'irak in the area of Asia,
seeking revenge for the destruction of the Christians by the Scythians,
Iranians and Tachiks. Many People bore grief because of [g106]
this son of Belial called Alexius, who was the emperor in Constantinople
and worked treachery in open and in secret. For this lawless man
ordered that fatal poison be mixed with food and drink, and those
it had been given to died. On the seas he deceived those who trusted
him as their coreligion- ist. He deceitfully aided the barbarians,
for which may the Lord repay him. He was not even a Christian,
nor was his mother; for many of the Franks died. The survivors
returned empty-handed to Antioch and took the city and Jerusalem.
Two kinglets ruled there, Raymond (Maymon) and Tancred (Tanghril)
and seven counts. Godfrey (Kontop'ri) ruled in Jerusalem and then
Baldwin (Paghtoyn) for seventeen years and then Amari for nineteen
years. This was in 546 of the Armenian Era [=1097].
The Scythian tyrant Kizil died during
the taking of the city of Dwin by the Iranian troops. Then their
kingdom was fragmented into many pieces. One tyrannized in Khurasan,
one in Syria, another one in the areas of Cappadocia and Armenia,
one in Egypt, and others in other localities, although their names
are unknown to us. [g107[
[99] In 562 of the Armenian Era [=1113]
lord Barsegh died after having been patriarch for thirty-three
years. He was succeeded on the throne with grand solemnity by
lord Grigoris, brother of Nerses. They were of the family of saint
Gregory. Therefore, as soon as he sat on the throne of the holy
Illuminator, this marvellous patriarch Grigoris made the blessed
Church sparkle with various regulations and canonical laws, in
everything trying to deport himself after the example of his ancestor
saint Gregory and his son. He moved the patriarchal throne to
the fortress called Hrhomklay, since once the Byzantines took
to themselves king Gagik and lord Petros, there no longer was
a patriarchal throne in the east, but it was under the domination
of the Byzantines, sometimes in Sebastia, sometimes in a place
called Tsovk', then later transferred to Hrhomklay. The reason
for these moves were the troubles occasioned by the Scythians
and Tachiks, which tossed them hither and thither. [During this
time the kat'oghikos], having taken the Church's sacred
things and vessels, took and gave them for safe-keeping to a beneficent
woman of Frank nationality, [who lived in] the [g108] secure fortress.
During these days the prince who was lord of the fortress died,
leaving his wife a widow. The blessed patriarch beseeched the
pious woman to give the fortress to the patriarch, so that it
become the seat of the Armenian kat'oghikosate; and the
woman gave it gladly. The blessed [100] patriarch sent the woman
to Cilicia, to the great prince of princes of Armenia, T'oros,
and he gave her villages, fields, and other property. Making her
very happy, he sent her to her own land.
This prince T'oros and his brother Step'ane
were sons of prince Lewon, son of Kostand, son of Ruben; they
were of the sons and descendants of Gagik Artsruni. They enlarged
their boundaries bravely, ruling over many districts and cities
of Cilicia and Syria and many other places. They captured the
famous cities of the land: Tarsus, Sis, Adana, Seleucia, and the
districts and cities surrounding them.
Now when the emperor of the Byzantines
(who was called Alexius) [g109] heard about this matter, he sent
Andronikos against the princes Step'ane and T'oros with many troops.
Andronikos treacherously seized Step'ane and had him killed. Then
T'oros took his brother's sons Rhuben and Lewon, put them in a
secure fortress, then worked out the blood feud against the Greeks
who lived there, for what they had done to his brother. For he
destroyed the people by force and made them refugees from the
country; and he ruled all the districts with great strength.
Now in the year 562 A.E. [=1113], when
kat'oghikos Barsegh died, the great and renowned vardapet
Georg, who was called [101] Meghrik (Honey) for the sweetness
of his ways, also passed to Christ. He put into order the famous
convent called Drazark, being ceaseless in conducting services
day and night, and perpetually keeping fasts; no one there possessed
anything as private property, instead, all was held in common.
In the same year the brave Roman Tancred, the ruler of the city
of Antioch, died poisoned by their patriarch. And after lord Barsegh,
Grigoris occupied the Armenian kat'oghikosate for fifty-three
years. [g110]
The remarkable patriarch Grigoris [II,
Vkayaser, 1065-1105] undertook to build a marvellous domed church
in the same fortress. He also began making translations into Armenian
of sacred writings and many other works; some he did himself,
others, he asked other people to do.
In these days there lived the noted
and learned vardapets Nerses the marvellous (the relative
of the kat'oghikos) and the other Nerses, bishop of Lambron,
brother of Het'um, who translated the Interpretation of the
Revelation of John, the History of Pope Gregory of
Rome and the Orders of the blessed Benedict. He also wrote his
own interpretations of the Psalms of David and the Proverbs of
Solomon, as well as the holy missal and the prayers of [102] of
the Evangelist John which begin "He was with his brothers".
He built a wondrous church in the monastery called Skewrha, close
to the impregnable fortress of Lambron; and he arranged the services
of the monastery according to the example of other peoples, with
deacons and scribes and uncovered heads, for which he was greatly
criticized by the Armenians.
There was another bishop named Ignatios
whom the kat'oghikos ordered to make an interpretation
of the Gospel of Luke. [g111] But he did not consent until he
had a dream in which all the vardapets of the Church were
seen rejoicing in a luminous house decorated with every charm.
He too wanted to enter, but they prevented him, saying: "Since
you did not labor to interpret the Gospel, you shall not set foot
in here". And when he awoke he began to interpret the Gospel
of Luke with sagacious words.
Another marvellous vardapet named
Sargis in the monastery called in Syrian K'arashit'aw, made an
interpretation of the seven catholic letters, a large work with
prefaces and full of homilies. There was yet another bishop active
in the Antioch area, the venerable bishop Yovsep'.
Now in the East, there were noted men
and scholars, illuminators of the Church. One such was Anania
the vardapet at Sanahin [who lived] in the days of Deoskoros
[103] [abbot of Sanahin, 1037], an intellectual, brilliant man,
knowledgeable in the science of constructing calendrical systems,
and an interpreter of Scripture. They say that for interpretation
he assembled in one volume the words of Ep'rem, of the Apostles,
of John Chrysostom, Cyril, and other saints in summary form for
the convenience of the readers. [g112] He also made a serious,
intelligent survey and comparison of the Gospels with examples.
He also wrote a clear commentary on the Trisageion which is recited
in the churches of the orthodox with [the expression] "Who
Was Crucified"; and he wrote the Eulogy Shoghakat'.
Like Anania, there was in Haghbat the
brilliant Yovhannes called Sargawag, a man more learned than many,
a genius. Yovhannes studied many writings and left behind a fine
memorial to himself. He achieved what many desired but were not
competent to do: he established an unmovable rather than a movable
calendar and made correspondence between the calendars of all
peoples and the Armenians. For he was extremely wise and a man
adorned with divine graces, his words in the most learned, not
colloquial, style just as those of Gregory the Theologian. He
wrote homilies in praise of the mighty Armenian king Trdat, the
blessed patriarch Nerses, and the marvellous Sahak and Mesrop.
He [104] also composed a sharakan on the Ghewondians with
a sweet melody and appropriate words, which begins "The holy
churches are gleaming today". He also wrote for them elegiac
homilies and accurate paradigms of prayerbooks and other books.
[g113]
King David of Georgia (father of Demetre,
grandfather of David and Giorg) liked Yovhannes Sargawag so much
that on hearing of his arrival, he took himself before him to
request his blessings. Placing his hand upon king David's head,
Yovhannes recited this psalm: "I have found my servant David
and with my holy oil I annoint him. Let my hand surround him and
my arm strengthen him, Let him not be harmed by enemies and let
the son of iniquity not torment him" [Psalms 88, 21-23].
And because of Yovhannes, king David loved the Armenian people.
An event occurred one day because of
the decision to remove from the solemn mass for debauched behavior
a certain individual named Zomzoma. This Zomzoma, instead of feeling
remorse and repenting, planned to slay the wonderful Yovhannes.
One day he encountered him as he was emerging from a cave under
the monastery. As [Yovhannes] stood looking at the river, the
shameful one seized him, threw him to the [105] ground and pounced
on him. Now since the blessed Yovhannes was a wise man, he said
to Zomzoma: "Step'anos my son, do not kill me". And
the bold one replied: "Until today I was Zomzoma, but now
instead of one 'n' there are many 'n's, Step'annos". For his last
name was Zomzoma. [Yovhannes] said: "Why do you want to kill
me because you were removed [g114] from the Church? I will reinstate
you in the Church". And [Zomzoma] let Yovhannes go. Going
to the monastery [Yovhannes] said to the brothers: "What
the brother said about this matter I think is false. Lo, I enter
Zomzoma in the Church". He ordered the sacrist to accept
Zomzoma as senior priest. This caused much grumbling, and people
said that it was cheap and that [Yovhannes] had taken bribes and
so reinstated him in the Church.
As soon as the hour for the solemn mass
arrived, the wretched [Zomzoma] came onto the bema to perform
the service. The vardapet came amidst the assembly into
the portico across from the holy table; he uncovered his head
and began to pray. Instantly some evil spirit came and entered
the impious [Zomzoma], threw him from the bema to the floor of
the church and began to torment him greatly. They took him out
of the church, like Ozia, and great trepidation came over the
viewers.
[106] Living with such fine behavior
in this world, the scholar passed to Christ in Haghbat. They buried
him on the east side of the great church by the door of the smaller
church. This [smaller church] was later torn down by bishop Hamazasp.
In its place a marvellous structure was built adapted in style
to the church, where the bell was hung. The blessed [Yovhannes]
died in 578 A.E.[=1129]. [g115]
After one year the holy illuminating
vardapet Dawit' son of Alawik died. He wrote the Penetential,
a beautiful and useful work, at the request of a priest named
Ark'ayut'iwn from the city of Gandzak [For an English translation
see C. J. F. Dowsett, trans. and ed., The Penitential of Dawit'
of Ganjak (Louvain, 1961).] There was yet another marvellous
vardapet called T'ok'aker's son, Grigor by name. Both of
these men were from Gandzak, where I too am from.
It happened one day that the three marvellous
men were seated together. A peasant (shinakan) came up
and said to them: "If only I knew which of you is more learned".
He said this in ridicule. T'ok'aker's son answered, saying: "While
we were in our land, I was a chopper and tailor, and Sargawag
only knew how to sew. But now he chops and sews and does many
drawings besides". In his wisdom, he had spoken allegorically.
This man was so interested in learning [107] that one day he went
to a cave where there were books. There were other people with
him. He concealed himself inside, first leading the others to
think that he had departed. When the others left, they shut the
doors. After some days, they returned to the cave for something.
They saw him inside and were astonished, asking: "However
did you live without food and drink"? And he showed them
the books he had been reading and said: "This has been my
food and drink during these days". [g116]
In 588 A.E. [=1139], there was a severe
earthquake which destroyed the city of Gandzak. The city's buildings
collapsed upon their inhabitants. King Demetre of Georgia, father
of David and Giorgi came and took the city's doors to his land.
Because of this earthquake, the mountain Alharak crumbled and
blocked the valley which led through to it. And thus a small lake
was created there which exists to this day. It has excellent fish.
The marvellous patriarch Grigoris daily
increased his good works for the glorification of the Church.
He was loved by all people. It happened that he went to the holy
city of Jerusalem to adore the sites of the Incarnation of [108]
the Lord. As soon as he reached the city of Antioch, the entire
population came out before him bearing torches and lamps. With
great honor they took him and seated him on the throne of the
Apostle Peter. As soon as he reached Jerusalem, the Frank people
(who were ruling the city) and their patriarch more deeply established
love between our peoples, [g117] on account of Grigoris. For he
was pleasing in appearance and adorned with knowledge of the holy
Scriptures. According to tradition, the old agreement of Trdat
and saint Gregory, of emperor Constantine and the patriarch Sylvester,
was restored. Having lived with such decorum, he passed to Christ
with perfect virtue, in ripe old age. His brother Nerses replaced
him on the [kat'oghikosal] throne for seven years.
Nerses was more learned than many of
his day; not only more than the Armenian vardapets, but
more than the Greek and Syrian [clerics], so much so that his
reputation spread throughout all the lands; to the point that
when a certain Constantinopolitan scholar named T'eora heard of
his reputation he packed his belongings on donkeys and came to
evaluate Nerses and to listen to his wisdom. He came and spoke
with Nerses for many days, finding him knowledgeable about everything
and also filled with the Holy Spirit. When [T'eora] returned [109]
to the city of Constantinople, people queried him, asking: "What
is he like? Is his reputation as they say, or not"? [T'eora]
replied: "What we heard was what we saw, for he is a new
Gregory the Theologian". Everyone marvelled at him.
Since he was a brilliant man, he introduced
many sharakans into the churches, [hymns] in a xosrovean
style melodies, canticles and verses. He was responsible for [the
hymns] the blessing of Resurrection, the Third koghm, on
the two days of the Assumption of the Mother of God, the blessing
of Peter and Paul, Mankunk', Hambardzin which begins:
"Rejoice today, Church of God, with the memory of the blessed
Apostles". [He also wrote] the blessing of the Sons of Thunder
[which begins]: "He who exists always is the son of God".
[He also wrote]: one sharakan for [the feast of] Anton,
two for T'eodos, one on the forty martyrs of Sebastia, one on
the Apostles, the blessing of three days of Easter week (Monday,
Tuesday and Wednesday), two sharakans on the feast of the
Resurrection, on the Ninevites, the Archangels, about the holy
Vardanants', as well as many other sharakans.
With the same sublimity as the sharakans,
he also wrote [110] sermons on the holy mass, as well as two gandz
which bear his name, Vardavarh and the Translation of
the Mother of God, as Grigor Narekats'i wrote the Coming
of the Spirit, the Church, [g119] and the Holy Cross
with profound and deep words, and the Prayerbook, the Eulogy
on Jacob of Nisibis and the Apostles. [Nerses Shnorhali]
similarly compiled an abbreviated version of the Gospel of
Matthew full of radiant and rich ideas, which reached as far
as the passage where the Lord said: "Do not believe that
I came to overturn the laws and the prophets" [Matthew 5.17].
At that point, I do not know why, the work halts. He wrote homilies
on the archangels according to the style of Dionysius the Areopagate.
He also translated many homilies about the martyrs of God. Having
accomplished such fine deeds, he passed to Christ--the hope of
all--with a desirable, venerable death. The wish of this blessed
man was that if possible people should abstain from speaking crassly,
and instead occupy themselves with learning, not in wine bibbing
or any other pleasure. Therefore he created songs and instructed
the men who held the fortresses that instead of their vain noises
they should utter the beginning lines of the psalm of David: "In
the night I recalled Your Name, Lord", and solemnly in order
"Arise my Glory" which is now recited at evening worship in church. [g120]
[111] Occasionally [Nerses] was summoned
by the great Alexius, who was the son-in-law of the autocrat emperor
of the Byzantines, Manuel. [Nerses] went to the city of Mamestia
in Cilicia and [Alexius] asked him deep and difficult questions
from books. He found him perfected in everything and greatly exalted
him. Once he wrote to [Nerses] requesting that he be given in
writing a description of the confession of faith of the Armenians,
the solemn festivals, primary fasts, and the mystery of one nature
(we say that there is unity in [the natures of] Jesus Christ),
and about other laws of [our] Church which are not the same as
other peoples'. Nerses wrote what had been requested, concisely
and clearly, and gave it to him. In the orthodox Church of Armenia
this confession is repeated as follows: [We omit the translation
of pp. 120-46 which deals with doctrinal matters.]
When all the Byzantine wise men had
read this, they praised the faith of the Armenians. Since [Nerses]
was such a brilliant man, he also created allegorical proverbs
based on the themes of Scripture as well as riddles, so that [112]
people would repeat them in place of the pagan legends when drinking
and at weddings. Nerses himself was a worthy man of God, mild
and modest in everything.
After him, Grigor succeeded as patriarch
and ruled for twenty years. He built the embellished church at
Klayn [Hrhomkla] and lavishly adorned it. Then Grigoris, called
Tgha (the sister's son of them [i.e., of Grigor and Grigoris])
ruled, for one year [The text is corrupted here, or Kirakos was
confused. The correct order of kat'oghikoi is Gregory IV
Tgha (1173-93), Gregory V (whom Kirakos calls Tgha, 1193-94),
followed by Gregory VI Apirat (1194-1203).]. He was a man of fine
stature and handsome appearance, but because there were many bishops
jealous of [g147] him, people who spread slanders about him and
deceitfully betrayed him to king Lewon, Lewon ordered that [:the
kat'oghikos] be held in a fortress until an examination
take place on the accuracy [of the charges], and he himself wrote
a letter to the East [i.e., to Greater Armenia], to the vardapets
and bishops of Armenia inquiring what their will was regarding
the man. But before their reply arrived, the kat'oghikos
died in the following manner. One day his body was spotted with
linen wrapped around the waist, fallen at the walls of the fortress.
Some say that it was because of their rancor that certain bishops
threw him over the wall, bishops who [113] had their eyes on inheriting
the [kat'oghikosal] throne. One of these, they say, was
Yovhannes, who occupied the throne after him. [Another suspect]
was also Anania who was a counter-patriarch in Sewast/Sebastia,
under the domination of the Sultan of Rum, as well as six other
bishops from there. Others claim that [Gregory] wanted to flee
the fortress at night, and was able to lower himself from the
wall with linen, but the cloth tore and he fell to his death.
We do not know what the truth in this matter is. It is known only
by righteous God, to whom all the secrets of mankind are revealed.
Then lord Grigor Apirat ruled for seven
years. Thereafter bickering arose among those jealous of Grigoris,
as [g148] to who should sit on the patriarchal throne. Yovhannes,
since he was an intimate of king Lewon, forced his way and occupied
the throne. As soon as the other bishop, Anania, saw this, he
went to the Sultan of Rum, bribed him, and sat as kat'oghikos
in Sewast/Sebastia, for he claimed that he was of the line of
the kat'oghikos Petros who was buried there. And so the
throne of saint Gregory was divided into three parts: one (the
real one) which Yovhannes occupied in Hrhomkla; one occupied by
Anania (who had rebelled), in Sewast/Sebastia; and yet one more
on the island of Aght'amar [114] [occupied] by Dawit'.
After emperor Alexius, Kalozhan ruled,
followed by Manuel. Now in 598 A.E. [=1149], the Byzantines held
a military review with their myriad upon myriad of troops, and
turned to this side of the Ocean [=the Mediterranean] first passing
through Thrace, as we noted under the year 546 A.E. [=1097]. They
had forgotten the impossible difficulties caused by that son of
Belial, Alexius. Those who did not know the false treachery of
this man, viewed him as a co-religionist and a servant of Christ.
Those people here, who did not remember those disastrous events,
were even more tricked and cheated by [Alexius'] grandson, whose
name (like that of the Antichrist) was pseudo-Christos). He was
a man named Manuel who like Emmanuel was rancorous and contrary
in everything--actions and relgion--and who betrayed the Byzantines
with fatal food and drink. [g149]
In the days of his grandfather Alexius,
a certain count came to Antioch from Jerusalem. As soon as he
entered the temple of saint Peter the Apostle, and participated
in the service, the blessed saint Peter appeared to him and said:
"The lance with which they pierced our Savior is buried in
the window of this church. Take it to your country". Thus
[115] the man took it with joy and went to Constantinople. When
the emperor Alexius heard about this matter, he greatly honored
the count and gave him many treasures, requesting the lance from
him. The count left the lance with him and went on his way.
Now in 636 A.E. [=1187] a certain tyrant
of Kurdish nationality whose name was Saladin [Salahadin, Salah
al-Din] and who came from Maseats'otn arose. He was the vassal
of the sultan of Mertin and Aleppo. Gathering together an enormous
army he went against the city of Jerusalem. The king of Jerusalem,
a Frank, went against him with numerous troops. But his sailors
betrayed him; for the lord of Tripoli was a friend of the enemy
of the Frank king, and betrayed the king to his enemies in the
following manner.
The season was very hot, and the place
was waterless. The count, being an advisor to the king, urged
him [g150] to take a waterless area for their base, while the
enemy held the shores of the Jordan river. At noon they were in
battle formation. Since the horses of the Christian soldiers were
parched with thirst, as soon as they spotted the water, they raced
for it, dragging their riders along and plunging them into the
midst of the enemy, who put their swords to work [116] and mercilessly
cut them down. Now since the king of Jerusalem was a brave man,
he slew many of the enemy with his own hands. But when he realized
that it would be impossible for him to get free (since they had
killed his horse), he wanted to surrender to the enemy. They made
him swear that he would never again unsheath his sword against
them, and let him go free. He went to Byzantium. Saladin's forces
went against Jerusalem, took it and the surrounding cities, killing
everyone. Then the sun dimmed for many hours. The Saladinites
ruled Palestine, Egypt, Mesopotamia and a large part of Armenia,
they and their grandsons who are called 'Ayyubids (Edleank');
among them were Melik' K'eml, Melik' Ashrap' and other sultans
who ruled many lands.
Kiwrike Bagratuni, who was in the city
of Lorhe spent his entire life fighting against the Georgians
to preserve the stability of his patrimony. After his death, his
sons Dawit' and Abas, deceived by the Georgians, left the home
[g151] of their ancestors and went over to the Iranians. They
received from the Iranians as hereditary property [the cities
of] Tawush, Matsnaberd and other places. Subsequently the Iranians
took Tawush from them and they resided in Matsnaberd. Then Dawit'
and Abas passed away. Kiwrike succeeded his father Dawit'. He
was a mild man, accomplished in virtuous deeds; more so than his
father. Passing from this world [117] in goodness, he left as
heir his small son Abas, who was twelve years old. He took as
a wife the daughter of the pious prince Sargis son of Zak'aria,
son of Vahram, sister of the great princes Zak'are and Iwane,
named Nana. Their deeds were many, as we shall note in the proper
places. After living with his wife for two years, Abas died at
the age of nineteen. He had no son from this wife.
As soon as his sister Balrina saw that
their line was extinct she fell into inconsolable mourning. They
told her: "There is one woman who has a suckling baby from
your brother". Balrina was delighted. She took the lad, nourished
him, and named him [g152] Aghsart'an. He became the heir of Matsnaberd,
and was a pious man who loved the priests. Aghsart'an was living
in our time, but in old age his feet pained him. Dawit' the prince
of Norberd dealt with him deceitfully, for he too was of the Bagratid
family, father of prince Vasak who built the marvellous church
in the monastery called Anapat, close to Norberd with the direction
and cooperation of Yovhannes Tuets'i. He was the archbishop of
the areas of Shamk'or, Gardman, Ergevank', Terunakan, Tawush and
other regions under the sway of prince Vahram. The church was
completed, annointed and consecrated in the name of the holy Mother
of God in 689 A.E. [=1240]. Bishop Yovhannes [118] was a holy,
virtuous, benevolent man who often fasted for forty days at a
time.
However the prince of Norberd, Dawit',
deceived the lad Aghsart'an; he married his daughter to him and
ruled Matsnaberd himself. Then he retrieved his daughter from
Aghsart'an. But Aghsart'an won over the inhabitants of the fortress.
Suddenly and unexpectedly they seized Dawit' [g153] with his entire
family and expelled them from the fortress which they gave to
Aghsart'an. The latter, toward the end of his life, gave authority
to his son Kiwrike, and became a cleric in the monastery of Getakits'k'
.
Kiwrike had [several] sons: one was
named P'ahlawan, the second, T'aghiadin, and the third Aghsart'an.
3. Regarding the Kingship of Lewon in the
West
Whatever was narrated up to this point
was culled from works that were written previously. But the historv
before us now concerns matters about which I heard with my own
ears and to which I was an eyewitness.
[119] When the great prince T'oros,
son of Lewon, son of Constantine, son of the king Rhuben of Cilicia
died, his brother's son named Rhuben took authority. Rhuben was
the son of Step'ane who was treacherously killed by the Greek
general Andronikos. After a short while, he too died and Lewon,
a brave and warlike [g154] man, took authority. As soon as Lewon
took power, he enlarged the borders of his lordship. For he made
war against the surrounding peoples and conquered them, in accordance
with the bravery of his name, like a lion; for Lewon means lion.
When the tyrants among the Turks and
Tachiks (who were called sultans) observed Lewon's successes,
the sultan who ruled Aleppo and Damascus mustered his men and
came against him, with countless troops and weapons. When Lewon,
the prince of princes, heard that the foreigners were coming against
him, he hurried and gathered his troops and quickly came against
them, like an eagle swooping down on a flock of hens, and he struck
them many great blows. The sultan fled, escaping by a hairbreadth,
this sultan who had come against Lewon boasting. Lewon levied
a tax on him and made him his vassal. When the surrounding Tachiks
saw this feat of bravery, they feared him and paid him taxes.
And this is the way that Lewon ruled over all, with force.
[120] When Lewon saw that he had succeeded
in forming a lordship greater in size than his forbears', he consulted
among [g155] his princes and grandees to become king. He sent
[a messenger] to the world-renowned city of the Romans, to the
autocrat emperor and the Pope [requesting] that they give him
the order and a royal crown; for he did not want to be vassal
to any but to the Frank people. At the same time, his pride was
excited by the [tombs of the] holy Apostles Peter and Paul which
were in the city, as though he were receiving the crown of blessing
from them.
The emperor and Pope of Rome sent him
a worthy crown of earlier kings and a dignitary, that is, an archbishop
to place the crown on his head and to demand three things from
him: to celebrate the feasts of the Lord and of all the saints
on whatever days they occurred; to utter prayers in the church
during the day and evening, something the Armenians had not done
for some time because of Ishmaelite attacks, instead [reciting
prayers] only at the time of the administration of the sacrament
during the holy mass; and not to break the fasts on the eves of
Christmas and Easter, except with [g156] fish and olives.
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