In the year 537 A.E. [1088] the emir Buzan, at Malik-Shah's order, took Gandzak from the Fadlunids who are called Shaddadids. Now the king of Georgia, Bagarat, returning from the Emperor, took his patrimony. His son Georgi likewise [held his patrimony]. He followed Kiwrike' to Malik-Shah in Khurasan and returned in honor. Kiwrike' was the son of Dawit' son of Gurgen son of Ashot the Merciful. His father Dawit' built Lor'e' and twelve other fortresses. [Dawit'] is buried at Sanahin. His grandsons Abas and Dawit', harassed by the Georgians went to the lord of [A]r'an and each received a fortress where he dwelled in tribulation. Sultan Malik-Shah, peace-loving and philo-Christian ruled twelve kingdoms from the Caspian to the Pontic [Black] Sea. Taking sand from the Ocean he went to Persia and threw it on his father's grave, saying: "Behold father, here is some good news for you, because the son whom [g106] you left a boy has conquered to the ends of the earth." Philaretus went to [Malik-Shah] and weakened in the faith. The great emir Buzan, at the sultan's order, took Edessa and he killed the noble and glorious princes of the Armenians who were betrayed by informers.
In these days the king of the Pechenegs came with 600,000 [troops] to Constantinople, against Alexius (Alexs). The Christians prayed for eight days and destroyed all of them, throwing fire into the wagons they had arrived in...
In the year 540 A.E. [1091] kat'oghikos Po'ghos whom Philaretus had put [into office] died at Marash. The blessed and great scholar, vardapet Ge'org of Armenia, [died] and was buried at Kamrjadzor near vardapet Samue'l. Consequently, then there was just one holy throne of the patriarchate. For at this time Lord Barsegh removed kat'oghikos T'eodoros from the throne taking the [kat'oghikosal] veil from him, along with the scepter and the blessed holy symbol of Lord Petros. Moving to Caesarea he [next] went to Antioch and thence to Edessa. And there was great rejoicing everywhere.
The peace-loving sultan [Malik-Shah] was poisoned by his wife, and died in 541 A.E. [1092]. When this was learned by Emir Buzan who was at Nicaea, he went to Edessa. And Lord Barsegh went to Ani [g107]. Malik-Shah was buried at Marand, near his father Alp-Arslan. His two sons were named Berk-Yaruq (Be'kiarux) and Sap'an. Tutush (Dudush), Malik-Shah's brother, became sultan in the Byzantine parts, while Berk-Yaruq ruled over Persia and Armenia. He made hejub his mother's brother Ismael, who was very kind and well-disposed toward the Armenians. Thus the population was nurtured and thus the land became built up, monasteries and all clerics were freed [from taxation]. Now Tutush, having ruled Mesopotamia, struck at the Arab king Ibrahim (Brehim) and, taking all his camps, he grew rich. A message came to him from Berk-Yaruq's wife telling him to come to Persia, be her man, and take all her land. Rejoicing at the news, [Tutush] approached with countless troops, going to the plain of Ispahan. Berk-Yaruq sent entreaties to him that he be given Ispahan while all other places would be Tutush's. But [the latter] refused to accept this. They attacked each other and Tutush was killed. His son [Fakhr al-Mulk] Radwan (E"r'atuan) fled to Edessa and he too sat as sultan in Aleppo and its borders. Another of his relatives, named Alpirak, became sultan in the Byzantine parts, came to Edessa and tried to rule it. Curopalate T'oros poisoned him after thirty days.
In the same year the blessed kat'oghikos T'e'odoros died at Honi. [He was] a man full of all virtues. He was buried near Lord Sargis.
In this period, because of locusts and aridity, a severe famine occurred. At Ani there were terribly great hardships. The dead could not be buried because of the famine, and the faithful could not take communion. They say that one man whose name was Bex, to display valor and love for God, buried 6,000 bodies. Now when a wealthy man in Persia [g108] heard about such disasters there, he came to Ani with a herd of camels bearing grain, saying: "Give this only to the children." When [the people] heard this, with their tears flowing copiously they brought forth many [children] and [the man] fed and filled them. When the grain was exhausted, he called to the parents of the children for them to come and kiss their sons and daughters. When heart-breaking lamentations arose from those embracing, behold, the man exclaimed in a mild and good tongue: "Take your children, and go to your homes glorifying the giver of good things, God, in His greatness." And this is what they did.
When the famine had passed [there arrived] a Scythian people which for a long time had lurked in the area of Hyrcania. The name of their chief was Il-Ghazi (Elxazi). He came through the lands, warring, with 7,000 troops, right up to the city of Ani. There [Il-Ghazi's] brother—who resembled the giant Goliath—died because of Grigor son of Vasak grandson of Apirat. Some days later [the latter] was martyred at Kaghzuan having saved the emir of Ani, Manuch'e', from death. They took and buried him at Kech'ar'u. The brother of Lord Barsegh the kat'oghikos, Manuch'e' and the entire force of the Armenian army followed behind the body. Il-Ghazi went through Mesopotamia and took Jerusalem from the Franks, shooting an arrow into the ceiling of [the Church of] the Resurrection which remains there to the present as a mark of that deed.
In the year 544 A.E. [1095] Suk'man son of Ardux and the emir of Samosatta, Paltux son of Amir-Ghazi came against Edessa but were turned back full of shame since the Curopalate T'e'odoros wisely and bravely kept the city. Even Sultan Radwan could not subdue it. In 547 A.E. [1098] [g109] Qilich-Arslan (Ghilich Aslan), sultan of the West, grandson of Qutlumush (Ddlmush) came against Melitene. But the prince of the city Gabriel (Ghavril), father-in-law of the Curopalate of Edessa, turned them back in disgrace [g110].
...In this period the blessed cross of Nino came to Ani. This [was the cross] which at the time of the apostasy of Vazgen, leader of Georgia, was migrated to the caves of Mount Parxar by the holy monastic Andre'as, one of St. Sahag's students. It was kept there for seven years and then Grigor Mamikonean, son of Hmayek, was informed about it. He took it to the fortress named Kapoyt and thence it was moved to Vanand and called the Cross of Vanand. When the Mamikonean family was destroyed by the impious Suk'man, [the Cross] was brought to Ani in the patriarchate of Lord Barsegh [g111]...
...In the year 549 A.E. [1100] Danishman, lord of Sebastia, whom they say was of Armenian nationality, came against Melitene. Bohemond (Pemond) and Richard (R'ajard) who were at Edessa, came against him but were captured [by Danishman] and put into jail [g112]...
...In 553 A.E. [1104] Danishman died, leaving twelve sons. The senior son Ghazi assumed authority. During the same year Sultan Berk-Yaruq also died and his brother Tap'ar took his place...
In the year 554 A.E. [1105] during confusion of rule in Persia, a Scythian emir named Qizil (Ghzil) arose and took the awan of Lo're'. He went and entered Dwin forcibly, killing Manuch'e's brother Abu Nasr (Abunasr). But Manuch'e' went and took troops from the court of the king of Persia, came back and killed Qizil upon his brother [Abu Nasr]'s grave. He gave Dwin to the Persians.
In this time the patriarch Barsegh, harassed by diverse tribulations, went to his throne in Ani. Immediately a request came to him from Lord Grigoris Pahlaw, also called Vahram Vkayase'r [Martyrophile] saying: "My time has come. Come and commit me to the Lord." [Barsegh] did not delay [and set out] in the hopes of administering the last rites. However, he experienced some difficulties on the road at the fortress of Mentskert near Balu. [It came] from the Greeks there, who wanted to rob them. Stout heartedly, growing more determined, he did not let [the bandits] take as they pleased, but only what he himself permitted [g113]... Now [Barsegh] travelled a lengthy road and reached the monastery called Karmir (Red) where the Godly and great prince Vasil was. Being blessed by him and entrusting [to Barsegh] his young pupils who were his nephews (sister's sons): Grigoris who became kat'oghikos, and his brother Nerse's, the sons of Apirat, he died...and Vasil and the entire Armenian cavalry lamented over him greatly [g114]...
...In the year 559 A.E. [1110] Mamtut, spasalar of Persia, devastated the entire country of Edessa with destruction and slave-taking, and made all the Christians mourn.
In the same year, in wintertime in the darkness of night, fire fell from On High into the Sea of Vaspurakan [Lake Van]. The shrieking waters fell upon the dry lands, the sea turned the color of blood, and fish died. When day dawned [the fish] were piled up on the land like piles of lumber from the forest...[g115]
...But while Lord Barsegh was still alive, paron Vasil, the great prince of princes died. With God's support he had ruled over numerous fortresses and districts. The patriarch Barsegh looked after his House and gave the authority to a lad [named] Vasil, a pupil of the great Vasil, of the Kamsarakan line. For at that time Vasil's House was a place of assembly for royal descendants and the azats of Armenia, and the throne of the patriarchs [g117].
In the year 553 A.E. [1104] on the 12th of May, the earth trembled [and this was] accompanied by a piteous sound which came from the mountains and the crumbling cliffs. It was a Sunday. The sound was bass. Therefore it was believed that this was the day of the End of the World. Many cities collapsed, and 40,000 individuals perished—and that includes only those who could be counted [g117]...
...In the same year [568 A.E. [1119]] Tap'ar the sultan of Persia died. [When he was close to death] he had his senior wife Gohar Khatun killed. They say that she had 80 virgins waiting on her [merely] to put the crown on her head. [Tap'ar] was the lord of many troops and he gave [Gohar] to some of them to kill secretly. "So that," he said, "she not take as a husband my brother who holds the inner land of Persia." He gave the throne and the cities of Awzkan and Xzne' (which is ninety days' journey from Isphahan) to his senior son Mahmud. He made the younger son, Melilk, lord of Gandzak. The next year [1120] Alexius died. The crown then was worn by his son Porphyrogenitus (P'er'p'er'ozhe'n) who was well disposed toward the Armenians and who criticized his father for being led astray by false clergymen [who, by] performing a second baptism, crucified the Lord a second time.
In this period Dawit' the king of Georgia grew mighty. [He was] the son of Ge'org, son of Bagarat. He took Tiflis from the Persians, [g118] and struck Melik, the sultan of Gandzak, with severe blows. And in the city of Tiflis he crucified 500 warriors. In those days the emir of Ani, Manuch'e, had died and his weak and cowardly son Aplsuar who ruled there wanted to sell Ani for 60,000 denars to the emir of Kars. He had an expensive and tall crescent brought from Xlat' and put on the dome of the cathedral, replacing what was there before. Therefore, taking heart, the Christians called on Dawit', and gave the city of Ani into his hands. And that loathesome symbol was cast down from the roof of the cathedral. Because of our sins, [the cathedral] had endured it for sixty years. And they placed the crown of adornment, the crown of Jesus, the pride of Paul, the salvation of our sun the God-receiving Cross [on the cathedral roof]. Ringing the sounding boards near the Cross, they confessed God, crucified for the salvation of Believers. Now the king left in Ani Abule't' as well as his son Iwane', and returned to his country taking along Aplsuar and his sons who died [in Georgia] and never returned [to Ani]. Dawit' continued to expand the boundaries of Georgia, taking Uxt'i and its limits, and Gag, Te'runakan, Tayush, Kayean, Kaytson, Lo'r'e', Tashir, Mahganaberd, the entire principality of the Armenians Kiwrike' and Abas. He also subdued Mount Caucasus and the kingdom of the Sonk' [Suanetia], Mrachul, Chk'et, Duale't', Here't' as far as the Caspian Sea and to Haghband [Darband] and to Shapuran city. The foolish [g119] and senseless Georgian people, having selected forty lads, sent them to Greece to learn the language, to make translations, and to bring them [back to Georgia]. They did indeed accomplish this. Three of them who turned out to be very good and scholarly were to embellish that unadorned people. Dawit' in no way wavered with regard to our church and prayers. Thus many times did he place his head beneath our hands, requesting blessing. He ruled thirty-three years and died in Tiflis, and was buried at Gelat'i in the mausoleum of his fathers. His son Demetre' took the crown and similarly kept his father's rule. More, he added [to his realm] Dmanis and Xunan city [which were] taken from the Persians.
Now in Khurasan in those days lived a son of Aplsuar who, upon hearing what had happened to his father and brothers and about Dawit's death, came back seeking his patrimonial city, Ani. With entreaties he requested it from Apulet' and the elders of the city. Because the city was in great danger from the Turks, Apulet' gave it to him, sparing the Christians and even more so his son Iwane' so that he would not be lost in incessant fighting. Then he went to his home. Now Aplswar's son Fatlun looked after the city and its limits well and, valiantly striving, he established peace. [Fatlun] also took Dwin and Gandzak and became renowned. However, because he wanted to lay hands on the blessed cathedral, after three years he became afflicted by terror caused by wounds from the fiery men who had arisen from the keys of the church which [Fadlun] had taken from the blessed attendant, Grigor. The next day [Fadlun] wanted to rob the church of its ornament [the cross] which newly adorned its heavenly nuptial couch after a period of sixty years [g120] of mourning. When he saw [the fiery men] he grew ill and terrified and besought the prayers of Gregory whom he removed from the fetters of prison. As a result of this, a few days later [Grigor] went to Virap. Returning thence to Dwin he saw a huge assembly of Turks, a teeming army. He cried out in a great voice: "Blessed be Christ God, son of God" which he was accustomed to do daily in Ani. For in jest a fellow worshiper had whispered in his ear: "Lo, this is the place to bless Christ." Therefore [the Turks] bound and took him to Fadlun. They placed him in the dungeon wanting to kill him the very night of his capture. But the Lord preserved him [g121]...
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