[6] Now there was another emir named Fakhr al-Din ['Abd al-Rahman] (P'axradin) from a wealthy and noble clan. He ruled over Chavli's troops and the districts under his authority. At the sultan's command he came to our district of Ar'an and ruled it completely. However, he had a grudge against the king of Georgia and threatened to lay waste all the districts under his sway. Because of this terror and threat, the blessed capital monasteries of Haghbat and Sanahin, desperate with fright, took refuge in prayer and beseeched God to save all the believers. God immediately heard their prayers and snuffed out Fakhr al-Din's life. [Fakhr al-Din] had ruled Gandzak for only a few days before he was slain by a certain emir named Khass Beg (Xazbek) who was of the sultan's House and acted on his urging. This occurred in the year 596 A.E. [1147], the year 367 of Rome, and the year 536 of the Persians. The emperor of the Byzantines was Michael, son of Kaluzhan, grandson of Alexius. The king of Georgia was Demetre', son of Dawit', grandson of Ge'org Bagratuni. And the sultan of Persia was Masud, son of Mahmed, grandson of Malik-Shah.
The emir of Fars and Khuzistan, whose name was Boz-Aba (Bzap'ay), having heard about the killing of Fakhr al-Din and having learned that it was done at the sultan's order, assembled troops and went against him with the intention of deposing him from power. Now Khass Beg took his troops and went to the sultan's aid. A fierce battle occurred with the troops of both sides killing each other. In this battle Boz-Aba was slain and great chaos ensued. After this a certain emir named Aghush (?) (E"rghish), without the sultan's order, wanted to rule over Gandzak. But when the city's chiefs learned about this, they did not permit him into the city. [Aghush], furious over this insult, went into the mountainous areas and assembled the rebel Turkmen chiefs. With them he visited great destruction on the mountainous areas. Having divided up the district among them, he engendered many crises and thus wanted to besiege the city. But the citizens [of Gandzak] sought help from the king of the Georgians, whose name was Demetre', since his daughter, R'uzugan, previously had been the sultan's wife. Gandzak had been given as payment for her. Consequently, the king of the Georgians sent a force there and Aghush, put to flight, returned to the Persian areas. After this, Sultan Masud sent a certain emir named Rawwadi (R'ovadi) as ruler (shahap) of Gandzak. When he arrived he wanted to exact vengeance on the Turkmens for destroying the district. But he was unable to conquer them. And because he was not great either by clan or power, the Turkmens scorned him and showed him much rebellion. Similarly all the fortresses in the district did not submit to him. Although he went and besieged them, he was unable to take them. The Turkmens considerably ruined the plain and mountain areas. Consequently [Rawwadi], furious, arose and took much booty from the Turkmens, making them even more hostile toward him. But then love and friendship were established between them, as he took a wife from among them and gave his daughter in marriage to the lord of Herk'an fortress, who was named Izz al-Din (Azadin). Thus peace was established in the district.
[7] After this the prince of the land of Charaberd and its castle, son of Dar called Tawghan, grew proud and wanted to rule Ar'an. A certain son of the sultan, named Chaghri-Shah (Ch'axrshah), had come to him. And he took him and his father-in-law, Prince Grigor son of Vasak, lord of Xawaxan fortress, who had come to him so that through him he could avenge himself on Hasan, son of Desm, because of his brother, Smbat, whom [Hasan] had slain in purposeless warfare amongst themselves. For such reasons they had given their daughters in marriage to the foreigners. Thus Grigor had grown bold and came to his son-in-law, Tawghan. Taking them, Tawghan went and camped on the mountain called Kaytsoy Tsar' near Herk'an fortress. Previously Rawwadi had become the son-in-law of a Turkmen chieftain named Gurbugha. Tawghan called upon him and the others with him, called the Tutak'eans, to submit to the sultan. They camped upon the mountain called Diwaxor' and did not submit to them. As a result of this, there was warfare. They attacked Tawghan's troops, and Tawghan himself was slain. They also killed Grigor and the other nobles with him. Christians of the district buried them there. One year later [their remains] were brought to the monastery called Gandzasar, where their ancestral mausoleum was located, and they were buried there. Now they seized Chaghri-Shah and took him to Rawwadi in the city of Gandzak. Regarding him as a false and treacherous individual they made a mockery of him by circulating him around in the city with insults. Then they released him. Then [Chaghri-Shah] went to the Turkmens whom Rawwadi previously had looted. They rejoiced together and summoned all the Turks of Mount Gegham. [The Turkmens] honored [Chaghri-Shah] as a king. Massing troops they came [to him] and he divided among them all the mountainous areas of the district. Then he himself, with a multitude of troops, came and besieged the city of Gandzak. But Rawwadi sent to the king of the Georgians and asked for auxiliary troops. [The king of Georgia] sent many troops. When Chaghri-Shah learned about this he fled south of Perozapat, which today is called Partaw, and he remained there among the Turkmen rebels.
Subsequently a certain Sewundz, servant of T'aparkaghan, who was located in the fortress called Ch'are'k', manifested a grudge against Rawwadi. The was because [Rawwadi] earlier had besieged him in his fortress and ravaged his district. Allied with some [folk] from the city of Gandzak, [Sewundz] went to Ildegiz (Eltkuz) who was lord of the city and district of Naxchawan. Calling upon [Ildegiz], [Sewundz] brought him along and went and besieged the city of Gandzak. He captured it after a month with the consent of its citizens, on Christmas eve, the day of the Epiphany of Our Lord. Now when Rawwadi learned about the will of the city, he himself voluntarily gave the city into his hand. However, when Ildegiz had arrived at the city gates, the citizens announced: "If you do not eliminate our enemy Chaghri-Shah, we shall not submit to you." Thus [Ildegiz] swiftly went and seized [Chaghri-Shah]. He hanged him on a tree, then came and took the city, as we mentioned. As for Rawwadi, he went to his patrimonial district close to the city of Belapat. Since Ildegiz' wife was one of the sultan's wives, after the death of Masud, he enthroned Aslan-Shah, who was the son of his own wife, and he took for himself the position of atabeg. For [Ildegiz] had slain Khass Beg, atabeg of the sultan's sons in their rivalry. Because of this he ruled the kingdom of the Persians, became extremely powerful, eliminated all the grandee princes and subdued many, eliminated the principal rebels among the Turkmens, and quelled the agitation in the land of Ar'an. The savage nation of the Ishmaelites was tamed, while the looting which they frequently engaged in ended in the land of the Aghuans. However the warfare with the king of Georgia and the princes of Xache'n was not ended. For they came secretly on one occasion and took the fortress of Haru, putting everyone to the sword.
[8] Now on the death of Demetre', king of Georgia, his son Dawit' reigned in his stead. [Dawit'] was a benevolent man, especially as regards the Armenian princes under his authority. He greatly honored the ruler (shahap) of the city of Tiflis, Vasak, son of Prince Vahram, and his brothers named K'urd and Sargis. He displayed such benevolence that he sent and summoned King Kiwrike', son of King Dawit' Bagratuni, promising to return his patrimony, which his ancestors had taken from him. Thus he sent him off with gifts and arranged a[nother] meeting with him. [King Dawit'] also wanted to convene an assembly to inquire into the true faith and thus to honor orthodoxy [Monophysitism]. However, once the princes of the Georgians learned about his desire, they became quite jealous, in particular the Orbelean clan. Giving him a drink with poison in it they murdered King Dawit', and a great and prolonged mourning descended upon the land of the Georgians and the Armenians. Then they enthroned his brother, Giorgi, in his place.
As soon as Giorgi had become king he wanted to arrest Prince Vasak. This was because [Giorgi] held a grudge against him, since when [Vasak] was mayor of the city, he did not exhalt him as he did his brother Dawit', and he did not serve and obey him. Other princes of the Georgians also slandered [Vasak], and so Vasak and his brothers fled, going to Theodosiopolis (T'iodupawlis) which is presently called the city of Karin [Erzerum]. The emir [of the city], who was named Saltukh, received them with joy and honor. For when Saltukh had been seized by the Georgian troops, while besieging the city of Ani, and was sent to King Demetre' in Tiflis, Vasak had performed numerous services for him. And for that reason [Saltukh] honored them with gifts and bestowed on them authority over numerous villages. After Vasak had been there a few months, he died and was buried in the church called Astuadzadzin [Mother of God] in the city. His banner and trumpet and authority were given to his brother, who was named K'urd, and he remained there in great honor.
[9] After Giorgi had become king and had consolidated [his position] he performed many feats of valor: campaigning here and there, waging war on numerous districts, and capturing the city of Ani. [He did this] once and then again, summoning [? summoned by] Bishop Barsegh and his brothers, sons of Hasan the Magistros. However, they resisted and did not surrender the city to him. When he had forcibly taken [Ani], he ordered that it be looted; and, stripping all the troops, men, women, priests, and clerics, he visited upon them many indignities because of their resistance. Then he appointed a ruler (shahap) and troops for the city, and departed. The city, harassed by enemy raids, pleaded that it be returned to its previous lord, who was of Persian nationality. Being transferred from one [ruler] to another, there was no peace in the city or the district. Then [Giorgi] gave [Ani] to his general, Iwane'. But there was no peace until it was returned to its previous lords. Now Ildegiz, who was ruler of the entire kingdom of the Persians, when he observed this [situation] and all of [Giorgi's] power, had already mustered his troops. Bringing the sultan along with him, he came and camped in the plain close to the fortress called Gag. Then he set fire to the monastery named after Saint Sargis. Many blows were delivered to the troops and many were killed by snakes. Now King Giorgi assembled numerous troops and came and camped opposite him, preparing for battle. But his general Iwane', son of Smbat Xaghaguchean, secretly notified the atabeg and the sultan [of Giorgi's battle plans], since he was their confederate and had been blinded by their bribes. Thus in the evening before the day of the battle they secretly fled, leaving their tents behind. However this did not end their evil intentions toward the Christians. Unexpectedly arriving in the confines of Ani, they took the villages of Ashnak and T'alin and burned the fortresses and many men, women, and children along with them. Many [folk] were led into slavery, to be sold to distant peoples. Then King Giorgi suddenly went to the city of Dwin with few men and remained among the Persians for a long time...taking much booty and shutting off the house...of Ormizd...
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